On March 19th, MTCVB joined with Tucson Clean & Beautiful, which promotes and develops community environmental education & participatory programs in waste reduction, recycling, litter abatement and prevention, beautification, resource conservation, solar and alternative energy, and much more. I, along with over 10 other MTCVB staff, as well as staff from our accommodation partners, cleaned litter along Kolb Road from 22nd Street to Speedway, as well as two washes nearby.

We gathered early on a beautiful, sunny and mild morning and donned our high-visibility vests, hats, sunglasses, and sunscreen. With arms full of empty trash bags, and some toting tools, we split up into groups to tackle the litter along Kolb Road in East Tucson, knowing we only had 4-hours to get the job done.

Myself and my three litter-killer partners from the Bureau were assigned a long, nearly two-mile stretch of wash from 22nd Street to Speedway Boulevard. It started off easy enough, along a wide and fairly clean area, though we realized early that if we stopped to pick up every cigarette butt, we'd be cleaning up for centuries. Which brings me to a gentle reminder to those of you who smoke: Please, please, please use your ashtray!

As our noon cutoff loomed, we picked up the pace and continued to gather trash as we worked our way deeper into the wash. All of us enjoyed chatting with a few of the residents whose homes backed up to the wash. They were very friendly and grateful for our help, which shows how Tucsonans are all about Real Caring.

Just as I was beginning to get a bit tired and grumpy, we saw the end in sight. Of course, the end came with an especially large amount of litter that had been pushed up against the Speedway culvert by our strong Monsoon storms. We slogged through and managed to collect at least a dozen large bags of litter from the wash. Dirty, and feeling a bit worn-out, we finished up with an amazing sense of accomplishment and happy that we could contribute to helping keep Tucson clean.  I will definitely be participating again next year, and I encourage you to do so, as well.

If you're interested in knowing more, check out the Tucson Clean and Beautiful website.  Tucson is also packed full of volunteering opportunities, no matter what your interest. You can view the MTCVB's Clean and Beautiful photos, and don't forget to "LIKE" VisitTucson on Facebook, too.

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