Today is Clean the Bay Day and volunteers all over Virginia, from Hampton Roads to Northern Virginia, from the Eastern Shore to the Shenandoah Valley, are working by land and boat to give the Bay a massive spring clean. The short 3 hour statewide cleanup has been held for 28 years and produces noticeable impacts each year. Because of the effort of over 100,000 volunteers, approximately 6.2 million pounds of debris has been removed from nearly 6,500 miles of shoreline since 1989. If you missed this year’s event, mark your calendars for next year but remember that the small choices you make each day are just as important as participating in these annual cleanups. Do your best not to litter and cleanup litter even when it’s not your own mess. If we all did our part, we’d have a much cleaner bay for future generations.
Today also marks the beginning of Chesapeake Bay Awareness Week, June 4-12. This first annual celebration asks everyone in the Bay states of Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania to recognize the massive historic, economic, scientific, and recreational importance of the Chesapeake Bay. Tourists and residents alike are asked to celebrate all that the Bay provides to our region. And the Bay is closer than you may think. No matter where you are in Hampton Roads, it would only take about 15 minutes to walk to a stream, river or body of water that flows into the Chesapeake Bay.
Here at askHRgreen.org we’ll be celebrating the Chesapeake Bay by featuring photos of how the Bay gives back to our region and what’s being done in our communities to improve water quality. We welcome everyone to participate by simply sending in a photo with an accompanying message about what the Bay means to you. Photos will be accepted through July 9th. Please include your first name, the city/county where you live, and get them over to [email protected] today!