Cheers to Clean Water 2023 - A Day of Impact and Unity 🌊🍻
Greetings Trash Heros!
As the sun rose over Baltimore City on September 16th, a community of dedicated volunteers and passionate environmental advocates came together for a day that truly made a difference. Cheers to Clean Water 2023, in partnership with our friends at Blue Water Baltimore, was an event to remember.
Six Breweries, One Shared Mission 🍺
Our journey began and ended at six beloved local Baltimore breweries:
These vibrant community hubs graciously opened their doors to us, providing the perfect start and end for a day of transformation in our communities.
Equipped for Success, Thanks to Baltimore Tool Bank 🧤🗑️
Before we delved into the cleanup, our volunteers were armed with trash pickers, gloves, vests, and unwavering determination, thanks to the Baltimore Community ToolBank. Their generosity ensured that our volunteers were not only ready for action but also protected during the cleanup.
Policy Priority Items: Plastic Bags and Plastic Bottles 🌆🚯
This year, our focus was crystal clear: tackling the menace of plastic bags and plastic bottles. These items have a significant impact on our environment and we are determined to create lasting change.
During the cleanup, our volunteers went above and beyond, collecting data on our Policy Priority items: plastic bags and bottles. Using real-time recall, the numbers confirm the alarming rise in numbers of plastic bottles in our environment.
Within a mere two hours, volunteers collected a whopping 1,109 plastic bottles from just six sites in Baltimore City further validating plastic bottles as a major source of litter in Maryland and one that, based on data from the Dumpster Dive, has been growing year after year.
Plastic Bag Legislation - Proven to Work 🛍️🏆
Our data also highlighted the effectiveness of plastic bag legislation. The information gathered by our volunteers served as undeniable evidence that these policies work. The efficacy of Baltimore City's plastic bag ban was validated through data collected during Cheers to Clean Water.
Last year we found 522 plastic bags in our parks and this year we found 285 plastic bags around our breweries. Based on data from the annual Dumpster Dive we see that since the ban the number of plastic bags found in the harbor is declining. Our volunteers' data will shape decisions around statewide reusable bag and bottle deposit refund policies.
Raise Your Glasses and Cheers to “Clean Water!” 🍻
As the day concluded, and the litter was replaced with smiles of accomplishment, we gathered at the breweries to cheers to “Clean Water!” Volunteers received vouchers for a refreshing beverage at each participating brewery, a small token of the breweries immense gratitude for their unwavering dedication.
Cheers to Clean Water 2023 was not just a cleanup event; it was a powerful testament to what a united community can achieve. We thank each and every volunteer, partner and brewery for their invaluable contributions. Together, we're turning the tide on litter, one policy and one cleanup at a time.
