The Great Global Cleanup
A Different Kind of Earth Day – Lessons from the Ground Up In Miami and Raleigh
May 9, 2025
Michael Karapetian
A Different Kind of Earth Day:
Lessons from the Ground Up In Miami and Raleigh
Day 1 – Friday, April 18, 2025
Weather: Perfect Floridian Weather
Mood: Wanting a Cuban sandwich
Heading to Miami for this clean was especially gratifying as Florida is one of my favorite states. Plus, on this particular Friday, there was a Cuban sandwich calling my name. I had no real reason to get to Miami that early—the cleanup wasn’t until the next day—but I knew there was one thing I had to do: get to Calle Ocho and enjoy the beautiful weather.
We were hosting the cleanup with Debris Free Oceans and Healthy Little Havana, right in the heart of Miami’s Cuban neighborhood. Calle Ocho is one of my favorite places in the city—cigar shops, people dancing in the street, domino tables full of local legends, and of course, the best mojitos and Cuban sandwiches this country has to offer.
We were hosting the cleanup with Debris Free Oceans and Healthy Little Havana, right in the heart of Miami’s Cuban neighborhood. Calle Ocho is one of my favorite places in the city—cigar shops, people dancing in the street, domino tables full of local legends, and of course, the best mojitos and Cuban sandwiches this country has to offer.
So, I woke up and drove 3.5 hours to Miami just to make it there for lunch at Old Havana. No regrets. The streets were alive—bands playing, people laughing, restaurants packed. I parked, walked down the block, and grabbed my sandwich while live music played in the background. I remember thinking, “Man, I hope no one calls me while I’m here.” I caught up on emails and texts while I ate, and luckily, no calls came in. For the first time this month, I was just a guy in Miami with a sandwich.
After lunch, I decided to walk the cleanup route to get a feel for it. The Calle Ocho chickens were out in full force, strutting through the streets like they owned the place (they kinda do). They were pecking around in old styrofoam, plastic scraps, and cigarette butts. Who owns these chickens? Why are they everywhere? Who knows—but finding the different chicken statues scattered throughout the neighborhood is one of my favorite things to do. Still, seeing them picking through trash hit me. Not a huge fan of watching animals eat plastic.
After lunch, I decided to walk the cleanup route to get a feel for it. The Calle Ocho chickens were out in full force, strutting through the streets like they owned the place (they kinda do). They were pecking around in old styrofoam, plastic scraps, and cigarette butts. Who owns these chickens? Why are they everywhere? Who knows—but finding the different chicken statues scattered throughout the neighborhood is one of my favorite things to do. Still, seeing them picking through trash hit me. Not a huge fan of watching animals eat plastic.
But then—of course—Earth Month never stops. I got a call from a journalist in San Antonio.
“Hey, I’d love to talk to you about the cleanups happening—can you meet right now?”
“I’d love to speak, but I’m in Miami.”
“Great. I’ll send you a Zoom invite. Talk in15.” Click.
I was a 30-minute walk away from my car. I started sprinting through Calle Ocho—dodging tourists and alarming chickens—completely drenched in sweat, but made it just in time to do the interview from my car. I nailed it. Then, ding—another call.
“Hey, we need you to record an interview in Spanish. Can you do it now?”
If you’ve ever worked Earth Month, you know exactly what this feels like. How do I explain to friends and family that Earth Month is somehow the hardest, most chaotic, most fun, most fulfilling, and also the most exhausting time of the year?
It is an endless mountain of work until April 22nd, Earth Day, and yet it’s still the best thing I’ve ever done, and it gets better every year. Maybe only those of us at EARTHDAY.ORG truly understand it—us and maybe Santa’s elves during December. After a late-night work sprint in the hotel, I finally called it a night. I was ready for the cleanup tomorrow.
“Hey, I’d love to talk to you about the cleanups happening—can you meet right now?”
“I’d love to speak, but I’m in Miami.”
“Great. I’ll send you a Zoom invite. Talk in15.” Click.
