Earth Day GreenUp 2021: Thank you volunteers!

April 8, 2021 / Environmental Services / Leave a comment

Over 700 volunteers worked together to remove an incredible 8,000 lbs of litter from our community at the 10th annual Earth Day GreenUp community litter cleanup day on Saturday, March 20,2021. The amount of litter collected is the equivalent of 125 of our curbside trash carts.

Volunteers at the 10th annual Earth Day GreenUp. Photo by Teri MacArthur

Single-use plastics, such as grocery bags, disposable cutlery and cups, fast food containers and straws, were the most common type of litter collected at GreenUp. These items are blown from parking lots, picnic areas and trash barrels into forested areas. Choosing reusable alternatives and refusing single-use plastics reduces this type of harmful litter. Volunteers also collected larger items such as construction debris, discarded lawn furniture, used tires and more.

Help keep The Woodlands looking beautiful by continuing the litter pick up habit. Consider organizing your own cleanup any time of the year or adopting a pathway through the Adopt-a-path program. Trash grabbers are available for loan through the Environmental Services Department. For more information or to reserve grabbers, contact The Woodlands Township Environmental Services Department at enviro@thewoodlandstownship-tx.gov.

Scouts seeking their Soil & Water Conservation badge or the It’s Your Planet – Love It Journey badge can receive free equipment to organize their own cleanups from Keep Texas Beautiful. Check out their website for more information.

Earth Day GreenUp is hosted by The Woodlands Township Environmental Services Department with support from the following sponsors: Waste Management, Keep Texas Beautiful, Chevron Phillips Chemical, Yellowstone Landscape, Woodlands Water, Howard Hughes Corporation, The Woodlands GREEN, and Papa John’s Pizza.

Questions or comments? Email enviro@thewoodlandstownship-tx.gov

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Earth Day GreenUp – Registration Closes March 15!

March 12, 2021March 15, 2021 / Environmental Services / Leave a comment

Lend a hand in keeping our community clean and green.

Join us for the 10^th annual community litter cleanup, Earth Day GreenUp on Saturday, March 20, 2021. Team up with family, friends and neighbors for a socially-distanced volunteer opportunity to target litter on pathways, parks, waterways and greenbelts.  

Each year GreenUp volunteers remove 4,500 pounds of litter - 76 curbside trash carts worth!

The safety of volunteers, residents and staff is the highest priority. All event staff will wear face coverings and participants are required to wear a face covering at the check-in locations. Please send one participant per group to pick up equipment. Due to COVID safety concerns, the post-clean up celebration at Northshore Park will not be held this year.  Equipment return and t-shirt pickup will occur at check-in locations.

Pre-register before March 15^th
Pre-registration is encouraged before March 15^th, especially for groups. Those who pre-register will receive a special 10-year anniversary t-shirt (while supplies last, sizes are limited). Day-of walk-up registration is also welcome. 

Check-In and Equipment Return Locations
Report to your chosen village park on Saturday, March 20, 2021, from 8 to 10 a.m. to sign in and pick up disposable gloves, bags and maps to a cleanup site. A limited number of trash grabbers will be available for loan. Return equipment and bring bagged litter to the drop site at the same park by 11 a.m.

Alden Bridge: Alden Bridge Park, 7725 Alden Bridge Drive
Cochran’s Crossing: Shadowbend Park, 4995 Lake Woodlands Drive
College Park: Harper’s Landing Park, 2 N. Blair Bridge Drive
Creekside Park: The Lodge at Rob Fleming Park, 6055 Creekside Forest Drive
Grogan’s Mill: Sawmill Park, 2200 Millpark Drive
Indian Springs: Falconwing Park, 5610 Rush Haven Drive
Panther Creek: Ridgewood Park, 4192 Interfaith Way
Sterling Ridge: Cranebrook Park, 11800 Cranebrook Drive

Thank You Sponsors
Chevron Phillips Chemical, Howard Hughes Corporation, Papa John’s Pizza, Waste Management, Woodlands Water, The Woodlands GREEN and Yellowstone Landscape

Questions or comments? Email enviro@thewoodlandstownship-tx.gov

Earth Day GreenUp Registration Closes Soon

March 4, 2020 / Environmental Services / Leave a comment

Online registration closes soon! If you have a large group, save time on event day and register online here.

Volunteer walk-ups are welcome on event day. Paper registration forms will be available at the event site. Everyone must have a signed waiver to participate. Children under 18 must have a parent or guardian to sign the waiver.

For event details of the 10th annual Earth Day GreenUp, read this recent blog post.

Questions or comments? Email enviro@thewoodlandstownship-tx.gov

Save the date!

February 4, 2020 / Environmental Services / Leave a comment

Saturday, March 21, 2020

Pre-registration is open!

