Clean Up, Evanston logo

Community members are invited to participate in the City’s annual “Clean up, Evanston!” event in honor of Earth Day and Arbor Day on Saturday, April 23, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.

This year’s event is made possible through partnerships with the Evanston TreeKeepers, Evanston/Skokie School District 65, Evanston Township High School District 202 and Northwestern University.

Community groups and individuals of all ages can sign up to volunteer at any of the designated clean-up sites across the city by visiting volunteerevanston.org or calling/texting 847-448-4311. There is at least one clean-up location in each of Evanston’s nine wards.

Volunteers are encouraged to register to meet at any of these locations at 9 a.m. on April 23:

 

  • Robert Crown Park – Robert Crown Center, 1701 Main St.*
  • Ladd Arboretum and Twiggs Park – Evanston Ecology Center, 2024 McCormick Blvd.
  • James Park – Fieldhouse, Dodge Ave. at Mulford St.*
  • Lovelace Park – Fieldhouse, Gross Point. Rd. at Thayer St.*
  • Lakefront – Greenwood St. Beach Restroom, 1401 Sheridan Rd.*
  • Chute Middle School, 1400 Oakton St.
  • Dawes Elementary School, 440 Dodge Ave.
  • Dewey Elementary School, 1551 Wesley Ave. 
  • Dr. Bessie Rhodes School of Global Studies, 3701 Davis St., Skokie
  • Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Literary & Fine Arts School, 2424 Lake St.
  • Haven Middle School, 2417 Prairie Ave.
  • Joseph E. Hill Early Childhood Center, 1500 McDaniel Ave.
  • Kingsley Elementary School, 2300 Green Bay Rd.
  • Lincoln Elementary School, 910 Forest Ave.
  • Lincolnwood Elementary School, 2600 Colfax St.
  • Nichols Middle School, 800 Greenleaf St. 
  • Oakton Elementary School, 436 Ridge Ave.
  • Orrington Elementary School, 2636 Orrington Ave.
  • Park School, 828 Main St.
  • Walker Elementary School, 3601 Church St., Skokie
  • Washington Elementary School, 914 Ashland Ave.
  • Willard Elementary School, 2700 Hurd Ave.

*Sites with an asterisk denote parks where volunteers will be mulching trees in addition to cleaning the park.

 

Community members who would like to clean up a park not listed above are encouraged to sign up for the “self-organized park clean-up” option on Volunteer Evanston. This option allows community members to clean up their local park with support from the City. When signing up, volunteers should indicate which park they would like to clean up and the number of volunteers participating. A team leader may then pick up gloves and clean-up bags from the Ecology Center, Wednesday, April 20 through Saturday, April 23, between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m.

This year’s “Clean-up, Evanston!” festivities will also include a tree planting ceremony at 10 a.m. at the Clark Street Beach House, 1811 Sheridan Rd. All community members are welcome to attend.

Also on April 23, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., ETHS will continue its long-standing tradition of organizing a community clean-up in the area surrounding the high school. Students interested in participating should contact ETHS Community Service Coordinator Mary Collins, at collinsm@eths.k12.il.us, for more information.

As part of Northwestern University’s Associated Student Government (ASG) Earth Day celebration, ASG has partnered with the City to host a clean-up at Ingraham Park, 2100 Ridge Ave., on April 23, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. For more information about this event, please contact Northwestern University ASG, at asg@u.northwestern.edu.

In addition to participating in the City’s “Clean Up, Evanston!” event, volunteers from civic organizations, social clubs, neighborhood associations, individual families, church groups, school groups, and employee groups are encouraged to participate in the City’s Parks, Recreation & Community Services Department’s year-round Adopt a Park program. The City is seeking volunteer groups to assist with litter pick-up, preservation, and maintenance of Evanston parks. To learn more, visit cityofevanston.org/adoptapark.

For more information about Earth Day and Arbor Day events in Evanston, visit cityofevanston.org/earthday, email sustainability@cityofevanston.org, or call/text 847-448-4311. For convenience, residents can simply dial 3-1-1 in Evanston.