Cache In Trash Out for Earth Day

9.4k · February 24, 2003

Folks,

We're planning on organizing a Cache In Trash Out coordinated event for Earth Day. This year Earth Day is on April 22nd, so we'll plan on trying to get groups around the world to pick out a particularly messy park in their area and clean it up on Saturday the 26th. This would be both a great opportunity to show our thanks for the park system that hosts many of our caches, and would help sway the nay sayers about the sport.

We'll be designing a shirt for the occasion which we'll sell at cost (or below if we get some sponsors), so as we get farther into the planning we'll post more info on the site and in the forums. If anyone has any ideas on what else to do for Earth Day, let me know.

It's also a good 3 year anniversary for Geocaching, since it all started in early May of 2000.

Jeremy Irish

Groundspeak - The Language of Location

February 24, 2003

quote:
Originally posted by Jeremy Irish:
This year Earth Day is on April 22nd

Some would say Earth Day is every 22 April. Others would say it is always the March equinox.

http://www.earthsite.org/origin.htm

Fro.

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Geocaching . . . hiking with a purpose

February 24, 2003

Shirts are always good. I also like the idea of CITO logo trash bags that DustyJacket suggested in this thread.

3k · February 24, 2003

While we're trashing out on Earth Day, let's also pick up all the abandoned caches, archive the pages and free those areas up for current cachers who will hopefully prove to be more responsible.

Let's also do something about all the caches placed "illegally" or that require trespassing.

Let's also clean house of all those "temporarily disabled" caches that have been effectively abandoned.

February 24, 2003

quote:
Originally posted by Jeremy Irish:
Folks,

We're planning on organizing a Cache In Trash Out coordinated event for Earth Day.

Excellent Idea! Count me in for the event!

NeoCycle

38.2k · February 24, 2003

I'm with BassoonPilot on this one. It would be great to remove them, or at least fix them up and have someone adopt them.

It would also be great if people in every region woluld hold an event cache to clean up a littered

cache site. We've all found caches hidden in areas that look like little more than a garbage dump.

A government that is big enough to give you all you want is big enough to take it all away. -Barry Goldwater

1.7k · February 24, 2003

I like the idea.

Now, to organize people will be a challenge.

DustyJacket

...If life was fair, a banana split would cure cancer.

February 24, 2003

Anyone from Coastal SC interested, I started a roll call here:SC Coastal Earth Day Gathering

Si quando audius mihi infremus, tum videlicet quoque tardus

February 24, 2003

will talk to area cachers in northeast fla and get an event planned for an approiate park will also contact gainesville /ocala cachers for an evet over there thanks for the idea jermey and keep us updated.

the federation

8.9k · February 24, 2003

We've already been kicking the idea around a little in Chicago. We'll step up and take it a little more seriously, now.

Markwell

Chicago Geocaching

February 24, 2003

Memphis has jumped on the bandwagon. We're hoping for a good turnout. Some of us had already been discussing a CITO event at a rather neglected park. This event gives us the needed impetus to make it happen.

Thanks for the boost.

4.4k · February 24, 2003

Good Idea I will see what I can do here in Missouri.

WHEN ALL ELSE FAILS *GEOTRYAGAIN* http://www.msnusers.com/MissouriTrails

1.4k · February 24, 2003

I am encouraging everyone to place a Clean Up! cache. Here's mine:

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?ID=54801

Jeff

http://www.StarsFellOnAlabama.com

http://www.NotAChance.com

If you hide it, they will come....

February 24, 2003

Great minds think alike.

I posted this thread yesterday in the N.W. forums. My idea was to get a collection of parks together, and which ever got the most nods as the dirtiest park, would be selected as the site for a cache in/trash out event cache. I was just waiting for the list to grow before I presented the idea to the WSGA exec. board for consideration.

___________________________________________

Cum catapultae proscriptae erat,

tum soli proscript catapultas habeunt.

February 24, 2003

I'm planning on spending Lenin's birthday, AKA Earth Day putting together a couple of packages for friends who just got shipped off to the Middle East.

Mickey

Max Entropy

More than just a name, a lifestyle.

February 24, 2003

Sounds like a plan to me...........JOE

1.4k · February 24, 2003

Michigan has been planning a May time period event since mid-January. Due to Turkey Hunting season we've been informed by the DNR that their areas will be off limits for cleanup activity in the April-May time period.

We are working with them to find non-turkey hunting spots to clean up in the time period we want which was May and we're hoping that we can perhaps move the schedule to coincide with the earth day thing.

