Rallying a City to Clean Up and Come Together
In 2018, the City of Minneapolis partnered with the Alliance for Sustainability (where I served as a board member) to launch a citywide litter cleanup event. I led the media campaign, developed promotional materials, and built the website. Over the next two years, I served as the event's lead coordinator, overseeing logistics, volunteer engagement, sponsorships, budgeting, and a team of five outreach staff.
Litter Be Gone is a 10-day annual cleanup encouraging Minneapolis residents to pick up litter in their neighborhoods—promoting community pride and a cleaner city.
In just three years, the event grew to include:
• 1,700+ volunteers
• 950 city blocks cleaned and over 650 bags of trash collected
• 15 neighborhood hubs offering free cleanup kits and volunteer incentives
• 50 sponsoring organizations and local business partners
Impact:
• 100% of participants said they would join again
• 96% felt it reduced litter in their community
In 2020, when the pandemic disrupted in-person events, I quickly pivoted the campaign. We created socially distanced “supply hubs,” packaged cleanup kits with gloves and masks, and launched an online map with a self-reporting tool. This allowed people to track progress and stay connected, even while participating safely on their own.
