In honor of National Nonprofit Day, we’re commending the vital work that both local and nationalorganizations are doing to keep Arizona as stunning as ever. From maintaining our Valley highways and keeping roads free of trash, to enhancing community parksor building for the future of freeways in Maricopa County—we’re proud to work with our partners to ensurethat state 48is maintainedfor generations to come.
Adopt a Highway
Last year, Adopt-a-Highway volunteers participated in National Cleanup Day and removed a record four tons of trash off Arizona freeways across the state. Their efforts included the removal of unsightly trash such as cigarette butts, plastic bags, aluminum cans and more. In total, volunteers disposed of 642 bags of trash weighing an estimated 8,798 pounds. Impressive! If you’re a business or group who wants to help, try sponsoring a highway. This program deploysa professional maintenance crew to pick up litter among the urban areas with a higher volume of traffic,which can often be more difficult or unsafe for volunteers to clean. Don’t Trash Arizona would like to recognize these volunteers and workers fortheir crucial efforts to keep our roadways clean. We’re lookingforward to continuing our partnershipwith Adopt-a-Highway toraise awareness of the harm that litter poses to drivers, wildlife and our state’s environment.
National Cleanup Day 2020
Photo: Arizona Department of Transportation
Arizona Sustainability Alliance
As we look to planfor the future of Arizona communities, the Arizona Sustainability Alliance was created to support sustainable solutions. AZSA encourages innovation and collaboration withinkey areas such ascreating affordable food systems, planting trees to combat heat in populated urban areas, utilizing renewable energy and conserving city parks. The organization aims to empower and educate Arizonans on creating a sustainable future for themselves and their local communitiesas the Valley continues to grow. The non-partisan group is open to volunteers—sign up here.
Keep Phoenix Beautiful
Our friends at Keep Phoenix Beautiful make an incredible impact in The Valley of the Sun.Fromhosting My Beautiful Phx cleanup events or taking steps toward making recycling more accessible to city dwellers, you can find many dedicated volunteers among this group. They’re also committed to providing learning opportunities for students by teaching them about sustainability practices.Every day, Keep Phoenix Beautiful aims to empower community members to improve quality of life where each neighborhood is a beautiful place to live. We’d also like to take this chance to wish a warm welcome to the newest Keep America Beautiful affiliate inthe Valley: Keep Tempe Beautiful!
Leave No Trace
Protectingthe outdoors and inspiring others to do the same is exactly what the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics is all about. For more than 25 years, this nonprofit has demonstrated the importance of advocating for the preservation of the outdoors from our parks, mountain trails or forests. Their goal? To counteract the negative impact that trash can have on our environment. Whether it’s respecting wildlife creatures, taking fire safety precautions or cleaning up campsites, Leave No Trace employs seven principles of responsible outdoor recreation. Our friends at the Arizona Office of Tourism partnered with Leave No Trace to develop the Appreciate AZ principles to further support our state’s natural landscapes. Here at Don’t Trash Arizona, we join the mission of protecting Arizona’s environment and roadways by keeping it debris free.
Maricopa Association of Governments
Although not technically a nonprofit, the Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG) is the organization behind Don’t Trash Arizona! We drive the conversation behind anti-litter messaging on our highways to help keep AZ grand. Additionally, MAG connects local governments to work together on local and regional planning and policy decisions. MAG continues to build long-term solutions, from providing regional recycling information and resources, creatinga detailed interactive bike map to safely explore the Valley on two wheels and developing long-term transportation plans while providing a place for community members to share their input. Don’t Trash Arizona is grateful for all who help care for our home state. We’re passionate about our mission to promoteawareness about keeping debris off our roads. Learn more at www.donttrashaz.org.