A City Organizes Itself

São Paulo is a massive city with a population of around 11.4 million people and is divided into 32 subprefectures. Having to coordinate a unified environmental effort across all of them is no small task, yet that is what happened this Earth Day. 

To prepare for Earth Day, São Paulo partnered with Clean Brazil Institute or Instituto Limpa Brasil as part of EARTHDAY.ORG’S Great Global Cleanup campaign. Through the Great Global Cleanup campaign, EARTHDAY.ORG supported local partnerships that helped train community leaders, mobilize volunteers, and connect São Paulo’s cleanup to a global movement for community action. 

A mutirão is more than a neighborhood cleanup. It is a long-standing tradition of neighbors coming together to solve a shared problem or achieve a common goal through collective volunteer work. That tradition guided São Paulo’s Earth Day activities from start to finish.  

The preparation began on Earth Day itself. On April 22nd, community leaders gathered for training that prepared them to organize volunteers and lead cleanup efforts in their own neighborhoods. Then, on April 25, those leaders led simultaneous cleanup crews across every subprefecture in the city.

By Earth Day, those trained community leaders had mobilized more than 2,000 volunteers to participate in hands-on cleanup efforts, while residents took part in surrounding community events and awareness activities that gave the day its scale. Volunteers hauled plastics, paper, and other irregularly dumped trash from streets and squares.  

More Than a Cleanup

The goal was never to simply haul away trash. It was to show, block by block, that lasting environmental progress starts with people getting involved. By the end of the day, volunteers had removed roughly 150 tons of waste in a single coordinated effort, showing what community action can achieve.

Environmental education in local communities was a part of the effort. São Paulo’s State Environmental Education Policy describes this kind of work as a way to help students build a sense of responsibility and belonging toward parks, rivers, and public spaces around them. 

Waste picker cooperatives were also an important part of the cleanup, helping sort and recover recyclable materials while connecting a one-day event to an ongoing recycling system. The work didn’t end when Earth Day was over. Brazil recognizes waste picker cooperatives as partners in municipal waste management through its National Solid Waste Policy, and their role helped ensure that recyclable materials collected during the cleanup continued through São Paulo’s recycling system. 

Part of Something Bigger

São Paulo wasn’t the only city taking action this Earth Day. Through EARTHDAY.ORG’S Great Global Cleanup, communities in 190 countries organized cleanups throughout April 2026. These efforts show how local cleanups can bring communities together while encouraging long-term action on illegal dumping and waste management. 

A São Paulo Waste Study found that when trash isn’t managed properly it can contaminate waterways and worsen flooding, challenges that the city has been facing for years. While every community approaches cleanup differently, São Paulo showed what can happen when local leadership, residents, schools, and environmental organizations all work towards something that feels distinctly local. 

Whether it’s joining a local cleanup, organizing neighbors, or participating in EARTHDAY.ORG’s Great Global Cleanup, every effort helps build healthier communities, one block at a time. Find a cleanup near you and get involved at EARTHDAY.ORG.

The post In São Paulo, Earth Day Begins Block by Block appeared first on Earth Day.

At a recent Earth Day cleanup event, Block by Block Philly brought residents, volunteers, local partners, and community organizations together to address litter, illegal dumping, and neighborhood waste. The event reflected the spirit of EARTHDAY.ORG’s 2026 theme, “Our Power, Our Planet,” by showing how environmental action can begin at the local level, one block at a time.

Block by Block Philly began with someone seeing street litter and illegal dumping up close. These problems do more than make a neighborhood look rundown. They affect public health, weaken residents’ sense of safety, and create the feeling that a community has been forgotten. By organizing cleanup events across Philadelphia, Block by Block Philly works to change that reality through direct, visible action.

During the event, a Block by Block Philly representative emphasized that community building is at the center of their work. When asked what he wanted to be remembered for, he said he wanted to be remembered as a “community builder.”

That spirit of partnership was clear throughout the event. He talked about working with an aligned nonprofit, a kids’ sports nonprofit, and a local coffee shop to make the cleanup happen. This kind of teamwork turns environmental work into something bigger: a space where neighbors meet, local groups support one another, and residents feel more connected to the place they live.

The event was also rooted in the idea that Earth Day should not be limited to one day of action.

That sense of purpose is especially important in a city like Philadelphia, where environmental challenges are often tied to broader issues of public health, safety, and inequality. Litter, illegal dumping, and poor waste management are not just environmental concerns. They shape how residents feel about their streets, their neighborhoods, and their ability to shape the place they call home.

