Our Neuse River Guardians Environmental Symposium is a Global Youth Service Day, Disney Friends for Change, Earth Day, and National Environmental Education Week celebration! Special thanks to our symposium presenters, partners and sponsors!

Our Family Volunteer Day community garden project – hoop houses completed and benches assembled

Family Volunteer Day, Nov. 22, was a great success! 60+ youth and adults enjoyed food, fun, fellowship and working together on a community project. We appreciate the additional support from Karma for Cara, Points of Light/generationOn/Disney Friends for Change, Men Enriching the Nation and Greenville Harvest.

Here are some highlights from our tree planting and river clean-up. 100 hazelnut trees were planted for agricultural and environmental benefits. Hazelnuts require less water, sequester more carbon and and reduce soil erosion and nitrogen pollution. The apple orchard has been expanded. When the apple trees bear fruit, the apples will be donated to a local food bank. We’re happy to report there was minimal trash in the river! There was even a compostable toilet everyone was encouraged “to try”. With the help of the Boys & Girls Club, ECU students, Kohl’s Cares volunteers, JROTC, and other groups who provided hands-on activities during the afternoon, we had a successful day with 150 participants.

As part of the Earth Day weekend and Global Youth Service Day, we’ll be planting fruit trees, 100 hazelnut bushes, and a pumpkin patch and holding a trail clean-up and river clean-up in kayaks along with Boys & Girls Club members thanks to a Disney Friends For Change grant! ECU students & Kohl’s Cares volunteers will also be helping. A cook-out for all volunteers will kick off our event!

We really are helping sea turtles by taking action on land. Clearing and cleaning trails keep the trash from blowing into the rivers and cleaning our rivers keeps the trash from flowing downstream into our oceans. We’re also engaging more youth to become involved in our community!