HISTORY

"My name is Josh. I am writing to you because I see trash floating in the Hudson River. Is there any way you can help me?"

– Josh Taubes, Age 6

In 1998, sparked by the plea of an impassioned child, Scenic Hudson created the Great River Sweep, an all-volunteer cleanup of Hudson River shorelines, tributaries and public places.

Described by Nobel laureate Toni Morrison as "an act of fierce love," the nine Great River Sweeps united nearly 30,000 people from Manhattan to the Adirondacks to remove 400 tons of riverside trash.  Winner of a Waterfront Center "Clearwater Citizens Award" and a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency "Environmental Quality Award," the Great River Sweep became the Hudson Valley's largest volunteer event.

Grassroots Change

In the spirit of empowering grassroots change, Scenic Hudson recruited and supported community leaders and citizens to organize and participate in cleanups. Starting in 2007, volunteers are continuing the sweep tradition by coordinating their own cleanups without Scenic Hudson sponsorship. Each cleanup is unique – some groups even plan community celebrations with their cleanups.  Everyone is invited to take part – families, friends, clubs, faith-based organizations and school and government groups.

Cleanup sites are usually parks, playgrounds, schoolyards, shorelines, boat launches, road embankments and vacant lots. The most common items collected are bottles, cans, food and candy wrappers, foam, cigarette butts and tires.  Whether you live in a city, town or rural area, a river cleanup is your chance to be part of a growing and powerfully important movement.

Sound good?  Our DIY Cleanup Guide has all the information you need to host your own cleanup.