For Block by Block Philly, cleanup work is a way to push back against that feeling of neglect. It gives residents a chance to reclaim public spaces and show that their neighborhoods deserve care. The organization also connects cleanup efforts with education, art, and local culture, helping environmental action feel visible, local, and lasting.

One of the most powerful parts of the event was the way it brought people from different parts of the city together. The interviewee, who lives in the neighborhood, said the turnout made them feel “welcomed and loved.” He mentioned seeing someone come from South Philly all the way to North Philly to help with the cleanup.

That quote captures the deeper meaning of Block by Block Philly’s work that they are not only cleaning streets, but also creating moments where people can see themselves as part of a larger citywide community. When someone crosses neighborhood lines to help clean another part of Philadelphia, the act becomes more than volunteer service, but a statement of shared responsibility.

This is what “Our Power, Our Planet” can look like at the neighborhood level. It is not always a distant or abstract idea. Sometimes it looks like residents gathering on a street, local partners showing up with support, volunteers removing trash, and people choosing to care for a block that belongs to all of them. “Block by block, neighbor by neighbor.”  Block by Block Philly is helping turn environmental action into community power. In the face of litter, illegal dumping, and public health concerns, the organization’s work shows that change can begin with one cleanup, one partnership, and one group of people deciding that their community is worth protecting.

The post Cleaning up Philadelphia, Block by Block appeared first on Earth Day.

Date: September 20th, 2025
Weather: Sunny and warm with a light breeze
Mood: Ecstatic and excited

September 20th marked World Cleanup Day, but for The Golden State, it also marked California Coastal Cleanup Day: one of the nation’s largest annual volunteer events uniting communities each September to clear trash from beaches, rivers, and shorelines. For over four decades, this powerful movement has mobilized people across California, removing countless tons of debris and generating data that has shaped significant environmental policies, such as state-wide plastic bans, limits on single-use plastics, and stronger stormwater regulations.

The town of Berkeley, located in northern Alameda County, California, on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay, has played a notable role in this movement. The Berkeley Shoreline Cleanup was added to the statewide effort in 1988 thanks to longtime coordinator Patty Donald, who helped grow the program from a small class outing to Strawberry Cove, an area of natural beauty near the town, into a major community tradition. Under her leadership, the city became a hub for monthly cleanups, student field trips, and hands-on environmental education at the Shorebird Park Nature Center. 

This past Saturday, September 20th, I was able to experience this movement firsthand at the annual California Coastal Cleanup Day Shorebird Park event, organized by the City of Berkeley. This day of cleaning up trash rekindled my deep appreciation for Berkeley’s heartening community.

Every UC Berkeley student is familiar with the AC Transit 51B bus line, known as the University – College – Rockridge route; it runs between Rockridge BART station in Oakland and Berkeley Amtrak station (Berkeley Marina area), serving many stops along the way. Thankfully this classic mode of transportation brought me directly to the Berkeley Marina, the location of the cleanup. The weather couldn’t have been better, as the sun was shining in a clear sky with a light breeze near the water. I packed my tote bag with necessary supplies to tackle the day: a water bottle (not in a single use bottle btw), hand sanitizer, granola bar, sunglasses, and my San Francisco Giants hoodie (obviously). 

I walked up to the park around 10:00 am to see many different groups of people already beginning to fill up their trash bags. Eager to get started, I checked in at the tent and grabbed some gloves, a trash bag, and a trash picker. I then headed toward the walking paths along the San Francisco Bay and began my cleanup journey.

I was instantly greeted by kind volunteers of all ages, making conversation as we searched for trash. This is what I love most about Berkeley: how welcoming and friendly the community is, no matter if I’m on campus or in town. 

It’s also easy to feel the Bay Area’s strong environmental values in the enthusiasm people bring to cleanups. There is truly no other place with this energy and dedication, and meeting the lovely, like-minded locals at this event made me appreciate my college town even more. Experiences like this illustrate how when individual communities come together, their collective efforts have the power to drive real change and shape a sustainable, just future. 

A moment to highlight was getting to share all about EARTHDAY.ORG and how the Great Global Cleanup initiative works with other volunteers. One of them told me that she travels often and is always looking for ways to give back to the communities she visits. When I showed her the cleanup map, she absolutely loved the idea because it meant she could easily find opportunities to join cleanups wherever she goes in the world!

