The Maine Chapter of the Sierra Club celebrated Earth Day this weekend, April 23 -24, 2022 with local cleanups and hikes across the state. On Friday, volunteers participated in trash cleanups in Brunswick, Hallowell, Augusta, South Portland, and Belfast. Sierra Club outings leaders also led three Earth Day hikes on Saturday at Fort Popham in Phippsburg, Riverton Trolley Park in Portland, and Town Forest in Eliot. 

"This Earth Day, we wanted to get people outside and give back to our planet which provides us with so much,” said Sarah Leighton, director of Sierra Club Maine Chapter, in a news release.

We hope people will take away from this event the importance of protecting our planet all year long by embodying the spirit of Earth Day everyday,” she said. 

Sierra Club Maine volunteers pose for a group shot during an Earth Day Cleanup in Brunswick. From left to right: Lindsay Lord, Eric Schade, Sue Levene (Chapter Chair), Alyssa Howard, and Ella Tabasky.

Altogether, volunteers picked up approximately 20 trash bags full of litter from local neighborhoods, greenways, railroads, and bike paths, totaling over 100 lbs. 

The hikes on Saturday were an opportunity for folks to connect with nature and enjoy the beauty of Maine. Participants saw the following during their hikes: Skunk Cabbage, Fiddle Heads (Ferns), Burning Bush (Winged Euonymus), Honeysuckles, Red Maples, White Pines, Eastern Hemlocks, Beaver lodges and a dam, Flycatchers, Canada Goose, Turkey Vultures, Clubmoss, Canada Mayflower (single leaf and double leaves), Boulders deposited by glaciers, Stone walls (but only very small segments of the 240,000 miles found in New England). 

According to Sierra Maine, when asked why the volunteers participated in the Earth Day Cleanups, participants said the following:

“It was very fun and nice to meet in person,” said Sue Levene, Sierra Club Maine Chapter Chair. “Eric and I started by the road and then met up with the others that were working on an old encampment by the railroad tracks.  I found a pot lid, a very old bottle, a pair of jeans and a staple gun.”

“We walk the Green Belt regularly and are really sad to see the landscape spoiled,” said Jean Smith, a volunteer who cleaned the South Portland Green Belt. “My 8 year old grandson was surprised and disgusted! Egg carton, 24-inch drill bit, dirty diaper, birthday balloons still inflated, 8 mini liquor bottles, a bottle of pee, lots of plastic. We climbed through the brush and came home with one tick!"

“I care a lot about the environment and want to make the place the earth a lovely/vibrant place to live. I also wanted to connect with like-minded people,” said Alyssa Howard, a volunteer who picked up trash at Bowdoin Pines in Brunswick. “I was very surprised by how much trash there was - tons of plastic, clothing, car wipers, and much more! A lady thanked us so sincerely at the end and that make me feel like we were making a difference.”

“I run along this stretch of road (in Topsham), and don't like looking at the litter. We also live in a biodiverse area with lots of wildlife, and it can't be good for their habitat,” said Amy Simpson, a volunteer who collected litter along the road in Topsham. “My two children, my parents, and myself collected trash along a .3 stretch of road (both sides) near our home. We found 5 bags of trash, one bag of bottles, and a couch cushion.”

Trash collected along the railroad tracks in Brunswick

Sue Levene, Chair of the Maine Chapter of the Sierra Club, picks up trash in Brunswick