How to celebrate Earth Day around Milwaukee | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Meredith Melland
April 19, 2024
To celebrate Earth Day, Milwaukee neighborhood groups will be picking up litter and debris at cleanup events around the city.
Earth Day is an annual celebration that raises awareness about the importance of protecting the planet’s natural resources for future generations.
Looking to lend a helping hand for Earth Day (April 22) and Earth Week (April 22-26) and beyond? Check out this list of neighborhood cleanups happening around Milwaukee.
Join Washington Heights’ spring cleanup from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday, April 20. Sign in at the Washington Heights Community Garden, 2111 N. 49th St., to receive gloves, bags, tools and block assignments. More information here.
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Southside Organizing Center, or SOC, is hosting multiple cleanups for Earth Day, starting with two events from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Saturday, April 20 at Sixth and Rogers streets and 18th and Grant streets. The center is also hosting a cleanup with Your Move MKE from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Monday, April 22 at 11th and Historic Mitchell streets and a cleanup on Saturday, May 4, starting at SOC’s office at 1300 S. Layton Blvd., Second Floor. More information here.
Gather at 10 a.m. on Saturday, April 20 at Sherman Phoenix Marketplace, 3536 W. Fond du Lac Ave., to help beautify the neighborhood. Register in advance here. More information here.
From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 20, Riverworks Development Corp. is hosting a Big Clean MKE cleanup, starting at 526 E. Concordia Ave. Snacks will be provided. More information here.
The Merrill Park Neighborhood Hilltoppers Community will hold a cleanup from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 20 near 37th Street and Park Hill Avenue. For more information, contact Valerie Langston at vlangston2330@gmail.com.
The Uptown Crossing Cleanup will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 20. It will focus on North Avenue between 60th Street and Sherman Boulevard. Participants can pick up tools at Vennture Brew Co., 5519 W. North Ave., or Tricklebee Cafe, 4424 W. North Ave. Earn a free coffee or beer by returning a full bag of trash to Vennture Brew, or you can bring it to Tricklebee Cafe to receive a free meal. More information here.
Help the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, or DNR, plant trees and shrubs at Havenwoods State Forest, 6141 N. Hopkins St., from 10 a.m. to noon or from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 20. Volunteers are asked to wear closed-toe shoes, long pants and dress for the weather. More information here.
Join Muskego Way Forward and Social Development Commission District 5 for a neighborhood cleanup from 9:30 a.m. to noon on Monday, April 22 at Panaderia el Sol de Mexico, 1708 S. Muskego Ave. Supplies and snacks will be provided. More information here.
Muskego Way and Mitchell School will also host a cleanup at Mitchell School, 1728 S. 23rd St., from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 25. Find more information on ongoing cleanups on Muskego Way Forward’s Facebook page.
On Earth Day, Amani United and Dominican Center will hold rolling cleanups throughout the day so community members can join as they become available. The cleanups will start at 9:30 a.m. on Monday, April 22 at Mission of Christ Lutheran Church, 912 W. Center St. To volunteer from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m., meet at Dominican Center, 2470 W. Locust St. For more information, contact Christal West at 414-215-8643.
From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Monday, April 22, Pretty Girls Are Educated will host a Big Clean MKE site at Hi Mount Community School, 4921 W. Garfield Ave. More information here.
Multiple districts of the Social Development Commission, or SDC, are hosting cleanups on Earth Day and later this spring.
The SDC District 1 Cleanup will be from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on April 22 at SDC Northwest, 9155 N. 76th St. Register here.
SDC District 3 will host a cleanup from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Monday, April 22 at SDC North, 1730 W. North Ave. Register here.
SDC District 4 will clean up the Clinton Rose Senior Center from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Wednesday, April 24, 3045 N. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. Register here.
SDC District 6 will have a cleanup from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Thursday, May 9 at 300 W. Rosedale Ave. Register here.
WestCare Wisconsin’s Big Clean MKE cleanup will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Monday, April 22, starting at Pete’s Fruit Market, 2323 N. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. Hamburgers and hot dogs will be served. For more information, contact Travis Landry, travis.landry@westcare.com or 414-239-9359.  More information here.
From 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Monday, April 22, Eras Senior Network will have a cleanup at the Clinton Rose Senior Center, 3045 N. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. To sign up, contact Freda Wright at 414-488-6927 or freda.wright@eras.org.
Join Rooted & Rising’s neighborhood cleanup from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday, April 22 at Westside Academy, 1945 N. 31st St. More information here.
Groups can register to receive free cleaning materials, such as buckets and trash bags, from Keep Greater Milwaukee Beautiful during the Great Milwaukee Cleanup, which runs through Oct. 31. To find more cleanups near you, view the Keep Greater Milwaukee Beautiful events calendar.
Meredith Melland is the neighborhoods reporter for the Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service and a corps member of Report for America, a national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues and communities. Report for America plays no role in editorial decisions in the NNS newsroom.