Many pieces of styrofoam, candy wrappers, plastic, bottle caps, and glass filled up my trash bag as I continued along my way. The park stretches about 2 miles, and I was sure to cover as much land as I could while also enjoying the view of San Francisco and chatting with other volunteers. The cleanup concluded around noon, and at the end, a whole truck’s bed was stuffed to the brim with trash bags, successfully cleaning up the coast. 

As I left the marina, I couldn’t help but notice how the shoreline looked just a little bit better, definitely cleaner than when we had arrived, and how the community spirit felt even brighter. Although small, this cleanup still has long-term impacts, it helps create a safer park for the community and wildlife, contributes to important data collection, and sets a precedent for future environmental stewardship because the community bonds demonstrate how real change starts at the local level. 

I ended World Cleanup Day/California Coastal Cleanup Day feeling eternally grateful for the wonderful community that UC Berkeley has brought me to, which also left me a bit sentimental as I begin my senior year. 

Thank you to everyone who celebrated World Cleanup Day this year, no matter where you were in the world. If you’re looking for more ways to get involved, visit The Great Global Cleanup to partner with us, find a cleanup near you, or register your own cleanup.

The post Cleaning up the Coast of Berkeley, California appeared first on Earth Day.

World Environment Day is here, marked every June 5th, and once again, the global theme is Beat Plastic Pollution. At EARTHDAY.ORG, this fight is nothing new—our 2024 Earth Day theme was Planet vs. Plastics, but we’ve been confronting this issue head-on for years. Today offers another chance for all of us to pause, take stock, and explore how we can all be part of the solution.

Plastic, microplastics, and toxic plastic chemicals have dominated environmental and health conversations in recent years—and for good reason. As we highlighted in our 2023 report, Babies Vs Plastics, and repeated time and again in 2024, the health impacts of plastic pollution are devastating and all too real. The chemicals used in plastic production are increasingly linked to cancer, developmental disorders, fertility problems, and even dementia. Every day, it seems, new research emerges about plastic’s effects on our bodies such as lower sperm counts, malformed genitals, and even childhood obesity. 

Each year, more than 400 million tonnes of plastic are produced globally. Shockingly, half of that is single-use plastic, destined to pollute the planet—often without ever reaching a landfill. As someone who literally picks up trash for a living, I can tell you firsthand: most of what ends up on our streets, beaches, and green spaces is single-use plastics that never stood a chance of getting recycled. 

Recycling doesn’t work—it’s often contaminated, and even when it’s successful, plastic can only be recycled once or twice before degrading. Worse still, the recycling process itself releases massive amounts of microplastics, both from the recycling plants and the recycled plastic material they produce. 

The next option is landfilling, where it will either pile up almost indefinitely or get shipped to another country, where it will also just pile up indefinitely. And worst of all, the plastic might be incinerated—polluting the air and harming our lungs in the process.

Beating plastic pollution is a herculean task—but it’s absolutely essential. The theme for this year’s World Environment Day was set by the UNEP back in 2023, with the expectation that the Global Plastics Treaty would be finalized and signed by now. The final negotiations were meant to happen in Busan, South Korea, but after negotiators failed to reach a consensus on key issues, a sixth negotiation, called INC5.2, was scheduled for later this year in Switzerland.

Several countries, including Saudi Arabia, Russia, and China, have pushed back against limits on plastic production and restrictions on harmful chemicals, slowing any meaningful progress. But the stakes are too high for delay. When negotiators meet again in August, they must deliver a strong, legally binding agreement that protects both people and the planet—or risk another failed environmental treaty.

Let’s be honest: international negotiations are faltering, and governments continue to walk back crucial environmental promises. So, on this World Environment Day, how are we, as individuals and communities, supposed to take action against plastic pollution, climate change, and the other crises threatening our planet and our health?

What Can We Actively Do?

Luckily, EARTHDAY.ORG has an answer. 

Our theme for 2025 is Our Power, Our Planet, where we focus on the power that individuals and communities have to shape the world they want to see. The responsibility of fighting for clean air, clean water, and a livable future has once again landed on everyday people, just as it did 55 years ago when 20 million Americans marched across the country during the very first Earth Day. That worked exceptionally well. It led to the creation of the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, and launched the modern environmental movement as we know it today. 

A lesson we relearn every year is this: we, as individuals, communities, cities, and a global movement, have the agency to create lasting change. Our power doesn’t depend on political will at the international or national levels. And that power is more important now than ever. 

