Keep America Beautiful
Celebrated as we kick off spring in April, Keep America Beautiful Month gives everyone a chance to help Mother Nature in her renewed efforts to refresh our earth. Whether inspired to focus on your own little landscape or the greater expanse, Pottstown Area Health & Wellness Foundation (PAHWF) shares ideas for helping to spread the sunshine.
Get Your Hands Dirty
Public clean-up takes work and funds. Think: rakes, shovels, plants, mulch as well as trash and recycling receptacles. Consider initiating a community effort to revitalize public spaces and parks.
Find out if your township has funds available. If so, apply for a grant and see how far you and your neighbors can make them literally grow. Combined with volunteers who have specialized labor skills and good old-fashioned gardening skills, you can create a big impact. Make your surroundings a place of pride where visitors will hesitate to litter, especially if conveniently placed waste bins exist.
As a foundation, PAHWF recognizes the value non-profits make on individuals and communities as well as the rippling effect they have. Keep America Beautiful is a non-profit organization with over 650 nationwide groups and 40,000 national events. Perhaps become a partner in Keep America Beautiful. Work with civic agencies and other likeminded volunteers who take care of the earth.
Clean-up Disguised as Fun
Keeping the environment at its most beautiful does not always need to be a dedicated effort. Each day brings opportunities to spruce up surroundings. Whenever you enjoy the outdoors, leave it better than when you arrived. A simple walk can be a chance to collect litter. Just bring along a bag and disposable gloves. When picnicking, take home all disposables and properly discard them. Go a step further and gather fallen tree branches into a pile and tidy up landscaping stones.
Participate in the Annual Phi Theta Kappa Community Clean-up event: April 20, 11am to 2pm, Montgomery County Community College, Pottstown Campus, North Hall parking lot (16 E. High St.). Chat with neighbors, enjoy light refreshments, and pick up some trash while you’re at it. With everyone’s help, stray bottles and all other litter can be quickly and properly discarded, leaving time for socializing and outdoor fun.
Join the John Doyle Rock the Wall 5K Run/Walk & 10K Run: April 13, registration begins at 7:30am, start time is 9am, Towpath Park in East Coventry Twp. Proceeds will be used to restore the historic stone wall along the farm loop of the East Coventry Nature Preserve. All ages are welcome as are dogs on leashes. Enjoy an opportunity to make a difference in preserving history and helping beautify our land.
Gift the Earth with Growth
Don’t forget to celebrate Arbor Day. Although officially on April 26, any day is great for celebrating trees. Acknowledge Arbor Day in your own way—whether caring for a small potted tree, replanting or trimming a tree, or planting a fresh seedling in the ground. Trees make the world a healthier place to be.
If you have a yard, beautify it with native flowers and plants. They will attract beneficial bugs, help pest control, and encourage pollination—all while brightening the landscape. Take advantage of natural rainfall collected in bins to keep plants hydrated and flowers blooming. April is also Earth Month. Caring for the earth keeps America beautiful. If you do not have yard space, create a potted garden to bring color to wherever you call home (even your office).
Enjoy the Beauty
Take social gatherings, visits, and meetings outdoors. You work hard to keep America beautiful. Take time to surround yourself in its beauty. Visit local parks like the Schuylkill River Greenways for hiking, biking, canoeing, and nature trails. Visit PAHWF’s Outdoor Activity Finder for additional ideas.
The more you are aware of our country’s beauty, the more you will seek it. Sometimes, it is buried under weeds and overgrown brush, waiting to shine. Take that time to smell the rose, turn a stone, and plant a seed for an even more beautiful future.