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Keeping Your Community Clean - How to Organize a Community Cleanup


Ever wonder what more you can do for the sustainability movement?  One way to do this is to give back to your community.  Let's dive right in on how you can organize a community clean up.

Step 1: Choose an inspiring project for your community

The right project fixes a community problem and inspires people to get involved.  Is there a specific area, location or landmark in your community that needs cleaning up?  Here are some examples of project areas to focus on:

  • Waterways, rivers, and beach cleanups
  • Beautification, flower and tree planting initiatives
  • Litter, junk and trash collections

Step 2: Create a detailed event plan

Every successful event has, at the very least, a date, time and location.  Be sure to include the area of focus, the project's objective, minimum # of volunteers required, appropriate attire to wear, list of supplies to bring, local permits required, and a celebration event for the volunteers.

  • Plan your work and work your plan

Step 3: Invite and share to recruit friends, family and neighbours

Create a public event page on Facebook and share, share, share.  This will gain traction on the number of people interested in joining the cleanup initiative.  Post flyers in local businesses' community boards, share in community groups on Facebook, and other social media channels, ask your friends and family to share the event on their social media channels.  

  • Invite, invite, invite
  • Share, share, share
  • Bonus opportunity: ask the local community paper to write an article about your project and ending the article with a call to action, which is to commit as a volunteer for the cleanup initiative.

Step 4: Ask your community members and local businesses to donate supplies for the cleanup

Inherent in many people is a want to help another.  You will often find that people are willing to lend a hand when the project is inspiring and is for the greater good.  Ask community members to donate supplies if they cannot volunteer themselves.  Local businesses are usually willing to support in this area as well.  Some examples of supplies needed:

  • Trash bags
  • Gloves, goggles
  • Shovels and rakes
  • Gardening supplies
  • Garbage and recycling bins

Step 5: Execute the cleanup event and celebrate after

Executing the cleanup successfully means that every single volunteer knows how to perform their specific task and follows instructions thoroughly.  Enroll leaders from the volunteer group to be master trainers and group leaders.  This way, the job gets done fast, and efficiently.  Most importantly, after the neighbourhood cleanup is done, be sure to celebrate with the volunteers after the event.

  • Empower group leaders to lead small groups of volunteers
  • Celebrate the difference your project has made
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Much love and compassion,

Team Karunaki

Photo by Rob Bye on Unsplash
Photo by Rubén Bagüés on Unsplash
Photo by Madison Nickel on Unsplash



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