Here is what you can do to get involved in this World Environment Day to Beat Plastic Pollution. 

Firstly, Join The Great Global Cleanup. The Great Global Cleanup is our flagship campaign, mobilizing people around the world to remove trash and plastic pollution from their communities and work toward a waste-free world. This year, we had over 4,000 cleanups happening worldwide, removing over 7 million pounds of plastic and trash from the environment. Click here to learn how to organize a cleanup in your community, and explore our Underserved Community Cleanups to see how cleanups can drive lasting environmental and social impact.

Secondly, tell leaders what you think: Click Here to support the Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act, or Sign the Global Plastics Petition, calling on a highly ambitious Treaty. 

Thirdly, share the truth about plastics – with local leaders, neighbors, friends, or family.  Here are some helpful resources to get you started: Read our Babies vs Plastics Report to learn more about the health impacts of plastic and its impact on our little ones. 

See our Pets vs Plastics Report to find out more about plastic and its impact on our best friends.  Learn more about the Health Impacts of Plastic Pollution with our fact sheets. Check out our End Plastics Campaign and discover more ways to get involved. 

World Environment Day may only come once a year, but the fight it represents is ongoing. This is a fight for our health, our planet, and our future. We can’t afford to wait for treaties. The responsibility—and the opportunity—to act is already ours.

The post World Environment Day: What’s At Stake, and What’s Next? appeared first on Earth Day.

Michael Karapetian

A Different Kind of Earth Day:
Lessons from the Ground Up In Miami and Raleigh

The post A Different Kind of Earth Day – Lessons from the Ground Up In Miami and Raleigh appeared first on Earth Day.

Michael Karapetitan, Manager GREAT GLOBAL CLEANUP

A Rewarding Cleanup Topped Off with an Actual Award

Michael hard at work in the Sargassum on the Hollywood Florida Beach

Pal Martensson (Zero Waste International Alliance), Teresa Bradley (Race to Zero Waste) and Michael Karapetian holding The Great Global Cleanup banner

Microplastic samples being showcased by Samantha Romanick, PhD.

Pal Martensson and Rodrigo Sabatini (Instituto Lixo Zero Brasil) lead the way enjoying curry!

Michael Karapetian and the first day of the zero waste forum

Group photo outside of the Anne Kolb Nature Center

Michael Karapetian opening up the conference as Keynote Speaker

Amanda DiPerna and Michael receiving 2025 Emerging Leader Awards

The 2025 Emerging Leader Award Bamboo Plaque

Teresa Bradley, organizer of the Forum and founder of Race to Zero Waste, and Michael posing together after the TRUE Zero Waste Conference with the Bamboo 2025 Emerging Leader Award.

The post A Rewarding Cleanup Topped Off with an Actual Award appeared first on Earth Day.

Michael Karapetian, Great Global Cleanup Coordinator

Basura Bash's 30th anniversary cleanup tackled Texas trash, uncovering plastic pollution, odd debris, and the dedication of volunteers fighting for cleaner waterways.

The Diary of Texas Cleanup On Its 30th Anniversary

The infamous giant wooden Spool!

The Spool in situ!

Just some of the trash we collected awaiting pick up

The bags in the trees being cleaned up

The post The Diary of Texas Cleanup On Its 30th Anniversary appeared first on Earth Day.

Miami, USA

Clean Miami Beach Photos

Clean Miami Beach hosted a massive cleanup, removing over 3,100 pounds of trash from the environment with 185 dedicated volunteers. In this cleanup, volunteers collected and audited the garbage to find out what all the trash was made from.

There was no surprise in finding that the majority of the waste was made of plastic; they collectively removed nearly 1,000 plastic water bottles, hundreds of grocery bags, thousands of pieces of plastic and foam (which degrade into tiny toxic pieces that are difficult to remove called microplastics and enter our food and water and ultimately us), four shopping carts, and one voodoo doll. Yes, you heard that right, one voodoo doll.

What’s more frightening than voodoo dolls? New studies that have found countless associations with microplastics and human health issues, from cancer to immune disorders, many of them outlined in our report, Babies vs. Plastics.

Clean Miami Beach, founded by Sophie Ringel, started as a small movement of friends cleaning up beaches and wetlands in Florida, but it quickly grew on social media, and to date they have hosted 384 cleanups, removing over 100,000 pounds of trash and plastic pollution from the environment.

