NORFOLK, Va. – The Great American Cleanup has begun, and in Norfolk, it was evident at Lafayette Park.
The Great American Cleanup is a three-month outreach program to raise awareness on environmental issues across the country.
Nearly 150 volunteers including sailors spent Friday morning mulching, cutting bamboo, and picking up trash from both the park and the nearby Lafayette River. Electrified Marina brought two electric boats so crews could go fish out any trash from the river. In the end, they found things like a tire, broken bottles, cans, tennis balls, even a hard hat.
Keep Norfolk Beautiful and Norfolk’s Department of Parks & Recreation are leading the efforts.
Sarah Sterzing, program manager for Keep Norfolk Beautiful said, “Lafayette Park is an oasis in the city of Norfolk, and it’s a heavily-used park because it’s next to the zoo… and with a lot of use, it tends to need a little extra TLC.”
“It’s a big team effort and this give us a chance to come out and show the neighborhood what the Navy is about, and it’s, you know, not just driving ships and going underway, said First Class Petty Officer Matthew Malloy.
Some upcoming events are listed below.
March 25 – 26: Keep Norfolk Beautiful Days, Block by Block: Gather a broom, rake, or shovel and spruce up your street! Whether you choose a litter pickup or a new planting, you can do your part to keep Norfolk beautiful this weekend. Pick your day, time, and activity.
March 25: Crossroads Elementary School, 9 a.m. – noon: Join Crossroads Civic League to clean up the schoolyard, parking lot, and streets.
April 22: Earth Day Event, Northside Park, 9 a.m. – noon: Join the Crossroads Civic League in Northside Park for an Earth Day litter cleanup!
If you’d like to learn more about how to organize a group cleanup or more about recycling, click here.
