The Season That Has Been

November 21st marked our last cleanup for the 2016 and what a season it has been.

Our season began (as it does each year) with the annual Thames River Cleanup in April where we cleaned up what had collected over the winter. It's always a big job, but feels great to be done and looks great when finished.

In May we were under the Wellington Street Bridge where we pulled out shopping carts and an old TV. Just one month after the major city wide cleanup, when we thought we might be getting "on top" of the problem, we found there was more to do!

Then there was the huge haul we got from Dingman Creek in June. It was an example of a slightly out of the way place where people dumped trash, old TV's and building materials.

July, ah, July! Richard B Harrison park and Wellington Bridge again. A fair haul for a hot day.

August found us with Mayor Matt Brown at the forks of the Thames and in Ivey Park. We were grateful for the huge turnout of volunteers as we were able to show what we do and get a lot done.  That month we were delighted to have the opportunity to do a cleanup with the London First Church of the Nazarene's day camp. Great workers, great spirit.

In September there was the cleanup and eco poetry workshop with the Children's International Summer Villages (CISV) and then our previously scheduled cleanup with people from St. Andrew's United Church and London Mosque and London Councilor Bill Armstrong from Ward 2 at Pottersburg Creek. What a wonderful, verdant area that has become. As if that wasn't enough, we provided supplies to volunteers from Stantec who did a cleanup for their "community day". Great initiative, happy to help wherever we can.

In October we were back at our original stomping grounds - Carfrae Park. Much as we wish it weren't so, Carfrae always delivers us work and it didn't disappoint.

And that takes us to November when we cleaned up the river from the Wellington Street Bridge to Carfrae Park. We found so much we had to make two heaps.  

A HUGE thanks as usual to all the great volunteers who worked so hard to make the river a cleaner, more beautiful place to be for us humans as well as for plants, animals, fish and reptiles, insects, invertebrates etc, etc.  

The river is a beautiful, lively space for us all to share, to delight in, where we can connect with nature, quietly sit near and appreciate life, our world and be grateful for all we have.  Thank you.


TRR Crew (not all shown below!!)

Combined Forces

The fates smiled on us today for two reasons. Firstly, there was only a sprinkling of snow which didn't hamper our efforts or dampen our spirits and secondly, we happened to have our cleanup coincide with the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup (GCSC). Many of the volunteers shown above are from RICOH and were taking part in the GCSC. The result was lots of people attacking the same site. NICE!!!

Good thing they all showed up too, because there was a lot of garbage to get.  A bicycle, an old motor, pieces of a desk chair, plastic pails and litter... lots and LOTS of litter.

Not sure if this is the last cleanup of the year - that depends on Old Man Winter's arrival, but whatever happens, great work today and all season long!  Thanks to all the excellent, strong and interested volunteers!

Picking Trash and Planting Seeds

Thanks to all the great work done by the campers, pastors and camp leaders of the Church of the Nazarene's Mega God children's summer camp.  A great effort was made by all and we had excellent success.  

It can be stinky, dirty work, but it is often rewarding. We hope some metaphorical seeds were planted while we picked up trash; seeds about not littering, cleaning up the environment while providing an example of stewardship and volunteer-ism. 

But you want to see the trash. Here it is, in all it's glory!

Yup, that's a flat screen tv allright! A mattress, foam mat (perhaps with red mould on it! How exciting!). Also a surprising amount of building materials/renovation waste; drywall, asphalt shingles and more than ten bags of garbage.

Also, thanks to the City of London solid waste administration and workers for picking up the heap! We couldn't do it without them moving this mess to where it really belongs.

August 15th Cleanup With Help

What a cleanup we had this month!  Look at that crowd!  And who is that in the green shirt - yes, it's our very own London Mayor Matt Brown!  Thanks to everyone for coming out.  

We got lots of trash from around the river and Ivey Park, but I think (and hope) we were able to encourage people to see that they can made a difference in their community and that there is work that needs doing.  

So what'd we find?  Yes, garbage of course, but old tires, metal stuff, construction barriers, but that's nothing compared to a big bag of soiled diapers beside the bike path and a couple boxes of encyclopedias.  Let's treat garbage like what it is, and put it where it belongs.

It was great to hear Mayor Brown express an idea that we at TRR have said a number of times; We need to cherish and care for this wonderful resource we have in our very own city - the Thames River.  Thanks to the volunteers for their hard work!  We're making it happen.

Saturday August 15th, 2015 cleanup, Ivey Park

What are you doing this Saturday?!

Our next clean-up will be on Saturday August 15th, 9:30 am to noon at Ivey Park. We are generally a go rain or shine; however, in the event of thunderstorms or heavy rain, we'll send out an email postponing the event to Sunday August 16th.

We'll meet at the "Staging Area" (the green circle on the map) which is the East end of Becher Street by the foot bridge. Free, 2 hour parking is available on Becher Street opposite HMCS Prevost. We'll clean up the area indicated in pink on the map below.

Families are welcome, however parents must be responsible for their children at all times.

See you at the river!

Microcosms & Metaphors

This picture is sort of a microcosm of what we do. We go out and we clean up. 

It was blistering hot today, a sweltering, melting sort of wonderful July day and we did really well. Not so many volunteers but we worked hard and got a lot of trash out.

When we looked over the area just 5 days previous, it looked pretty clear. Some obvious pieces of trash, but it didn't seem too bad. It turns out there was lots more garbage than expected. It was the second time we pulled that baby chair out of the river's edge. Let's hope it stays in the trash where it belongs!

