On June 14th, over 70 people braved the 105-degree heat index to help clean up the Mississippi River at Boom Island Park in Minneapolis. Conservation Minnesota, in partnership with United By Blue, Target, and Friends of the Mississippi River, spent two hours combing the river banks, neighborhoods, trails, and grassy fields for small plastics.
The cleanup event marked the rollout of a new partnership between United By Blue and Target on a sustainable clothing line. United By Blue is a Climate Neutral Certified clothing company that uses ethical manufacturing and sustainable materials with a mission to remove one pound of trash from oceans and waterways for every product purchased.
United By Blue uses cleanup events to partner with local nonprofit groups to educate participants about conservation work and how participants can make an even bigger impact. As a local partner, we gathered signatures in support of the America the Beautiful Initiative—the first-ever national conservation goal set in US history—that will help to preserve, enhance, and connect 30% of our land and water by 2030.
Together we removed 184 lbs. of small plastics and debris like cigarette butts. Do you know 1,000 cigarette butts weigh one pound? We look forward to continuing our partnership with United By Blue for the next time they visit Minnesota for a waterway cleanup event in the near future.