MILWAUKEE— As the Earth Day celebration continued this weekend, Milwaukee inspired more clean up efforts.
Dozens of volunteers joined in with service groups for Earth Day, by taking trash out of Milwaukee parks.
Byron Nelson picked up trash at Washington Park.
“Lots of people in the park, it seems like that's always nice to see. I know we have done this in the past, not at this park specifically, but it’s always been a fun time, just keeping the community clean. This is a park we enjoy,” Nelson said.
He was joined by wife Jayden Misch.
They live near Washington Park and wanted to help out with the clean up because this place means a lot to them.
“Both of us use this park as part of our fitness regimen, our weight loss journey and I think we rely on it heavily, especially in the warmer months. Today is the first really warm day of 2022 in my mind. It’s going to get up to 70 degrees and we would have been in this park regardless,” said Nelson.
Before the clean up, Mayor Cavalier Johnson spoke to the volunteers.
He told them that he believes that Milwaukee has some of the best parks in the country.
Johnson also pointed out it's important to keep these places desirable for residents and visitors alike.
“Taking about the power of partnerships. Everybody can do something. Everybody can serve. Everybody can do something positive to impact their community and it can be just as simple as, coming out and cleaning the neighborhood. These are the things we should be encouraging people to do to realize their own power to make a positive impact,” Johnson said.
Nelson said the park clean up is not only beneficial for them but also the animals who like to visit the park.
“You know a dirty park is only going to leave problems. You don’t want animals eating trash, choking on trash, getting stuck in trash, just an added perk. You know you come out here. You make your park beautiful for you and you also give it a better place for the animals to play,” said Nelson.
Both Nelson and Misch wanted to make a positive impact in the community they call home.
There were also clean up efforts at Riverside Park and Menomonee Valley on Saturday.