The Trash Picker Upper Gods smiled once again on the crew and volunteers at A Cleaner Clear this year, with near-perfect weather, and everyone working their butts off to make our little corner of the planet a little cleaner.
To keep things a little less long-winded, we will cover the highlights.
152 Volunteers!!
This is the most volunteers we have ever had! The other highlight to tack on to this was we had more NEW volunteers than ever. Hopefully they didn’t get too grossed out, had a great time, and will be back next year and for years to come!
2,600~ Pounds of Trash picked up!!
This is by far the most weight of trash we have picked up in 6 years. At this point, our volunteers have hauled over 12,000 pounds of plastics, debris, tires, shopping carts, adult novelties, scooters, shoes, piss bottles, fishing equipment, traffic cones, clothes, bikes, baby dolls, underwear, and other disgusting items out of Clear Creek, all while wearing smiles.
T-Shirts!!!
Okay, sure, we didn’t make any money on them, but they are so cool, and we already have ideas for next year’s design. If you want to purchase one, drop me a line (willbarch78@gmail.com) The idea was to raise a little money for food, drinks, and supplies, and to help with all the other little things it takes to run a non-profit. Minimum donation of $25 if you are interested. Thanks Lencho for pulling these together!
This guy lost his…
Leading up to this big, crazy, fun cleanup is a lot of stress and doubt, but every year the Trash Captains show up in an angelic way. These amazing people come together to make this event look seamless. They help the Volunteers in a million ways while aiding in the setup and take down, while overseeing the safety and enjoyment of our volunteers. We could not think of making this happen without them. They are the trashiest friends in the world, in a good way.
Brady Grant and Mary Helen (wifey, which I do not call her) are the wind underneath The Confluences wings. Their ideas and selflessness keep this thing going strong.
Thanks to Lawrence for designing the stickers and t-shirts and all the banners and such. We look so professional thanks to this guy.
Adams County is there every year with a ton of support. This year they helped fund the event and were out there all morning on the day of, picking up and hauling away all that garbage!
Awarding hard work and risk of tetanus is a big part of our cleanup and we couldn’t do that without the folks who donated prizes this year. A huge shout out to all our sponsors for making this little thing we do so crazy fun.
Topo Designs, Orvis, Stranahan’s Mountain Whiskey, Fishpond, Prodigy Coffeehouse, Anglers All, The Drake Magazine, Yo Colorado, City 2 Summit Realty, Patagonia Denver, Scoops, St. Marks Coffee, RMH Group, ABC Imaging, Grand Salon and Med Spa, Ratio Breerworks, Rovr, Archery Games Denver, Keep Nature Wild, Airflo Fly Lines, Thrivent Financial, The Estes Paw Co., The Heart Ranch, Eric Duvall for the koozies, Cory “The Man” Halliburton, The Fitzgeralds, The Sullivans, The Craigs, and Denver Trout Unlimited for their amazing donation and for helping bring in volunteers!
Call To Action:
Our battle cry at every event and most every weird post on social media is for everyone, no matter where you are, to stop to pick up at least one item of trash you see, whether it be on your street, in a parking lot, or on a river. It makes a difference. Apathy changes nothing.
Thanks again to all the volunteers and those working behind the scenes to make this year’s A Cleaner Clear a resounding success! We love you all. Remember to stay tuned on the Socials and Emails to see what we have coming up next!
The Confluences 