The City of Calgary Parks works to inspire citizens to create clean and healthy communities for all

Calgary, AB - Today, nearly 3,000 Calgarians will volunteer to pick up thousands of kilograms of garbage along pathways, the river’s edge and in City parks as part of The City of Calgary Parks 47th Annual Pathway & River Cleanup.  Volunteers will cover approximately 200 kilometres in total.

Since 1967, this yearly event encourages Calgarians to clean up our highly-valued parks, pathways and waterways. Citizens leave the event knowing they’ve helped contribute to a better Calgary and have a greater understanding of what it takes to care for these areas year-round.

“The cleanup is about encouraging citizens to help create a healthy environment, not just on cleanup day but every day. Our goal is to reduce the amount of waste overall so we see less and less collected at the event each year,” says Kym McCulley, Parks Education Leader.

Nearly 80 per cent of volunteers return each year, and this year’s volunteer count is up by approximately 300. Volunteers include City staff who donate their time to round up collected garbage, as well as 70 volunteers from Stantec who have been volunteering at the event for the past six years.

“At Stantec, we are committed to caring for our community, and this event presents an opportunity to make a positive impact on the environmental health and aesthetic appeal of this city that we are so proud to live and work in,“ says Russ Wlad, Regional Leader, Alberta South at Stantec.

“This event is meaningful to us because we are returning to spaces we have designed, such as Memorial Drive, Poppy Plaza, and RiverWalk, allowing us to continue contributing to the beauty and vibrancy of these places. Every year, our employees jump at the chance to roll up their sleeves and do their part to keep our parks and pathways clean.”

Citizens not able to participate this year can still get involved by following The City of Calgary Parks on Twitter (@CalgaryParks) using #yyccleans and voting for the 2014 Best Find. Citizens will see unique pieces of garbage found during the cleanup and can vote on the most interesting piece found.

Caring for our parks is a year-round endeavor and help is always welcome. Citizens wanting to pitch in throughout the year can pick up a Litter Cleanup (TLC) Kit at various locations around the city. These kits are simple tools for Calgarians to clean City parks and natural areas.

To learn more about the 2014 Pathway & River Cleanup, including information on the 2014 Best Find contest, visit calgary.ca/parks.