Chicago, USA

Chicago Beach CleanUp

The Windy City showed up with the youth-led environmental NGO, Chicago Beach CleanUp, co-founded by Sam Stubbs and Lou Ellstrand. You Can hear more from Co-founder Sam Stubbs during his interview on Earth Day Live: From Vision to Action - Cleanup Changemakers Creating a Waste-Free World. They hosted 12 cleanups this month protecting the beautiful beaches along the coast of Lake Michigan.

At the heart of Chicago Beach CleanUp's mission is community engagement, with a focus on underserved communities. Recently, they partnered with EARTHDAY.ORG to create the Lakeland Leadership program, providing leadership opportunities to youth who may not otherwise have access. Over six weeks, the inaugural class participated in mentorship sessions, and resume-building workshops, and organized and led their cleanup events.

On World Cleanup Day, they hosted an after-work cleanup at North Avenue Beach, drawing a dedicated group of volunteers, including Miss Illinois Earth USA, Gissell Bahena. It was a monumental successful event and we know it will continue to grow.

Lagos, Nigeria

Green Janitors

Green Janitors, an environmental NGO based in Lagos, the capital of Nigeria, geared up for World Cleanup Day 2024. Led by activist Ashade Abdulsalam, the organization coordinated over forty cleanups across the city of Lagos with the focus of curbing disease which is exacerbated by the presence of free-roaming trash. More than 2,100 volunteers participated, removing at least 50 full bags of trash at each location.

By the end of the event, over 2,500 bags of waste and plastic pollution had been collected.

Ahead of the cleanups, Green Janitors hosted a panel discussion with NGO leaders, waste management professionals, and medical doctors, focusing on waste management, sanitation, plastic pollution, and long-term solutions to Nigeria’s waste crisis. One of the key themes in the discussion was protecting public health, and how pollution worsens health epidemics. In addition to the ongoing Cholera epidemic in Nigeria, microplastics are known to be breeding grounds for diseases and bacteria.

The panel also highlighted the broader health impacts of plastic, including links to issues such as impaired human development, dementia, fertility problems, and cancer.

Watch the full webinar here to learn more about Nigeria’s waste problem and solutions presented by activists and experts.

Lahiana, Hawaii, USA

Lahainatown Action Committee

Despite the ravaging wildfires a year ago, Lahaina still came together to host their 20th annual cleanup. In early August 2023, a series of wildfires broke out in Hawaii killing over 100 people and causing damages of over $5.5 billion. Still, that did not deter the town of Lahaina and the organizer, Lahainatown Action Committee, from continuing their tradition and meeting this September to clean up and protect their community from trash and plastic pollution.

Vietnam

Gogreen

As always, EARTHDAY.ORG partner Gogreen led a stunning cleanup in the canals of Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam. Despite challenging weather conditions during the storm season, the young volunteers fearlessly immersed themselves in the polluted, and foul-smelling canals to remove the waste that had overwhelmed them.

This cleanup was part of a huge effort over the last two months with 380 volunteers, removing over 165 tons of trash from over 1300 meters of canals.

With over 11M views on social media over the past two months, Gogreen works to educate and inspire those in Vietnam and globally on TikTok. We think they achieved that and more!

Denmark

Nordic Ocean Watch Denmark

In Copenhagen, Nordic Ocean Watch Denmark took action for World Cleanup Day 2024, with volunteers active on the water preventing trash from flowing into the river. A large portion of the trash they removed was cigarette butts which are particularly dangerous because if they reach water they can leach out toxic chemicals into the water poisoning fish, and adding more plastic into the environment as the butts are primarily made of plastic cellulose acetate.

Nordic Ocean Watch Denmark continues to push for change, raising awareness about this overlooked environmental challenge while engaging the community with cleanups.

India

EARTH DAY NETWORK INDIA

In Mumbai, our very own Earth Day Network India made a massive impact with an extraordinary cleanup on one of the city’s major beaches. The event, held on September 21, 2024, saw an impressive collaboration with the Indian Coast Guard, who not only supported the initiative but also brought out drones and helicopters to document the day’s activities. In what resembled a scene straight out of a movie set, 1,500 volunteers worked alongside the Indian Coast Guard to make a big difference.

This initiative marks a pivotal moment in Mumbai’s ongoing battle against beach pollution, showing how communities and authorities can join forces to protect the environment and shame the plastic manufacturers in the process for not cleaning up their own mess. Earth Day Network India’s leadership in organizing this event is a testament to their dedication to fighting plastic pollution and warning people about the health risks associated with microplastics and their additive chemicals.