I was a 30-minute walk away from my car. I started sprinting through Calle Ocho—dodging tourists and alarming chickens—completely drenched in sweat, but made it just in time to do the interview from my car. I nailed it. Then, ding—another call.
“Hey, we need you to record an interview in Spanish. Can you do it now?”
If you’ve ever worked Earth Month, you know exactly what this feels like. How do I explain to friends and family that Earth Month is somehow the hardest, most chaotic, most fun, most fulfilling, and also the most exhausting time of the year?
It is an endless mountain of work until April 22nd, Earth Day, and yet it’s still the best thing I’ve ever done, and it gets better every year. Maybe only those of us at EARTHDAY.ORG truly understand it—us and maybe Santa’s elves during December. After a late-night work sprint in the hotel, I finally called it a night. I was ready for the cleanup tomorrow.
Day 2 – Saturday, April 19, 2025
Weather: Miami saved the most perfect weather for us doing this cleanup.
Mood: Relaxed
We set up shop right outside Domino Park in Calle Ocho—one of the most iconic little spots in Miami where older Cuban men play dominoes like it’s a full-contact sport, cigar smoke fills the air, and the soundtrack of the city plays live on every corner. It was the perfect setting for a cleanup that felt more like a neighborhood celebration.
Amanda Di Perna from Debris Free Oceans was already on-site when I got there, and together we started setting up the booth. Buckets, grabbers, gloves, and their microplastic display went up fast. They also brought pastelitos and colado from a local Cuban bakery—which immediately attracted the attention of curious onlookers.
“¿Podemos traer un pastelito?” — Can we grab some pastries?
“Por supuesto, pero tiene que limpiar las calles con nosotros.” — Of course, but you have to join the cleanup with us.
“Chico, claro que limpiamos.” — Man, of course we’ll clean up!
I don’t think I saw many of those guys pick up any trash—but hey, I’d do whatever I could to get some pastelitos too, so I get it.
Around 40 volunteers rolled up and got grounded with a morning yoga session right there on the sidewalk. Afterward, I gave a short speech about EARTHDAY.ORG, our campaign Our Power, Our Planet, and why we were doing these underserved community cleanups in the first place.
“¿Podemos traer un pastelito?” — Can we grab some pastries?
“Por supuesto, pero tiene que limpiar las calles con nosotros.” — Of course, but you have to join the cleanup with us.
“Chico, claro que limpiamos.” — Man, of course we’ll clean up!
I don’t think I saw many of those guys pick up any trash—but hey, I’d do whatever I could to get some pastelitos too, so I get it.
Around 40 volunteers rolled up and got grounded with a morning yoga session right there on the sidewalk. Afterward, I gave a short speech about EARTHDAY.ORG, our campaign Our Power, Our Planet, and why we were doing these underserved community cleanups in the first place.
We hit the streets with grabbers in hand and started cleaning: cigarette butts, beer cans, water bottles, takeout containers. The most common trash by far? Styrofoam. So much of it. From food containers, broken cups, and who knows what else.
By the end of the cleanup, we had collected 140 pounds of trash. Not bad for a Saturday morning. Once everything was packed up, we broke down the booth and headed with the other organizers to a nearby spot for—what else—a celebratory round of Cuban sandwiches.
At the same time as our event, we had underserved cleanups happening in San Antonio and Santa Monica—and thousands more around the world on the Global Cleanup Map. It felt great to be part of the first wave of Earth Day events.
Day 4 – Monday, April 21, 2025
Weather: Clear skies
Mood: Ready to fly to Raleigh, North Carolina
My cleaning up adventure continued on Monday, although waking up at 3:30 a.m. to catch a flight to North Carolina or anywhere is never exactly fun. Luckily, I hitched a ride with my dad to the airport—he was flying in the same direction.
After takeoff, I meditated on the plane, trying to reset my energy and prepare for the work ahead. Earth Day was tomorrow. My Dad and I parted ways in Atlanta—he bought me a coffee (shoutout, Dad)—and I boarded my connecting flight to Raleigh.
