Eastern Iowa is Getting Cleaned Up in a Big Way

Every start to spring do you get disappointed with how much litter you see after the snow melts? Whether it's in parks or on the sides of the highway, litter is everywhere.

I don't know why but littering just bothers me. There's this laziness that comes with not throwing garbage away, and it rubs me wrong. All you have to do is wait until you find a garbage can and throw it in there.

We only have one planet and we should all do a better job of trying to keep it in good shape. These eastern Iowans are trying to do just that.

KCRG reports the Wapsi River Environmental Education Center held its annual spring cleanup day this past Saturday, to celebrate Earth Day, which is this Friday, April 22.

Community members gathered to "remove invasive species and unwanted brush from the area in hopes of making way for the new green to bloom as the weather turns warmer" according to KCRG

Dave Murcia, the director of the Wapsi River Environmental Education Center told KCRG

“Earth Day is a chance for not only us in the conservation and our friend's group and the public but for all of us in the community, the region, the world, to recognize the Earth as sacred and even a place that we need to take care of in a more sustainable way."

There were even some young members of the community on-site to work towards their Junior Naturalist merit badges.

KCRG reports Connie Schmitz was on hand with her grandchildren to instill a love and respect for nature.

The official EarthDay website wants to remind people that "whether it's a big group event or a solo cleanup, you can get involved anywhere."

Continuing to help clean our planet is vital for us as a population. Something as simple as organizing a pickup at your local park, or around your neighborhood goes a long way.

According to Iowa DNR

"Since 1990, hundreds of Iowa businesses, industries, institutions, and governmental agencies have saved money, improved operational efficiency, and become environmental leaders by working with DNR's Pollution Prevention (P2) Services."

This is something we need to continue to strive to work towards. Keep Iowa Beautiful says there are an estimated 190 million pieces of litter along 114,000 miles of Iowa roadways.

That's 190 million too many.

On Earth Day's official website they want to remind you that for the year 2022, we need to act boldly, innovate, and implement.

It's going to take all of us to make the change for the betterness of our planet.