Armenia

Maqoor NGO

No stranger to clean ups, this past Earth Day, Maqoor organized several successful cleanup events with EARTHDAY.ORG directly so they were keen to mark World Clean Up Day too. This year Maqoor's regional leaders coordinated cleanups throughout the entire country of Armenia. Maqoor National Coordinator, Mkrtich Grigoryan, who was on the ground at many of them emphasized the significance of the event, saying, “The cleanup highlights the power of collective action for a greener Armenia. We’ve not only restored a cherished public space but also sparked a movement toward lasting environmental responsibility.”

The U.S. Embassy Yerevan Green Team also joined the movement and in collaboration with Maqoor NGO and the Yerevan Municipality, organized a clean-up at Victory Park of Yerevan, Armenia’s ancient capital, further supporting the cause.

Maqoor NGO is a dynamic youth-led environmental organization powered by a passionate group of youth volunteers, primarily aged 14-19, showcasing how powerful Armenia's youth environmental movement is becoming.

The post Our Favorite Cleanups From This Year’s World Cleanup Day appeared first on Earth Day.

1. Malaysia

Penang Island

See more from the Cleanup Here

This year EARTHDAY.ORG partnered with The Malaysia Humanitarian Foundation on the beautiful island of Penang, Malaysia to host a massive tree planting, a huge cleanup, and help host the Asian Environmental Summit. All of it happening in one action packed weekend on the island. With over 250,000 volunteers taking part and with 1.2 million trees planted  – all 30 varieties were indigenous species to Penang Island.

Volunteers from the environmental summit not only helped plant the trees but also took charge of several cleanups to help remove over 1800 pounds of trash and plastic pollution.

The Asian Environmental Summit took place at Penang City Hall and hosted speakers from NGOs from all over the globe along with celebrities like EARTHDAY.ORG ambassador, Melissa Tan. A key focus of the summit was to activate the youth to get involved in their own communities to help build a more sustainable world. 

2. Vietnam

Ho Chi Minh City

EARTHDAY.ORG partner Sai Gon Xanh led a stunning cleanup in the bodies of water of Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam that can truly be described as epic.

After hunting for the perfect cleanup location via satellite, the team of 200 volunteers, took to Tân Kiểng, a lake that had a literal blanket of plastic floating on top of it, to remove the trash. Some volunteers sat in boats collecting trash, while many others were geared up in wetsuits, gloves, and masks and braved getting into the river to collect the trash by hand. It was an AMAZING EFFORT. 

Strategic Director of Sai Gon Xanh, Huynh Anh Tuan, said “This campaign coincided with a major holiday in Vietnam. Instead of lounging on the beach, we decided to make our vacation meaningful by tackling this massive dump site and cleaning it up! Surprisingly, 200 volunteers joined us. Despite the scorching 40-degree heat, dangerous waters, and foul smell, we didn’t back down. We were thrilled to see the results after the long campaign.” You can see the before and after via satellite images below. 

Sai Gon Xanh works to educate and inspire those in Vietnam and globally with over 3 million followers on TikTok. 

3. Austria

Vienna

From April 15-30, the online cleanup movement, Planet Matters, organized a cleanup roadtrip across the entire nation of Austria!

They visited each district to engage students in cleanups at local schools, corporate volunteers, and anyone who wanted to support them, using TikTok videos to drive engagement. With over 3 million followers on Tiktok, they used social media to raise awareness about plastic pollution, encouraging people around the world, not just Austria, to actively participate in cleanup efforts. 

During their incredible road trip, 22 year-old founder, Felix Krainer, posted daily videos on his TikTok page to inspire young activists to get involved. 

The event also featured challenges with awards given for the most trash collected and for the funniest item found, which included old watches, entire car seats, a selection of underwear and, ofcourse, a TON of plastic. Krainer uses humor to get the job done and you can see our interview with Felix Krainer here. 

4. United States

North Carolina, Raleigh

In our continued efforts to highlight under-served communities across the world, EARTHDAY.ORG partnered with The Great Raleigh Cleanup on their Work Force campaign in which they work with people experiencing homelessness  –  paying them fair wages – to carry out cleanups in their own community. 

Over April, they did three separate cleanups with eight members of the Raleigh community experiencing homelessness and removed 540 pounds of waste! For these individuals the money they earn from their work is often the difference from them sleeping on the streets one night or being able to afford a night at a hotel, a meal and a hot shower. Plus they have helped everyone live in a cleaner environment along the way!