That night, I was meeting up with The Great Raleigh Cleanup team—Preston Ross and Kaley Cross. Preston asked, “Tacos or BBQ?” and as someone who grew up in North Carolina, the answer was obviously Carolina BBQ. I’ve missed it.
Over dinner, we talked about a lot of things, but one conversation really stuck with me. The cleanup we were doing the next day was part of The Great Raleigh Cleanup’s Workforce Program, which hires people experiencing homelessness to do cleanups. Since Preston started it, the program has taken off—Raleigh’s city government is now supporting regular cleanups, and local businesses are hiring the team to clean up their properties.
This year, EARTHDAY.ORG (EDO) helped expand the Earth Day cleanup by funding work for 10 guys—double the number they usually hire—and covering lunch. It was also an important show of support from EDO, to let the local community know we saw their work and we applaud it.
It was my first time working with a cleanup team like this. I was a little nervous. I didn’t want to walk in pretending I understood something I didn’t. Getting to talk with Preston in person, finally, was different. There’s something about his conviction that hits you right away. I asked him why he started The Great Raleigh Cleanup. “Because I hate litter.” No long monologue about plastic pollution, environmental health, or oceans—just a raw answer. It was refreshingly transparent.
He also talked about the assumptions he had before starting this workforce. Like a lot of people, he used to think unhoused folks were just lazy or dealing with addiction. But now he says, flatly, “It’s because housing is expensive. That’s it.”
After we crushed our BBQ (which was delicious, by the way), Preston took me to see the site we’d be cleaning up the next morning. It was nasty—just off the side of a Cook Out and Bojangles, there was a bus stop with a trash can overflowing, and garbage buried in the bamboo behind it. Looked like someone’s go-to drinking spot, judging by the piles of tiny liquor bottles scattered everywhere.
But while I was trying to process the mess, Preston looked like a kid in a candy store. He was thrilled. He loves picking up trash, and this was his playground. He pointed out every can—because he collects them from cleanups, restaurants, and more, then takes them to the recycling center. The payout from that alone fuels his truck’s gas tank all year.
Back at the hotel, I prepped for an early start the next day. I didn’t know what to expect. I couldn’t relate to the life stories of the people I’d be working with, but I knew I could at least show up and work and be both respectful and grateful at the same time.
By the end of the cleanup, we had collected 140 pounds of trash. Not bad for a Saturday morning. Once everything was packed up, we broke down the booth and headed with the other organizers to a nearby spot for—what else—a celebratory round of Cuban sandwiches.
At the same time as our event, we had underserved cleanups happening in San Antonio and Santa Monica—and thousands more around the world on the Global Cleanup Map. It felt great to be part of the first wave of Earth Day events.
Day 4 – Monday, April 21, 2025
Weather: Clear skies
Mood: Ready to fly to Raleigh, North Carolina
My cleaning up adventure continued on Monday, although waking up at 3:30 a.m. to catch a flight to North Carolina or anywhere is never exactly fun. Luckily, I hitched a ride with my dad to the airport—he was flying in the same direction.
After takeoff, I meditated on the plane, trying to reset my energy and prepare for the work ahead. Earth Day was tomorrow. My Dad and I parted ways in Atlanta—he bought me a coffee (shoutout, Dad)—and I boarded my connecting flight to Raleigh.
That night, I was meeting up with The Great Raleigh Cleanup team—Preston Ross and Kaley Cross. Preston asked, “Tacos or BBQ?” and as someone who grew up in North Carolina, the answer was obviously Carolina BBQ. I’ve missed it.
Over dinner, we talked about a lot of things, but one conversation really stuck with me. The cleanup we were doing the next day was part of The Great Raleigh Cleanup’s Workforce Program, which hires people experiencing homelessness to do cleanups. Since Preston started it, the program has taken off—Raleigh’s city government is now supporting regular cleanups, and local businesses are hiring the team to clean up their properties.
This year, EARTHDAY.ORG (EDO) helped expand the Earth Day cleanup by funding work for 10 guys—double the number they usually hire—and covering lunch. It was also an important show of support from EDO, to let the local community know we saw their work and we applaud it.