As it turns out, the DNR is fully aware of what areas also serve as trash dumps, but do not have the resources to clean them up themselves. They will be sending us more info and maps of dumped areas soon for our volunteer purposes. Michigan actually has a program called "Adopt-a-Forest" which we are trying to get involved with in Michigan.

However, at this time it appears that April-May could be off limits to use due to turkeys of all things. I will make sure we note the nationwide effort for earth day in any press we get. Positive press is always good. Any groups in the country that get press for this, please send me a link to mike@mi-geocaching.org or mike@wunderware.com.

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trippy1976 - Team KKF2A

Saving geocaches - one golf ball at a time.

February 25, 2003

Count me in!!! Can we use the CITO Logo freely? I'd like to put the logo on stickers and stick them to the outside of regular trash bags, but in order to distribute them in the time allotted, we'll need to use our CafePress online store.

I think this is a fabulous way to demonstrate to the park services that we really do participate in cleanup activities for them.

BTW, National Trails Day is June 7th in case anyone would like to coordinate with that, too. Our regional event is on June 7th in Omaha.

SpinWebby

www.gpgeocaching.com

9.4k · February 25, 2003

We'll put some stuff together for the site so we can get the planning started early. Thanks folks!

Jeremy Irish

Groundspeak - The Language of Location

4.4k · February 25, 2003

Got the approval needed here,they are sending the forms today.Great Idea Again thanks Jeremy.Life has been grander since this web page I founder.Thanks to all our good friends out there who really do enjoy PLANET EARTH.I will fill out the form here for the event after this post.

Earth Day Cleanup Missouri....done wating for approval.

WHEN ALL ELSE FAILS *GEOTRYAGAIN* http://www.msnusers.com/MissouriTrails

[This message was edited by Trailblazer # 1 on February 25, 2003 at 11:56 AM.]

February 25, 2003

I with ya for Missouri! Sign me up!

I also know a place in Kansas that needs cleaned up, it's the Quail Farm West of the town of Pittsburg Kansas. When I was there looking for a cache last week I noticed where someone dumped some trash , what a shame!

The problem with the gene pool is that there is no lifeguard.

2.4k · February 25, 2003

There's a discussion started in the Northeast forum, I'm going to start checking into doing something here in central Pennsylvania probably at one of the state parks in the area.

I'm lost. I've gone to find myself. If I should happen to get back before I return, please ask me to wait.

February 25, 2003

Sounds great! Anyone in the lower NY/CT area that starts a cleanup, keep me informed.

Wherever you go, there you are!

3k · February 26, 2003

I went to find a cache last fall and there was so much garbage I couldn't trash it out without a truck. Coudln't find the cache either, but that was due to bad weather and tree cover and lack of satellite reception. I'll try e-mailing the cache hider and see if they want to put something together. The snow should definitely be gone by then!

Cache you later,

Planet

I feel much more like I do now than when I first got here.

February 26, 2003

Count me in. I know just the Trash Cache to start on too. People can be so inconsiderate. Thanks for the plan Jeremy!

MontytheMule

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This Space Intentionally Left Blank

7.2k · February 26, 2003

Georgia's GGA is with this too and we are trying to organize a cleanup in one of the local NPS areas.

February 26, 2003

I want to recommend The SilverWolves Shine Cache as an excellent opportunity to cahe in trash out. This area is a MESS!

Happy. Hunting.

February 26, 2003

Anyone doing this in Jersey?

The great question...which I have not been able to answer, despite my thirty years of research into the feminine soul, is "What does a woman want?" --Freud

1.5k · February 26, 2003

I would definintely be interested in this effort. There is an area in particular near Granite Reef Dam on the Salt River that is absolutely horrific. Beer cans/bottles, diapers and all things used for drunken bashes in the summer heat litter the area. On my own some months back, I carted out 3 39-gallon trash bags and hardly made a dent in the over all area, although what I did pick up certainly improved the appearance.

Any other AZ cachers interested? Would be great for a separate event cache.

Brian

Team A.I.

February 26, 2003

I took a young friend out for his second caching expeiance. (He got up at 6:00 and made me breakfast so we could be back in time to get him to school.) To his dissapointment , we found the cache in pieces scattered all over the landscape.

Fortunatly I had the stuff to place another cache there. And to my amazement, the lad insisted on cleaning up all of the cache trash. He didn't want our game to cause litter.

I would like to nominate him for a GEDA (Geocache Earth Day Award.)

Haicoole

February 26, 2003

We had already planned a clean up for that date at our last meeting. So this just makes it even better.

