Reminder: Keep Blackstone Valley Beautiful Cleanups Starting Up Again

Keep Blackstone Valley Beautiful

Donna Kaehler * This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. * 401-724-2200 x 209

Julia Kaplin *This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. * 401-724-2200 

Upcoming Cleanups & Events

Come Aboard the ZAP50 for this Cleanup!

TUESDAY AUGUST 22th -- 9:00 am - 10:30 am

Cold Spring Park - Harris Avenue Woonsocket

(Meet at the boat launch on the river)

We're Cleaning the Blackstone River.

KBVB is excited to host a cleanup on our ZAP 50 pontoon boat. We added the ZAP 50 to be our work boat on the river.

This gives us the ability to reach litter floating in the water, remove water chestnuts, tires, and help maintain the river.

Come join us -- We have spots for 4 volunteers to enjoy a boat ride on the Blackstone and help the environment at the same time!

We're at FESTIVAL PIER for this Cleanup!

MONDAY AUGUST 28th -- 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm

Festival Pier -- 21 Tim Healey Way Pawtucket RI 02860

KBVB is participating in this year's International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) with Save The Bay along the Blackstone River.

Every year, during this time of year, people from all over the world remove trash from the shores and document what they find. This data is reported back to the Ocean Conservancy who tracks litter around the world as we are "fighting for trash free seas"

Save The Bay is proud to be the Rhode Island State Coordinator for the effort, organizing dozens of cleanups throughout the state and now asking other organizations to hold an event and collect their litter data.

KBVB is happy to join this worthwhile litter effort and are looking for 20 volunteers to join us to clean and document litter at Festival Pier. This cleanup will spruce up the area for the upcoming Dragon Boat Festival happening a few days later on September 2nd.

Festival Pier is such a wonderful spot to picnic, fish, launch a boat, attend an event, or just enjoy the river. Together we can take care of this beautiful spot in the Blackstone Valley. (photo below - taken at Festival Pier at sunset)

Want to hold an ICC cleanup? Contact Save the Bay to get involved.

We're Gardening at Chocolate Mill Overlook Park

TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 12th 10:00 am - 12:00 pm

Chocolate Mill Overlook

648 Roosevelt Avenue

Pawtucket RI 02860

Do you like gardening? If so we want you to join KBVB to install native & pollinator plants at the historic Chocolate Mill Overlook, one of North America's first water-powered chocolate mills!

KBVB would like 8 volunteers to help plant and beautify this location. For this project, we partnered with the Rhode Island Wild Plant Society to plant more native plants in our area.

We'll bring the gardening tools & gloves. You just come in work clothes to get dirty. Bring water, sunscreen, and insect repellent if needed. See you there!

Keep Our

Highways & Roads

Beautiful

KEEP AMERICA BEAUTIFUL (KAB) began promoting beautification, cleanliness & litter prevention on highways in 1965. KBVB, the RI affiliate of KAB, wants to spread this message here in Rhode Island.

"It is so exciting to have so many of our roads, bridges and highways repaired and repaved. As we drive these new spruced up roads, they look fresh, clean and litter free," states Kaehler from KBVB. "Now the trick will be if we can keep them that way."

You might not realize Keep America Beautiful was formed in 1953, when a group of corporate and civic leaders met in New York City to bring the public and private sectors together to develop and promote the idea of national cleanliness and litter prevention.

Then in 1965, First Lady of the United States of America, Lady Bird Johnson, joins Keep America Beautiful in promoting highway beautification, stating

“Ours is a blessed and beautiful land. But much of it has been tarnished. What can you do? Look around you: at the littered roadside; at the polluted stream; the decayed city center. We need urgently to restore the beauty of our land.”

Today we unfortunately see litter on our roads, but with your help we can put a stop to that.

1) Never throw litter out of your car-- just keep it till you get home.

2) Share the message "we don't want you to litter" with your friends and family. It makes a huge impact when this message comes from people you know and respect.

3) Go to LitterFree.RI.gov and take the pledge to end litter individually, from your school, business and/or community organization.

Some of the upgraded road projects right here in the Blackstone Valley

ECO-DEPOT UPCOMING EVENTS

Household Hazardous Waste (HHW)

Get your hazardous waste disposed and recycled correctly for free. Come to a Eco-Depot Event.

WHAT'S ACCEPTED

UPCOMING EVENTS:

RI residents are welcome to attend an event in any community.

Events are held on Saturdays from 8 AM - 12 PM.

September 9, 2023

Providence – Clean Earth Facility, 252 Allens Avenue

October 28, 2023

Woonsocket – Recycling Facility, 1117 River St.

November 18, 2023

Pawtucket – Agnes Little School, 60 South Bend St. (Behind School, back parking lot)

December 2, 2023

Providence – Clean Earth Facility, 252 Allens Avenue

Appointments are recommended -- Sign Up Here

Keep Blackstone Valley Beautiful

a program of the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council

The KBVB mission is to inspire & empower individuals to improve our communities through ending litter, reducing waste and beautifying the Blackstone Valley.

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