It was my first time working with a cleanup team like this. I was a little nervous. I didn’t want to walk in pretending I understood something I didn’t. Getting to talk with Preston in person, finally, was different. There’s something about his conviction that hits you right away. I asked him why he started The Great Raleigh Cleanup. “Because I hate litter.” No long monologue about plastic pollution, environmental health, or oceans—just a raw answer. It was refreshingly transparent.
He also talked about the assumptions he had before starting this workforce. Like a lot of people, he used to think unhoused folks were just lazy or dealing with addiction. But now he says, flatly, “It’s because housing is expensive. That’s it.”
After we crushed our BBQ (which was delicious, by the way), Preston took me to see the site we’d be cleaning up the next morning. It was nasty—just off the side of a Cook Out and Bojangles, there was a bus stop with a trash can overflowing, and garbage buried in the bamboo behind it. Looked like someone’s go-to drinking spot, judging by the piles of tiny liquor bottles scattered everywhere.
But while I was trying to process the mess, Preston looked like a kid in a candy store. He was thrilled. He loves picking up trash, and this was his playground. He pointed out every can—because he collects them from cleanups, restaurants, and more, then takes them to the recycling center. The payout from that alone fuels his truck’s gas tank all year.
Back at the hotel, I prepped for an early start the next day. I didn’t know what to expect. I couldn’t relate to the life stories of the people I’d be working with, but I knew I could at least show up and work and be both respectful and grateful at the same time.
Day 5 – Tuesday, April 22, 2025
Weather: Cool morning in Raleigh
Mood: Earth Day’s Here. Let’s run it.
Preston picked me up early, and I hopped into his Great Raleigh Cleanup-branded truck. Before that, I’d already done what I do every April 22nd: texted pretty much everyone in my contacts “Happy Earth Day” and ate a massive breakfast to prepare for what I knew was going to be a long one.
We pulled up to the lot—the same one we scouted the day before. Slowly, the crew started arriving, walking up from wherever they were, ready to get to work. There wasn’t some grand kickoff or big group photo. It wasn’t that kind of cleanup. It was more like a crew clocking in.
Preston started things off by letting everyone know that this Earth Day cleanup was in partnership with EARTHDAY.ORG, and that our support made it possible to hire 10 guys—double what they usually manage.
We got to work fast. There was trash everywhere—deep in the bamboo, under the brush, pushed in by rainwater or just years of neglect. But the energy was lighthearted. The crew was joking, laughing, just a bunch of dudes picking up trash.
I jumped in with them, grabbing trash with my hands instead of a picker—trying to speed things up. One of the guys saw me and stopped me immediately:
“Hey, that’s a bad idea—you might get pricked.”
Right after he said it, he used his picker and grabbed a needle. As someone who’s done cleanups for years, I should’ve known better. I’ve done so many beach cleanups that I forgot that this is the stuff you find. But the guys had my back.
Weather: Cool morning in Raleigh
Mood: Earth Day’s Here. Let’s run it.
Preston picked me up early, and I hopped into his Great Raleigh Cleanup-branded truck. Before that, I’d already done what I do every April 22nd: texted pretty much everyone in my contacts “Happy Earth Day” and ate a massive breakfast to prepare for what I knew was going to be a long one.
We pulled up to the lot—the same one we scouted the day before. Slowly, the crew started arriving, walking up from wherever they were, ready to get to work. There wasn’t some grand kickoff or big group photo. It wasn’t that kind of cleanup. It was more like a crew clocking in.
Preston started things off by letting everyone know that this Earth Day cleanup was in partnership with EARTHDAY.ORG, and that our support made it possible to hire 10 guys—double what they usually manage.
We got to work fast. There was trash everywhere—deep in the bamboo, under the brush, pushed in by rainwater or just years of neglect. But the energy was lighthearted. The crew was joking, laughing, just a bunch of dudes picking up trash.
