Event Details

In April of 2024, Human Nature Projects (HNP) Canada significantly contributed to the annual Clean Toronto Together initiative, a city-wide spring weekend where schools, organizations, and residents unite to clear litter from Toronto's natural spaces. Established in 2004, this initiative has grown into the largest municipal cleanup of its kind in Canada. HNP's participation involved a robust team of over 150 volunteers and their dedicated executive team, who collectively removed over 15 bags of trash from Riverdale Park during their bi-annual community cleanup.

Riverdale Park, a large recreational area along the Don Valley Parkway, is a well-known hub for sports and boasts popular sunset views of the city skyline. However, its proximity to a major roadway makes it particularly vulnerable to accumulating microplastics and ultrafine airborne particles, exacerbating Toronto's existing air pollution concerns, especially heightened after the 2023 wildfires. HNP's Earth Day cleanups are therefore crucial; by removing waste, which emits harmful gases and odors as it decomposes, their efforts directly contribute to improving environmental health and air quality for the community.

Interestingly, the green poles located throughout Riverdale Park East are actually pipes used to ventilate underground methane. This is a necessary measure because during the 1920s, the park was utilized as a landfill.