Volunteers gather for South Saskatchewan River clean up

It’s almost been a week since Earth Day, but that’s not stopping a group of volunteers from rolling up their sleeves in Saskatoon.

Around 30 volunteers took it upon themselves to walk the banks of the South Saskatchewan River Saturday to pick up trash and keep the river clean.

Kristen Murphy organized the cleanup and thinks being responsible doesn’t have to be timely.

“The idea is to make it fun to pick up trash,” she said as the group geared up. “Make it cool and fun to be environmental stewards.”

Volunteers were welcomed in with free supplies like gloves and bags, and are celebrating the small act with a barbecue, live music and a small dance party along the river bank to end the day.

Murphy was inspired to organize the clean up because of how much time she spends paddling the river and biking the Meewasin Valley.

“I see aversion to trash sometimes, where people will just walk right by it,” Murphy said. “Understand that we have the power in any moment to make a difference and to take care of the habitat along the river.”

Dallas Stanley was one of the many people pledging his support behind the clean up. He wanted to help out because of the long-last effects of pollution.

“Long-term implications are that it’s going to be there,” he said plainly. “It’s not going to go away, it’s not going to decompose. It’s our charge to go and clean it up. We’re the ones putting it there, so we should be the ones cleaning it up.”