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"Boredom is the state of one's mind"

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February 26, 2003

It's something I've wanted us to do as a group, and I'm getting the wheels turning on doing a CITO here in Northeast Ohio...

Cache well, and see ya round the bend...

2.4k · February 27, 2003

Our state parks are grouped in regions. I sent an e-mail to one park in each region earlier today. I've received two responses so for, both positive. One already has plans to do a cleanup on the same date open to individuals and groups, and welcomed us to join in. Hopefully things will go as well with the rest of the parks. I hope we'll get enough volunteers from each area to make a lasting positve impression with those in charge of these parks, and to make a noticeable difference in the parks.

I'm lost. I've gone to find myself. If I should happen to get back before I return, please ask me to wait.

9.2k · February 27, 2003

One of the Pennsylvania parks which IV Warrior contacted is Raccoon Creek State Park, a park just west of my home in Pittsburgh. They removed the only geocache in their park, but we can use a CITO event to establish good relations with the rangers and maybe place some caches! Thanks to IV Warrior's work, I will be contacting this park and cachers in Western Pennsylvania, Southeastern Ohio and the West Virginia panhandle should watch for an Event Cache posting!

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

I was formerly employed by the Department of Redundancy Department, but I don't work there anymore.

1.4k · February 27, 2003

Good news from the front in Michigan. This just in from Rusty, one of our Steering Group members:

"I just got off the phone with the Flat River office. We are tentatively set for Saturday April 19th. She is mailing me a use permit and trash location maps."

We had to go with the 19th because of Turkey Season in Michigan.

We have been talking to the DNR about a cleanup for a while now and they have been very helpful. They will be providing us with the maps as noted but also will be paying for the dumpsters and trash haul-away. Other organizers might want to see if their state has a similar program.

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trippy1976 - Team KKF2A

Saving geocaches - one golf ball at a time.

February 27, 2003

Here in Michigan they have a program called Adopt-a-Forest with funding for volunteer cleanup projects. They have been extremely helpful and appreciative.

Several other states (Iowa, Mississippi, Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Oregon, Washington, Texas) have similar programs and are linked from the Michigan site Cleanforests.org

If you setup a trashout project thru one of these links let me know and I will pass it on to the Michigan coordinator since she made a point of telling me to pass on the links to their sister projects.

Rusty...

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Friends don't let friends cache locationless!

Rusty & Libby's Geocache Page

Michigan Geocaching Organization

February 28, 2003

We did it before -> With the REAL ORIGINAL

CACHE CLEAN-UP EVENT!

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?ID=37783

Maybe we can do it again! Anybody In?

March 1, 2003

wanted to post this to see if my sig comes up. My partner & I have been doing River & Coastal clean-up twice a year since 1990. One is for Earth Day & the other is just to get the garbage cleaned up after the summer. That's the coastal in Sept. my sig didn't come up ???????

rocker51

March 1, 2003

Launching an e-mail to my contact with the Tulsa Parks department right now. Was approached at our TAG meeting today that the local CBS affiliate may do a story on geocaching. It will be our groups one year anniversary April 6th. They wanted to key on that. So nothing like getting some good positive PR! I'll try to tie in an event with the story or do it in conjuction with the story.

beatnik

March 1, 2003

We don't have an official, organized caching group here in southeastern Idaho, but wavydave and I were just talking about whether we should host an event cache to meet all the new names we've seen crop up in the logs over the last year. This gives us an even better idea -- we'll see if we can pull something together, even if it's just our little group of cachers

March 3, 2003

I searched some cache's. What I found was alot of trash along the way. I took a garbage bag with Me the last time out and picked up some of the trash.

I am new, but know, What, I see in the area's I visit, Should Not Be There.

WHY DO PEOPLE LEAVE THIS GARBAGE, Anywhere?

I Will Clean as I Go.

Thanks

1.6k · March 4, 2003

In Nebraska, we view Earth day as a time for self-important lefties to bash the Republicans while doing nothing to help the environment other than boosting the ambient CO2 level with their rantings.

We celebrate Arbor Day. The only holiday invented to celebrate tomorrow. We plant trees and clean our neighborhoods, all with the intention of having a better tomorrow.

Can we do this with Arbor Day instead of the poser holiday?

By appointment to the Court of HRM Queen Mikki I.

March 4, 2003

quote:
Originally posted by bigredmed:
In Nebraska, we view Earth day as a time for self-important lefties to bash the Republicans while doing nothing to help the environment other than boosting the ambient CO2 level with their rantings.

