Et cetera : Spruce Six Assists in Cleaning the Potomac River

Spruce Six takes a much needed break after filling bags with trash at a river cleanup.

Team Leader Tiffany Swiderski shows off some trash found while cleaning the Potomac River area!

By Emily Roldan

On Saturday, April 6 team Spruce Six of AmeriCorps NCCC FEMA Corps worked with the Surfrider organization to pick up trash along the Potomac River from 9am-Noon. The river cleanup day is an annual event hosted by Surfrider, an environmental conservation organization.

Spruce Six members were supplied with trash bags and bags for recyclables and wore the proper protective equipment for picking up trash items such as glass, tires, fast food containers and drink cans. Cyclists, runners and joggers along the river trail were thrilled to see the team and others volunteering to clean the area and many expressed grateful sentiments. The community appreciated the service because it is important for bikers, joggers, and the community as a whole to have a clean, natural environment to experience and coexist with.

The team enjoyed spending the day outside and helping the environment, filling a multitude of recyclables and trash bags. The event impacted the team by opening up a world of volunteer options for future independent service assignments and inspired team members to be more environmentally conscious. Corps Member Megan Minnis from Chicago said, “It was crazy to see all of the things people just tossed around the river area. It really made me think about my impact on my surroundings.”

After the cleanup was completed, the Surfrider group treated the team and other volunteers to a grill out, supplying hot dogs, burgers and vegetarian options to the hungry volunteers. Corps Members left the event full of food and full of plans on how to further benefit the communities they work in with future independent service projects, recycling efforts and simply by behaving in a more environmentally conscious manner.