Celebrate Earth Month with these Birmingham local clean-ups

Earth Month is here and Birmingham environmental organizations are ready. To promote sustainability in The Magic City, organizations such as Cahaba River Society, Black Warrior Riverkeeper + more are here to tell you all about their efforts to protect Alabama waters—and they want you to get involved!

1. Cahaba River Society

Celebrate Earth Week (April 17-21) with the Cahaba River Society. This celebration includes five days of cleanups sponsored by Birmingham-local organizations.

Each day, teams of 10-30 will monitor parts of the rivers by either foot or canoe. You can find more information on the locations of each clean-up and registration details here.

Monday – Pinchgut Creek

Pinchgut Creek marks the beginning of the 195 miles that is the Cahaba River, and it is an essential headwaters creek located in Trussville. The cleanup will take place in grassy areas along the road with opportunities to walk through the creek and into the forest around Pinchgut.

• When: Monday, April 17 | 9AM-noon, 2:30PM-dusk
• Location: The cleanup will begin in the Belk parking lot in Pinnacle shopping center, Trussville

Tuesday – Shades Creek

This stretch of river is located in Irondale along Crestwood Blvd.  The cleanup will include walking along rocky, uneven terrain and steep banks.

• When: Tuesday, April 18 | 9AM-noon, 2:30pm-dusk
• Location: Meet on the corner of 20th St. and Crestwood Blvd.

Wednesday- Cahaba River at Highway 280

According to the Cahaba River Society, their river is dammed up for over three miles alongside Highway 280. To remove litter and waste in these rivers, Cahaba River Society is partnering with the Birmingham Water Works Board to support the worldwide push for clean waterways.

• When: Wednesday, April 19 | 9AM-3PM (canoe clean-up), 9AM-noon (bank clean-up)

Thursday – Chace Lake

Paddle or walk the banks of the Cahaba River to help clean the hardscapes (surfaces that water cannot break through) that block the natural flow of the river.

• When: Thursday, April 20 | 9AM-3PM (canoe clean-up), 9AM-noon (bank clean-up)

Friday- Moon River

For Earth Day eve, Cahaba River Society is partnering with Freshwater Land Trust for a volunteer workday at the Moon River Canoe Launch in Irondale. This cleanup will aim to maintain the Cahaba Blueway access trail by installing water bars, removing invasive species and cleaning up litter at the site.

• When: Friday, April 21 | 9AM-noon

2. Carson Road cleanup

Brought by Keep Nature Wild and AllTrails, Wild Keeper Garnet is hosting a clean-up on Carson Road in Fultondale. They will provide bags and gloves, you just need to wear outdoor appropriate attire and bring a can-do spirit.

• When: 9AM-1PM
• Location: Fultondale High School Sports Complex
• Register for free here.

3. Black Warrior Riverkeeper

Black Warrior Riverkeeper exists to promote clean water for the sake of public health, recreation and wildlife habitat throughout their watershed. To do this, they organzine volunteer clean-up events. Lucky for you—they have a few of these events coming just in time to celebrate Earth Month.

Garbage bags, litter pickers and gloves will be provided. Participants are encouraged to bring appropriate attire, sunscreen and water.

District 1 street clean-up

• When: Saturday, April 15 | 9-11AM
• Location: Integrity Bible Church
• Register here.

District 6 street clean-up

• When: Saturday, April 22 | 8-10AM
• Location: Memorial Park Recreation Center
• Check here for registration details and meeting time updates.

4. Dash for Trash

The Alabama Environmental Council (AEC) is joining hands with Wild Alabama and Keep Birmingham Beautiful for “Dash for Trash!” on Earth Day. Safety vests, gloves and litter pickers will be provided for you, and additional details will be shared when you register.

• When: Saturday, April 22 | 9AM-2PM

Is there a better way to spend Earth Month than cleaning up The Magic City? We can’t think of anything. Join hands with one (or all) of these organizations this month. You can’t go wrong with any Birmingham environmental organization.

Looking for more ways to go green? Check out these guides:

• 11 ways to celebrate Earth Day in Birmingham
• 7 ways to go green and celebrate Earth Day in Birmingham
• What you can do to protect Alabama’s natural health and beauty

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