We celebrate Arbor Day. The only holiday invented to celebrate tomorrow. We plant trees and clean our neighborhoods, all with the intention of having a better tomorrow.

Can we do this with Arbor Day instead of the poser holiday?

By appointment to the Court of HRM Queen Mikki I.

And yet another thread turns to bashing environmentalists... I'm beginning to think it's the geocaching.com version of Godwin's Law.

The MOOGers are planning an event on the 26th, and we may also hold a short one on Earth Day itself.

Ron/yumitori

8.9k · March 4, 2003

Our Chicago Event is listed, but still in the early planning stages.

Just a suggestion for the site admins. Is there a way to flag all of these caches so that they can be linked to one spot on the site's front page? I don't know if we want to name them all the same ("2003 Cache In Trash Out - Chicago", "2003 Cache In Trash Out - North Carolina", etc.) or some other method that would help the people quickly find out what's going on locally.

Markwell

Chicago Geocaching

March 4, 2003

It looks like Texas has three events planned for this day. Houston, Austin, and North Texas all are participating. Here is the link for the event going on in the metroplex:

Don't Mess With Texas

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"Boredom is the state of one's mind"

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4.8k · March 5, 2003

quote:
Originally posted by bigredmed:
In Nebraska, we view Earth day as a time for self-important lefties to bash the Republicans while doing nothing to help the environment other than boosting the ambient CO2 level with their rantings.

We celebrate Arbor Day. The only holiday invented to celebrate tomorrow. We plant trees and clean our neighborhoods, all with the intention of having a better tomorrow.

Can we do this with Arbor Day instead of the poser holiday?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And yet another thread turns to bashing environmentalists... I'm beginning to think it's the geocaching.com version of Godwin's Law.

I think Bigredmed was joking more than he was bashing. Plus, I have seen groups of people who use earth day (and just about any other ocassion) here to basically protest the fact that Nebraska is a conservative state without doing anything particularly useful for the environment. If they were picking up trash or educating about environmental issues that would be great. Instead, I have seen them hanging around the capitol holding signs with slogans that simply say get rid of the governor or more often simply don't make much sense at all.

Anyway, besides that, Earth Day really isn't celebrated in Nebraska and Arbor Day is. Arbor day is taken fairly seriously here regardless of political affiliations. It is even an official state holdiay. People go out and pick up trash and plant trees, etc.

You may be right about the Godwin's law thing though. Interesting link.

March 6, 2003

I was born on Arbor Day, in the city where Arbor Day began.

I'm not real thrilled with it being co-opted as "Earth Day". Too hippi-ish.

Since it's my birthday, I request that everyone start calling it by its proper name, "ARBOR DAY"!

George

March 6, 2003

quote:
Originally posted by nincehelser:
I was born on Arbor Day, in the city where Arbor Day began.

I'm not real thrilled with it being co-opted as "Earth Day". Too hippi-ish.

Since it's my birthday, I request that everyone start calling it by its proper name, "ARBOR DAY"!

George

Um, Arbor Day hasn't been co-opted by Earth Day. You'll find the same folks usually support both, but they are not synonymous. The date for Arbor Day also varies state to state. But regardless, the date for National Arbor Day differs from that of Earth Day.

Happy birthday, by the way. (Okay, I'm early, but I'll probably forget to say anything when the time comes...)

Ron/yumitori

March 6, 2003

Arbor Day, as originally set up in Nebraska, was April 22nd.

Every state started setting their own Arbor Day date, however...so now we have a "National" Arbor day of the last Friday in April. Not sure who thought this one up or why. It looks like even Nebraska changed to this mode at some point recently.

Earth Day did co-opt the April 22nd date. I don't know the details, but there does seem to be some disagreement on this point. If it wasn't April 22nd, why do so many people think it is? Something's odd here...I'll have to do more research.

Anyway, that's my birthday and I'm sticking to it! but if Washington and Lincoln got their birthdays hi-jacked, I guess there's not much hope.

George

March 6, 2003

...I don't like this...the liberals are trying to tie the April 22nd date to the birthday of Lenin (the one that wasn't one of the Beatles) and that it carries a political agenda!

The fact is the April 22nd date is the birthday of J. Sterling Morton (of Morton Salt fame), who started Arbor Day. That's where the environmental link comes in.

Others say it should be the Spring Equinox, when life starts anew...I wonder how those south of the equator feel about that one? How hemisphericalist can you be???

George

Cache In Trash Out for Earth Day

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