Earth Day Network Co-Presents National Cleanup Day and World Cleanup Day 2019

20 million volunteers from 157 countries and 50 U.S. states unite to tackle global waste

September 16, Washington, D.C. – Earth Day Network, the global coordinator of Earth Day, has announced it will join National Cleanup Day and World Cleanup Day on September 21st as a Presenting Partner. Through its collaboration with National Cleanup Day, Keep America Beautiful, and Let’s Do It World, Earth Day Network aims to inspire volunteerism and achieve tangible impacts on waste in our environment. Across the U.S. and around the world, people are encouraged to get up, get out, and help clean up their communities to create a healthier, more sustainable future.

In the U.S., cleanups will take place across all 50 states on green spaces, urban landscapes, beaches, forests, waterways and other public spaces. In 2018, almost 2 million volunteers came out to act in their own communities with an even larger number of volunteers expected this year.

Internationally, citizens from 157 countries will participate in World Cleanup Day across six continents, uniting an estimated 18 million volunteers for a single day of action. From New Zealand to Thailand, Italy to Chile, volunteers worldwide are united by the common issue of managing and ending global waste.

Plastic pollution and waste challenge every community, every day, and these clean ups offer a chance for every person to make a real difference. By working together, Earth Day Network and its partners aim to inspire action and achieve tangible impacts on waste in our environment. Improved health, strong investments and community vibrancy can be achieved once people gain the expectation that their community will be clean. Every person has the right to live in a clean community.

“There is real power in community action, especially around the issue of waste which affects us all,” said Co-Founder of National Cleanup Day Steve Jewett. “By focusing on the local level, action and attention begins to build toward a global movement.”

“The need for greater global participation in community cleanups could not come at a more urgent time,” said Executive Director at the Let’s Do It Foundation Merili Vares. “Together with the Earth Day Network, we can mobilize whole communities like never before.”

“We are excited to join National Cleanup Day and World Cleanup Day in 2019 and raise momentum globally as we organize for the 50th anniversary of Earth Day in 2020,” said Earth Day Network president Kathleen Rogers. “Building on best practices and lesson learned, our Great Global Cleanup™ in April 2020 will bring together millions of people around the globe to create the largest coordinated volunteer event in history.”

A grant from Wells Fargo supports Earth Day’s role in National Cleanup Day and World Cleanup Day. Media Contact: [email protected], 202.355.8875

About Us

Earth Day Network’s mission is to diversify, educate, and activate the environmental movement worldwide. Growing out of the first Earth Day (1970), Earth Day Network works with more than 75,000 partners in 190 countries to build environmental democracy. More than 1 billion people now participate in Earth Day activities each year, making it the largest civic observance in the world. Learn more at earthday.org

Let’s Do It World Foundation aims to unite the global community, raise awareness and implement true change to achieve a clean and healthy planet. For World Cleanup Day 2018, Let’s Do it World organized cleanups that mobilized 17 million people in 157 countries to say loud and clear that they wanted to live in a clean world. Learn more at https://www.letsdoitworld.org/

National CleanUp Day is a call to action. National CleanUp Day is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, dedicated to keeping our nation’s urban, rural, and outdoor public spaces free of litter and trash. Learn more at nationalcleanupday.org

Keep America Beautiful inspires and educates people to take action every day to improve and beautify their community environment. Established in 1953, Keep America Beautiful strives to End Littering, Improve Recycling and Beautify America’s Communities. Learn more at kab.org.