Neighborhood cleanup collects 154 pounds of trash from downtown Ballard
A group of volunteers picked up 154 pounds of trash from downtown Ballard last weekend, as part of a West Coast cleanup tour initiated by two brothers from Kingston, Washington.
Nick and Hans Schippers, in partnership with Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii, led the two-hour cleanup last weekend starting from Patagonia on Ballard Ave. Just over a dozen volunteers armed with plastic gloves and garbage bags joined in, making their way west on NW Market St, left past the Nordic Museum, and then down the train tracks to Shilshole. The cleanup party then made their way north on 22nd Ave NW, left on Ballard Ave, and back up to the Patagonia store.
The Schippers brothers arranged the cleanup as part of their nine-month West Coast tour, aiming to educate at least 10,000 students about plastic pollution in the ocean. They’ll stage cleanups along the way, and keep track of their progress.
The Ballard cleanup was the kickoff for the tour, which will hit all the major coastal towns from Washington to California.
The brothers have also set up a GoFundMe campaign, raising money to help them on their journey south; click here to donate.