Here's what I think is the most interesting find/removal from the river. A Garmin GPS unit. I don't know if it was trashed or grabbed or stollen from a car or what, but it doesn't belong in the river. I see this object as sort of a metaphor for the environment. This unit, like the river is perfectly good, useful, interesting, attractive and gets trashed. It doesn't have to be this way. Please respect the river and keep it clean through our life times, for our children's lifetimes, for all future children's lifetimes.

Out of sight, out of mind, but still there...

This Saturday's clean-up was a bit of a departure for us in that it wasn't directly on the Thames, but as we recently learned, being on the watershed, it's basically the same thing - consider that the next time you see a cigarette butt in a gutter - when the rain comes, that butt will end up in the river.

We cleaned up garbage from the edge of the parking lot near Dingman Creek beside the 401 at Wellington Road.  It was AMAZING.  Imagine, if you will, a nice stretch of well mown grass and beyond, a lush swamp where birds sang, crickets scratched and frogs croaked.  Sounds great, until you step just past that cut grass and find the garbage.

We found three tires, two tv cathode ray tubes, remnants of three other tv's, vacuum cleaners, refigerator parts, and a number of bags of home renovation waste.  There's a place for all that stuff; in the garbage or recycling depot. Sometimes it costs to dump that stuff at a depot, but either pay now or pay later. It's easier and cleaner to do so now.  Did I mention the bags of garbage?!  At least 20 bags full of trash.

June Cleanup

What are you doing this Saturday? Come on out and join us for our June cleanup.

On Saturday June 20th, 9:30 am to noon we're going to clean up Dingman Creek. We are generally a go rain or shine; however, in the event of a thunderstorms or heavy rain, we'll postpone the event to Sunday June 21st.

We'll provide garbage bags and gloves (we also have a few garbage grabbers). Apart from weather appropriate clothing, we strongly recommend wearing pants and rubber boots. Also, bring yourself a bottle of drinking water.

We'll meet in the parking lot of OK Tire (765 Exeter Road near Wellington Road South). Enter the Winner's parking lot and drive South till you get to OK Tire. We're going to clean up the areas marked in pink on the map.

Come and lend us your muscles!

May Day

Not the largest bunch of volunteers out this time, but as usual, we found some garbage and had to put some muscle in to remove it. Veni vidi vici! Nice work, Thames River Rally-ers!

So what'd we get?  Apart from several garbage bags full, we pulled out a pair of shopping carts, a folding display and what was probably a 32" cathode ray tube TV. That thing weighed a ton! Good thing it wasn't right down in the river. 

The river, let alone the environment, is a lot cleaner and more beautiful without junk fouling it up. If you have an old tv or any other trash that you don't know what to do with, please take to to a proper disposal depot.  Click HERE to find out where the depots are and what they take. Also, some churches or other organizations have e-waste containers provided at different times throughout the year.

We're in this together.  Let's work together to make it better.

May Cleanup

We've had the long weekend, what with the BBQ and the fun and after that we cleaned up.  It was so much fun, what's say we do it again - the clean-up that is!

Our next clean-up will be on Saturday May 23rd, 9:30 am to noon at Richard B Harrison Park. We are generally a go rain or shine; however, in the event of a thunderstorms or heavy rain, we'll send out an email postponing the event to Sunday May 24th.

We'll meet at the "Staging Area" (the green circle on the map) which is the parking lot of Long and McQuade (71 Wellington Street). We're going to clean up the areas marked in pink on the map.

We'll provide garbage bags and gloves (we also have a few garbage grabbers). Apart from weather appropriate clothing you'll need some sturdy boots or hiking shoes. Also, bring yourself a bottle of drinking water.

Thames River Rally Kicks Off 2015

Today's cleanup with the annual Thames River Cleanup marks the first cleanup of our season.  As you know, it was a harsh, cold and long winter and as you can see we got a lot of trash.  We were delighted to be part of today's massive cleanup effort and we know it made a big difference.  How do I know?  Well, the noisy birds were thanking us and they see everything from low and high!

Thanks to all our excellent volunteers who applied their enthusiasm, sharp eyes, deft garbage grabbin' hands and muscles to the job.  

Our next cleanup is tentatively scheduled for May 23rd and the location is yet to be determined, but be sure, we need help and there will be lots to do.  Please keep an eye on our website (www.thamesriverrally.ca) and our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/thamescleanup) for updates and more information.

Thames River Cleanup 2015

Our first clean-up kicks off with the Thames River Cleanup (www.thamesrivercleanup.ca) on Saturday April 18, 2014.

Meet us at 9:00 am in the large parking lot near the Registan Rug store on the South side of Oxford Street just East of the bridge (parking available - see "Staging Area" on the map below). We are responsible for collecting trash on both sides of the river from Oxford Street East to Blackfriars' Bridge (pink area on the map). 

We'll provide garbage bags and gloves (we also have a few garbage grabbers). Apart from weather appropriate clothing you'll need some sturdy boots or hiking shoes. We recommend you wear long pants and bring a bottle of drinking water.

Families are welcome, however parents must be responsible for their children at all times.

See you at the river!

TRR and the Thames River Cleanup

Our first clean-up of the season will be on Saturday, April 18, 2015 with the Thames River Cleanup . It's a fantastic initiative in which lots of groups collect trash from the river's edge.

Meet us on April 18, 9:30 am in the parking lot on the South side of Oxford Street just East of the bridge (see the "Staging Area" on the map below). We are responsible for collecting trash on both sides of the river from Oxford Street East to Blackfriars' Bridge (pink area on the map).

It's been a harsh winter so there may be lots to do.  We've got gloves, garbage grabbers and garbage bags.  Please come out and lend your muscles!