26th Annual Clean the Bay Day – June 7, 2014
Volunteers all over Virginia, from Hampton Roads to Northern Virginia, from the Eastern Shore to the Shenandoah Valley, work by land and boat to give the Bay a massive spring cleaning every year. Elected officials, their staffs, enlisted men and women, scout groups, churches, small businesses, large corporations and thousands of individuals and families will turn out for this year’s Clean the Bay Day.
2013 Clean the Bay Day Results:
Approximately 6,000 volunteers removed
more than 135,000 pounds of harmful debris
from more than 200 sites
along more than 500 miles of streams and shoreline…
all in just three hours.
Would you like to host a cleanup in your area in 2014? Becoming a partner and bringing Clean the Bay Day to your area has never been easier! Call or email: 757-622-1964; CTBD@cbf.org.
Clean the Bay Day is CBF’s annual stream and shoreline cleanup, during which citizen volunteers come out to remove litter and debris from Virginia creeks, streams, rivers, and the Chesapeake Bay. The event, sponsored by CBF in partnership with local governments and corporate sponsors, is held the first Saturday in June. The event draws thousands of individual volunteers, families, clubs, businesses, non-profits, conservation groups, and military personnel to cleanup shorelines across the Commonwealth, from Hampton Roads to Northern Virginia, the Eastern Shore to the Shenandoah Valley.
You can continue to save the Bay throughout the year by becoming a better Bay steward at home. Here are a few ideas:
- Speak out! Let your voice be heard regarding important legislation affecting our Chesapeake Bay and rivers. Write or call your senators and congressional representative, urging them to vote in an environmentally responsible way.
- Use natural cleaners—use natural, non-toxic, phosphate-free cleaners like baking soda or borax with hot water for most household cleaning tasks. You’ll be reducing toxic chemicals in wastewater while saving money.
- Reduce fertilizer use—always get a soil test first to be sure what your lawn requires; use fertilizer sparingly, and only when necessary. Excessive fertilizers contribute to nitrogen and phosphorous overload in rivers and the Bay, which can lead to low oxygen levels and dead zones.
- Remember “Only rain in storm drains”—allow only rain to go down the storm drain and use a broom not a hose or power blower, to clean debris from decks, patios and driveways. You’ll save water, reduce emissions, and curb stormwater runoff.
- Practice Bay-friendly car care—take your vehicle to a commercial car wash or wash your car on an unpaved surface with phosphate-free soap so water soaks into the ground, not into the storm drain.
- Reduce rainwater runoff—direct rainwater away from paved surfaces; direct gutter downspouts onto lawn or flower beds, or into a rain barrel.
For more ideas visit the More Things You Can Do section of this website.
If you would like more information about Clean the Bay Day, including sponsorship opportunities, please send an e-mail to CTBD@cbf.org.
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