As founder of The Great Raleigh Cleanup, Preston Ross III, explained in a blog post about the campaign, “I hear about the nights that they get a hotel room and the levels to that. Is this a night for a roach infested room with no wi-fi or is this the night I get a clean room, with a couch, and hot water, and CABLE. I asked them, how often do you get a clean room? The answer is ‘the days we get to work with you’.”

5. Armenia

Yerevan

For the very first time, EARTHDAY.ORG partnered with youth environmental powerhouse, Maqoor, to help support their nascent environmental movement in Armenia. Again, cleanups and hosting an environmental summit were on the agenda, this time at the American University of Armenia. 

On April 20th, volunteers took action at three locations across the ancient capital city, collecting over 750 pounds of trash. One of these locations was Yerevan Lake, which is overlooked by the United States Embassy and the Saint Cross Church. Volunteers removed plastic, aluminum and glass from the street surrounding the lake and the shore line, separating the trash as they collected. Many of the young cleanup leaders stood at the shoreline pulling in trash that was floating on the riverside. 

Immediately after these cleanups, the volunteers changed, showered, and headed to the American University of Armenia to participate in the summit.  Students who were at the conference having been at cleanups were able to set up a proper waste management system at their own school after connecting with city municipality officials, who were present at the conference! 

6. Luxembourg

Luxembourg City

Before heading to the Earth Day, 2024, March in Luxembourg City, where volunteers would demand that the Luxembourg government backed renewable development and divestment from fossil fuels -activists led a large cleanup in the Luxembourg Gare area. 

The Volunteers removed over 180 pounds of waste and plastic pollution and coordinated with local waste management so that all this trash was properly disposed of.

The Cleanup was led by EARTHDAY.ORG partner, Clean Something For Nothing, the organization that created an app which allows volunteers, globally, to track their cleanups from their phone. 

Their goal is to inspire people to organize and take part in cleanups and to that end they have instigated several hundred volunteers to do just that in 2024 alone.

7. United States

California, Compton

EARTHDAY.ORG partnered with The Compton Initiative for a cleanup and beautification event in Compton, California. This cleanup was part of EARTH DAY.ORG’s continued efforts to support under-served communities in the Global Cleanup Movement. 

At this beautification event, more than 150 volunteers joined together to paint eight residential fences and tidy up the neighborhood surrounding the LightHouse location. Another 80 volunteers rallied at Lincoln Memorial Park to clean and beautify the cemetery there with another 80 volunteers dispersed to the Compton Courthouse Complex for painting and clean up. It was an incredible effort. 

Five 40 yard dumpsters were filled to the top as volunteers and residents cleaned the streets. Many people from the local community came out and expressed their gratitude to the volunteers and it was a joyous occasion. Todd Bouquet, program coordinator of The Compton Initiative described the event by saying, “Unity was lifted up, community was strengthened, and family was broadened!”

8. Ukraine

Lviv

In the city of Lviv, in western Ukraine, sits the Ukraine Catholic University. Though removed from the battle front, the specter of air raid sirens is a constant reminder that war is not far away.

Taking to heart EARTHDAY.ORG’s message to come together and take action for a healthier planet and brighter future, local students from the Ukraine Catholic University registered their clean up event on the Great Global Clean Up page. Led by students from the Walking and Talking English Club, Anastasia and Sofiaa, 14 volunteers from the university came out on Saturday April 20th, to beautify and remove waste and plastic pollution from the Stryjska Street Nature Trail. We are super proud of their incredible efforts in such turbulent times. 

The volunteers removed several trash bags from the trail, and at one point an air raid siren sounded warning of incoming bombs meaning the clean up crew was momentarily forced to seek shelter. Once the alarm quieted, guess what the students did? They returned to the trails to continue cleaning up trash, not letting the threat of bombs dissuade them from their mission. We applaud their efforts and thank them for being part of the Great Global Cleanup!

Read more about this amazing cleanup here.

As we like to say, Earth Day is everyday and this important work continues to come rain, shine and even in the case of Ukraine, conflict. To join The Great Global Cleanup for our work this summer click here. Join us to create a waste-free world and create a supportive, green community.

The post 8 Locations Around the World That Really “Did” The Great Global Cleanup appeared first on Earth Day.