I jumped in with them, grabbing trash with my hands instead of a picker—trying to speed things up. One of the guys saw me and stopped me immediately:
“Hey, that’s a bad idea—you might get pricked.”
Right after he said it, he used his picker and grabbed a needle. As someone who’s done cleanups for years, I should’ve known better. I’ve done so many beach cleanups that I forgot that this is the stuff you find. But the guys had my back.
Preston is serious about the quality of the cleanup. He told me:
“There’s clean… and then there’s the Great Raleigh Cleanup version of clean.”
And he meant it. Every nook, every cranny, every bottle cap in the dirt. These guys hit a level of detail most volunteer events never even come close to. At one point, we found an abandoned homeless camp deeper in the woods. We started cleaning it up until someone shouted, “Hey… that’s human sh*t.” Preston didn’t even flinch. “Alright, let nature take care of that. We’ll mark it and come back next year.”
“There’s clean… and then there’s the Great Raleigh Cleanup version of clean.”
And he meant it. Every nook, every cranny, every bottle cap in the dirt. These guys hit a level of detail most volunteer events never even come close to. At one point, we found an abandoned homeless camp deeper in the woods. We started cleaning it up until someone shouted, “Hey… that’s human sh*t.” Preston didn’t even flinch. “Alright, let nature take care of that. We’ll mark it and come back next year.”
In just four hours, we picked up over 1,000 pounds of trash, including metal and tires. That pushed The Great Raleigh Cleanup past 200,000 pounds of lifetime trash picked up. And it happened on Earth Day. How cool is that?
Lunch came right on time. A local deli packed sandwiches, and after busting our asses all morning, they tasted incredible. I sat with a few of the guys and talked with them. Some told stories of traveling across the country for work, some about their past jobs.
One guy told me he used to make over $300K doing caulking on high-rises: “I went from rags to riches… back to rags again! AHAHA!” He was dying laughing.
I chuckled along—half nervous, half admiring his sense of humor. That’s the thing—these guys? They’re just normal dudes in unusual circumstances. Not some black and white depiction of addiction or laziness. Just humans. Some do get dragged down by addiction. Some hit a rough patch. Some actually enjoy the freedom.
And at the end of the day, we were just here picking up trash and eating a sandwich on Earth Day. Preston told me about another guy from the program who landed a full-time job and texted him to say thanks. That’s the kind of impact this program makes.
It was gritty and messy—and honestly, one of my favorite cleanups I’ve ever done. This program works. It’s real, it’s human, and it makes a difference. It was an honor to support it through EARTHDAY.ORG and to spend Earth Day alongside a team like this. I’ll remember this one for a long time.
Lunch came right on time. A local deli packed sandwiches, and after busting our asses all morning, they tasted incredible. I sat with a few of the guys and talked with them. Some told stories of traveling across the country for work, some about their past jobs.
One guy told me he used to make over $300K doing caulking on high-rises: “I went from rags to riches… back to rags again! AHAHA!” He was dying laughing.
I chuckled along—half nervous, half admiring his sense of humor. That’s the thing—these guys? They’re just normal dudes in unusual circumstances. Not some black and white depiction of addiction or laziness. Just humans. Some do get dragged down by addiction. Some hit a rough patch. Some actually enjoy the freedom.
And at the end of the day, we were just here picking up trash and eating a sandwich on Earth Day. Preston told me about another guy from the program who landed a full-time job and texted him to say thanks. That’s the kind of impact this program makes.
It was gritty and messy—and honestly, one of my favorite cleanups I’ve ever done. This program works. It’s real, it’s human, and it makes a difference. It was an honor to support it through EARTHDAY.ORG and to spend Earth Day alongside a team like this. I’ll remember this one for a long time.
EARTHDAY.ORG is bringing cleanups to underserved communities around the world—places often overlooked and overwhelmed by pollution. Your support helps us provide tools, mobilize volunteers, and create lasting change where it’s needed most. To talk about becoming a cleanup partner or sponsor, please contact [email protected] or donate HERE to directly support this mission. Your support makes this work possible.
