By Joel Grimsley, Aquinas Reporter
aquinascollegegr Instagram Page
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Over a dozen volunteers from Aquinas College gathered early on the morning of Sept. 7 to aid the 21st Mayors’ Annual Grand River Cleanup.
The group, a mixture of staff and students, layered up on the brisk morning and left campus to go to the adopted sight of cleanup: a large area in Millennium Park. Armed with litter pickers, gloves and wearing rough clothes, the volunteers collected bags full of garbage that was polluting the Grand River and the surrounding area.
Their efforts were not limited to solid ground, with access to a small boat, a few of the volunteers were able to move out onto the river. The skiff enabled the collection of trash that was floating in the river before it even washed ashore. This proved to be a good strategy, as the three volunteers in the boat were able to fill multiple trash bags with floating litter.
The group also carried recycling bags to filter some of the trash so all would not go to waste, following the sustainable initiatives promoted within Aquinas College. The team removed all waste found within the allocated area. This was composed of mostly environmentally harmful materials such as polystyrene, plastic and glass bottles, and also some more obscure findings included a bowling ball.
Aquinas volunteers are not alone in their efforts, they were only a few of many groups and individuals who gave up time in a community effort to increase the health of the local waterways. This marked the first day of the 21st Annual Mayors’ Grand River Cleanup, a week of litter collection by volunteers from the Grand Rapids area.
This effort has proved successful previously with an estimated 7,200lbs of litter removed last year.
The effects of the program were noticed by some of the veteran volunteers, they claimed that there was less trash than last year when comparing the amount to earlier cleanups.
The group ended their time volunteering by meeting others who had also given up their Saturday morning at a small after-party lunch, provided for by sponsors of the initiative.
aquinascollegegr Instragram Page
The Saint 