Did you know that being zero waste and owning fewer things can actually increase your happiness and well-being? In honor of International Day of Zero Waste, we invite you to join us in trying out the zero waste lifestyle and learning about how you can simplify your life and reduce your carbon footprint… and your own stress. 

1. Less Really is More 

A big part of living a zero waste lifestyle includes buying and owning less stuff. The average American owns hundreds of thousands of possessions. We have so many belongings that we spend $38 billion a year in the U.S. alone just on storing it. Every item that you own has to be produced, be it the free t-shirt you got at an event that you never wear, the kitchen gadget you bought at a Black Friday sale that you don’t really use, or the souvenir keychain in the junk drawer. The materials economy (i.e. the economy generated by producing stuff), accounts for almost half of all global emissions. 

Owning too much stuff is also an inefficient distribution of resources. If you have something in your home that you’re holding onto unnecessarily, you’re preventing someone else from using it. And sadly, most things you own will someday end up in the landfill, so being intentional with what you own puts less pressure on the planet. 

It also puts less pressure on you! Research shows that owning too many things can make us feel stressed, anxious and depressed. The accumulation of clutter and objects in our surroundings creates a “silent to-do list,” a concept from Fumio Sasaki in the book Goodbye, Things. Every item you own is sending a message: plants are asking to be watered, knick knacks to be dusted, clothes to be worn. Our mind is constantly scanning our environment, noticing unfinished projects and things that need to be organized. Over time, this takes a mental and emotional toll.

On the flip side, owning less and simplifying has been repeatedly linked to increases in well-being. And the more peaceful environment that results can actually help you sleep better, which also contributes to increased happiness. 

2. Decision Fatigue 

When you live zero waste and eliminate most new and packaged products (which is a lot of things!), you also eliminate another known stressor: decision fatigue. The average American makes 35,000 decisions a day, which causes mental overload. Go to any grocery store, and as a consumer you have hundreds of products and brands to choose from. A simple decision like choosing which toothpaste is best or what kinds of eggs you should buy can be overwhelming (free range? pasture raised? enhanced with omega-3 fatty acids?). Add online shopping into the mix, and the options and decisions you have to make multiply exponentially. A zero waste lifestyle simplifies shopping and focuses more on sharing items (see point 5) rather than purchasing them, leaving your brain power free for more important decisions in your life. 

3. Experiences Strengthen Relationships

According to three recent studies, experiential purchases (i.e. experiences) have a greater impact on increasing happiness than material purchases (i.e. things). Buying new things does increase happiness (this phenomenon is known as “retail therapy”), but the effects are temporary and can quickly contribute to clutter and stress. Experiences on the other hand, have the potential to strengthen or create relationships with others. One way this can play out in a zero waste lifestyle is focusing on gifting experiences to both yourself and loved ones rather than material possessions. This could be tickets to a concert you enjoy together or washing someone’s car for them. The memories and connection from a shared experience or act of service have the potential to last much longer than the joy from a new possession. 

4. Zero Waste Builds Community  

Being zero waste encourages you to share what you’re not using with others through things like community swap days, and Buy Nothing groups where you give away items to people in your neighborhood and receive items others don’t need. Giving to others boosts serotonin, dopamine and oxytocin in the brain which decreases depression and increases happiness. That extra flower vase you don’t have space for in your cupboards? Someone might be excited to give it a new home. Sharing resources connects you to others in a way that builds relationships and contributes to longer-lasting happiness. 

These relationships have the potential to increase climate resilience as well! This Guardian piece reveals the benefits of a connected community responding to climate driven events like extreme heat. So get out there and share, it just might save your life.

5. Empowerment Instead of Climate Doom 

Nowadays, with the threat of climate change all around us, it’s natural to feel eco-anxiety, and disempowerment. Decreasing your possessions and the amount of things you buy is a very concrete way you can both improve your own happiness and lessen the pressure on the planet. Your habits can and do influence businesses, institutions, and cities, which are turning to zero waste to fight climate change and increase resilience. Because of consumer and voter demand, there are now businesses that offer returnable takeout containers, cities that have banned plastic bags and progress on right to repair laws. Once you get the hang of zero waste in your personal life, you’ll be able to advocate for similar changes at your workplace, at businesses you frequent, and  in your government. Join us for International Day of Zero Waste and learn how you can be part of the movement for zero waste to secure a just, livable future.

The post 5 Ways Being Zero Waste and Owning Less Can Make You Happier appeared first on Earth Day.