Northumberland County is encouraging residents to roll up their sleeves and pitch in for the sake of the planet by participating in county-wide clean up efforts leading up to Earth Day.
In recognition of Earth Day on Monday, April 22, Northumberland County invites residents to participate in local Earth Day activities, taking place across Northumberland from Sunday, April 21 to Saturday, April 27. The week-long effort targets building awareness around the importance of preserving and safeguarding the county’s natural resources for future generations.
The annual Mayors’ Keep the County Clean Challenge is the county’s main event, which has municipalities square off against each other to see which community can clean up the most garbage.
“This friendly competition between our fellow Northumberland communities has the net benefit of working together to beautify Northumberland,” Northumberland County Warden Brian Ostrander told kawarthaNOW.
“We invite the community to come together in friendly competition and also civic pride, making a positive difference to the environment by cleaning up our local parks, streets and neighbourhoods.”
As the mayor of the Municipality of Brighton, Ostrander hopes Brightonians take on the challenge.
“It is always my hope that Brighton residents come out in droves to sign up to help tidy up their neighbourhoods, trails, and parks. We have been awarded top marks in the past for our volunteerism and I hope that we see that happen again this year,” Ostrander said.
The Keep the County Clean Challenge grows in terms of impact with each annual instalment, the county noted in a media release. Last year, 2,434 volunteers removed 19,000 kilograms of litter from across Northumberland during the week-long collection.
“Earth Day serves as an annual reminder of the crucial responsibility we hold to preserve and protect our environment,” the warden said in the release.
“On behalf of county council, I invite community members to participate in the county’s Earth Day initiatives to learn more about environmental issues, raise awareness of the importance of our natural resources, and take positive action to contribute to a healthier community.”
Last year, the Township of Alnwick Haldimand took home the prize for “highest proportional volunteers,” while the Township of Cramahe took home the prize for “hardest working volunteers,” based on the volume of waste collected. The county hopes to exceed 2023 numbers with this year’s challenge.
Northumberland County invites community members to mark their calendars and take part in the following activities planned to celebrate Earth Day:
Mayors’ Keep the County Clean Challenge
The week-long litter clean-up event, delivered in partnership with local municipalities, is a friendly competition that encourages residents to register with their local municipality to participate in cleaning up litter and waste from their community’s roadsides, parks and trails.
The municipalities with the highest proportional representation of volunteers, and most litter collected per volunteer, will take home trophies to celebrate their contributions.
The 20-minute Makeover
On Friday, April 26, community members are encouraged to spend a few minutes beautifying an area in their neighbourhood, such as a local park, trail, their place of work, or a school yard.
No registration is required. Residents can grab a bag and some gloves and head outdoors.
EarlyON Earth Day Family Story Time
On Monday, April 22, families with young children, aged six or under, are invited to join EarlyON Northumberland for a free interactive story time program, as well as other activities, songs and rhymes.
Each child that attends any EarlyON Child and Family Centre location across the county will be given a pack of wildflower seeds to take home and grow. Seeds will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis, while supplies last.
For information about EarlyON locations and programming, visit northumberland.ca/earlyon.
Earth Day is celebrated annually around the world on April 22. This day of recognition aims to bring attention to environmental challenges and the impacts of climate change on both a global and local scale.
For more information about Earth Day, including registration details to participate in the Mayors’ Keep the County Clean Challenge, visit northumberland.ca/earthday.
