Last Updated on January 30, 2024
This Spring, the San Antonio River Authority (River Authority) and the San Antonio River Foundation (SARF) hosted an exciting anti-litter challenge as part of the Don’t Let Litter Trash Your River initiative. The Trash Initiative aims to raise awareness of the immense problem of litter and debris clogging local creeks and rivers and encourage the community to take a pledge of action to become part of the solution.
As part of the Challenge, local organizations took the litter pledge during Earth Day Week (April 16-24). After taking the litter pledge, participants attended a virtual training with a River Authority expert and a Litterati representative to learn more about the litter problem and how to record litter data with the Litterati app. The app allows users to document the litter they find and add it to a growing database. This litter data can then be used in collaboration with local corporations and government agencies to make informed decisions that contribute to the health of our watershed.
Armed with these new skills, the participating organizations then held cleanups at various locations throughout the city. Thank you to the City of San Antonio Parks and Recreation team for helping with site selection and logistics! Participating teams competed to win a grand prize that included a “Trash Trophy” created by a renowned local artist Gary Sweeney and a Mission Reach of the San Antonio River Walk kayaking tour for 25 people. The participating organizations were the Alamo Area Master Naturalists (AAMN), Frost Bank, HEB, WSP, Insight Global, San Antonio Zoo, San Antonio Missions National Historical Park, University of the Incarnate Word (UIW), GoPeer Community, and Shippy Properties.
DRUMROLL, PLEASE…
The Be River Proud Earth Week Litter Challenge winner is AAMN with 2,238 pieces! They were closely followed by Insight Global (2,128 pieces) and UIW (1,746 pieces.)
Participating organizations documented and tagged a whopping 8,912 pieces of litter during the challenge! This brings the total litter recorded in the River Authority’s challenge to 16,295 pieces.
Thank you to all the organizations that participated in the Be River Proud Earth Week Litterati Challenge for your enthusiasm and dedication. Together we have inspired others to act and get involved!
Teams collected over 8,900 pieces of litter during the Earth Week Litter Challenge cleanup.
Want to take action?
Take the pledge and encourage others to take it too!
We hope you take the opportunity to share with your friends, family, and community how we can all make a difference by keeping litter off our land and out of our local creeks and the San Antonio River. Your efforts, along with those of fellow community members, educators, and volunteers that have taken the pledge, are vital in helping to maintain safe, clean, and enjoyable waterways for everyone.
Are you a data-oriented person? You can make a lasting impact by reporting the kinds of litter you find throughout the watershed.
With the Litterati app, you can document and categorize the litter you find. Then, we will use your data in collaboration with local corporations and government agencies as we make informed decisions that contribute to the health of our watershed. Check out these impacts Litterati users have already made, like the $4M in revenue to the City of San Francisco.
From the start of the San Antonio River Authority’s Don’t Let Litter Trash Your River initiative, contributors have documented over 16,000 pieces of litter on the Litterati app. If you have not signed up yet, it’s not too late!
The missions of the River Authority and River Foundation are rooted in the stewardship of our rivers and creeks, and we believe this is our community’s mission as well. The trash accumulating in and along the creeks and rivers of the San Antonio River basin is unsightly. It endangers wildlife while fouling the critical ecology the riparian area supports. This is a community-wide problem that will require a community-sized effort to solve. With your help and pledge to “Don’t Let Litter Trash Your River,” we can all will help to protect and preserve the San Antonio River.
The River Reach is back!
River Reach is a quarterly, 12-page newsletter that is designed to inform the San Antonio River Authority’s constituents about the agency’s many projects, serve as a communication vehicle for the board of directors and foster a sense of unity and identity among the residents of Bexar, Wilson, Karnes, and Goliad counties.
If you wish to be placed on the mailing list for River Reach, please contact us or complete the form.