Join neighbors, family and friends at the 10th annual Earth Day GreenUp on March 21^st. Volunteer to beautify our community by picking up litter on pathways, waterways and greenbelts. After your hard work, celebrate at Northshore Park with free pizza, live music and a special 10-year anniversary t-shirt. Together, residents will keep The Woodlands beautiful and protect natural areas for wildlife by helping in this community stewardship project.

Registration is available online at www.thewoodlandstownship-tx.gov/greenup through March 9th. Walk-up registration is also welcome the morning of the event, starting at 8 a.m. A limited number of trash grabbers and vests will be available for loan to groups that pre-register on the website.

Disposable gloves, trash bags, water bottles, instructions and maps to cleanup sites will be provided at check-in. Participants are encouraged to bring reusable work gloves and a reusable water bottle to reduce waste.

The after party at Northshore Park, 2505 Lake Woodlands Drive, will feature local environmental organizations hosting fun activities and information on how you can make everyday Earth Day. Meet wildlife ambassadors, rock out with Let them Drum, explore new recycling and water saving opportunities and be sure to steer clear of the Bag Monster! Volunteers will receive a commemorative T-shirt and be treated to pizza. Beverages will be available, but remember to bring your own water bottle. Food tickets will be on sale to the general public.

Pre-register through Monday, March 9 at www.thewoodlandstownship-tx.gov/greenup

Check-in: Saturday, March 21, 8 to 10 a.m. at a location near you. Walk-ups welcome.

Alden Bridge: Alden Bridge Park
Cochran’s Crossing: Shadowbend Park
College Park: Harper’s Landing Park
Creekside Park: Rob Fleming Aquatic Center
Grogan’s Mill: Sawmill Park
Indian Springs: Falconwing Park
Panther Creek: Ridgewood Park
Sterling Ridge: Cranebrook Park

GreenUp: 8:30 to 11:30 a.m.

Celebrate: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Northshore Park

More Info: Call Environmental Services at 281-210-3800

*The GreenUp celebration begins at 11 a.m. at Northshore Park*

Community unites to cleanup The Woodlands

April 5, 2019March 17, 2020 / Environmental Services / Leave a comment

Sunshine, community pride and teamwork was the recipe for a record breaking GreenUp

Families, neighbors, local businesses and organizations cleaned up greenbelts, roadsides and waterways at Earth Day GreenUp on Saturday, March 23. An astounding 1,077 participants waded through tall grass and forested thickets to remove 8,676 gallons of trash – the equivalent of 90 of our curbside carts. An additional 4lbs of cigarette butts were cleaned up out of our greenways and recycled with TerraCycle, protecting wildlife and preventing harmful toxins from leaching into groundwater. Construction debris such as metal poles and concrete, coolers, street signs, full pet waste bags, broken lawn furniture and tires were all pulled from The Woodlands’ greenbelts.

Photo by Rod Prado of http://www.Hellowoodlands.com

The most common type of litter collected at GreenUp was single-use plastics including grocery bags, disposable cutlery and cups, fast food containers and straws. These highly abundant items are easily blown from parking lots, picnic areas and trash barrels into neighboring greenbelts.

So a simple way to cut down on litter is to reduce our use of disposable plastics to begin with. Remember, when you’re on the go, BYO! Equip yourself with reusable alternatives – travel mugs, tote bags, reusable cutlery, and straws.

**The After Clean-Up-Your-Block Party**

After cleaning up, participants joined the party at Northshore Park where they were treated to a pizza lunch and received an event t-shirt. Buck Yeager Band entertained with country favorites and original music as Mr. Cirque wowed crowds with his circus arts including juggling, globe walking and more!

Local organizations provided face painting, crafts, live animal demonstrations and environmental education. Exhibitors included All Nations Community School, Bayou Land Conservancy, Citizens Climate Lobby, East Texas Herpetological Society, Friends of Texas Wildlife, H-GAC, Houston Spinstars, Let Them Drum, Plant for Pollinators, Pure Mutts Animal Sanctuary, Spring Creek Nature Center, Targeting Mosquitoes, Waste Management

GreenUp The Woodlands Year Round!

Consider recruiting a group and organizing your own cleanup anytime of the year. Contact The Woodlands Township Environmental Services Department at enviro@thewoodlandstownship-tx.gov to borrow equipment. Please include your name, contact information, anticipated date, number of participants and proposed location.

Thank you for Greening Up with us

A special thank you to all participants, volunteers and sponsors that partnered with us to keep The Woodlands a beautiful place to live, rich in shades of green.

Earth Day GreenUp is hosted by The Woodlands Township Environmental Services Department and was generously sponsored by Waste Management, Keep Texas Beautiful, Berkeley Services, Woodlands Joint Power Agency, H-E-B, Howard Hughes Corporation, The Woodlands GREEN, Papa John’s Pizza and Nature’s Way Resources.