Anacostia Park is Scene of City Year Service Day, Earth Day Celebration

Early on the morning of April 24, CSX volunteers and partners converged on Anacostia Park in Washington, D.C., for an ambitious clean-up of the watershed.

A total of 77 bags of trash were collected and sorted for recycling.

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Led by City Year’s Care Force team, CSX employees, friends and family turned out in force for a clean-up of the Anacostia Watershed. CSX was the sole platinum sponsor of the service day and follow-up Earth Day celebration. CSX volunteers traveled from the greater D.C. area and from states as far away as Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Florida. CSX supplier Cranemasters employees also drove in from Richmond to join the effort, along with representatives from Virginia’s Department of Transportation.

They joined the hundreds of volunteer members of the Anacostia Watershed Society who support the waterway with their contributions, presentations, tree plantings and special clean-up events.

“The turnout was excellent. More than 100 of our people helped clean up trash and debris along a one-mile stretch of the Anacostia riverbank,” said Tori Kaplan, Director, Corporate Citizenship and Events. “Our City Year partners always add a high energy level, and together with them and members of the community on this special day, we helped to make a difference in the cleanliness of that waterway.”

Often called the “Forgotten River,” the Anacostia has been polluted with sewage, storm water runoff and litter for decades. Local and national organizations are trying to restore the river to where it one day could be safe for swimming and fishing once again.

At this one site, a total of 77 bags of trash were collected and sorted for recycling. Also among the debris were six vehicle tires, car batteries, bicycle frames and pieces of driftwood.

After hours of work, the volunteers joined with local officials, other volunteers, and area residents for the Anacostia Watershed’s 40th Anniversary Earth Day celebration. Around 2,500 people volunteered at 31 sites within the watershed. It was a full afternoon of food, music and speeches by environmental organization representatives and government officials. CSX provided one of the informational booths to share news about the company’s environmental stewardship with members of the community.

“This was the third year that CSX and City Year participated in an Earth Day clean-up event at Anacostia Park, and we are glad this year to have teamed up with the Anacostia Watershed Society and its many partners,” said Stephen Flippin, Director, Federal Affairs. “We are proud of our entire CSX team that not only took part in this week-long celebration of Earth Day, but works every day to make a real difference in each of our communities.”