Photo Courtesy of Walter Clarke
SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — The South Orange Green Team and Environmental Commission could not bear to spend another year out of the Rahway River. Like so many events, the annual community gathering to clean up South Orange’s section of the Rahway River — while celebrating environmental awareness and the watershed with music, art, fun and crowds of people — was canceled in 2020 due to COVID-19 concerns. 2020 was to be the 10th year of the family-friendly event but that anniversary was put on hold.
“We really missed River Day and looking at the amount of trash that has piled up along the river, it missed us!” SOEC Chairperson Bill Haskins said. “We are really glad to be back partnering with the Department of Public Works and the Department of Recreation and Cultural Affairs to coordinate this event.”
Village Trustee Walter Clarke, one of the founders of River Day, put it this way: “We’re going back to basics with just a volunteer river cleanup; no exhibits, food, music or reasons to crowd together. Ironically, the 10-year anniversary will be a lot like the first River Day. A group of committed volunteers spending a couple of hours outdoors for a good cause.”
This year the event will emphasize social distance and zero waste among participants by not using any plastic trash bags, encouraging BYO reusable water bottles and masks, as well as a streamlined system for transferring collected trash to DPW trucks for proper disposal.
“This year has been a chance to evaluate the process of the core mission and our plan is to bring back the social and educational aspects of River Day when we are able. This year will be an interim step,” Haskins said.
Interested volunteers should check in on Sunday, May 2, any time from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Skate House on the duck pond off of Mead Street at N. Ridgewood Road and Meadowbrook Lane in South Orange. For more information on River Day and other projects, follow the South Orange Environmental Commission and Green Team on Facebook or Instagram @sogreenteam or their blog at https://sogreenteam.wordpress.com/.
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