Earth Day Lansing and partners contribute 500 volunteer hours to local environment

Earth Day only comes once a year, and even though part of the weekend was rainy, it couldn’t keep the Earth Day Lansing volunteers from their tasks.

“We came up with a few project that could be accomplished indoors,” says organizer Erin Slayter of Sweaty Mouse in Lansing, “but they said, ‘No, we want to be outside helping clean up.”

It’s that strong desire to help that drove more than 100 volunteers to roll up their sleeves for 500 hours on Friday and Saturday of last week for Earth Day Lansing, an event organized by Sweaty Mouse and accomplished entirely by volunteers and sponsorships.

“Things went well,” Strayer said. “We distributed 300 white pine seedlings and painted four murals that are going to be up in Old town soon.”

In addition, the volunteers prepped planting beds in Old Town and organized “Laugh with a Purpose,” a comedy event in the Old Town Temple to benefit Lunch with a Purpose and the Old Town Commercial Association. More than 200 people attended Proceeds from the event benefited the organizations.

Partnering with Sweaty Mouse on the event was the Michigan Arbor Day Alliance, Big Brother Big Sister, the OTCA, Menards, Schupan Recycling, The Radisson, Sir Pizza and the Wild Rose Café.

Source: Erin Slayter, The Sweaty Mouse

Writer: Natalie Burg, News Editor 

All Photographs © Dave Trumpie

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