On Saturday, October 9, 14 volunteers gathered on the banks of the Green River and along Vaughns Creek as part of Polk Countys contributions to N.C. Big Sweep, a statewide effort to remove litter and debris from our waterways and beaches.

The group removed over a half of a ton of trash, along nearly five miles of the Green River Cove and over mile of Vaughns Creek in Tryon on the proposed Vaughns Creek Greenway. Polk County Middle School students also participated in the event by cleaning up Laughter Pond on October 1.

The Green River crew consisted of Polk County High School Green Team members Alessandra Akers, Allie Clayton, Anna Koenig (president), Channing Marshall, Isla Neel and Bronwyn Pellatt, as well as local volunteers Lynn Ulrey, and Linda and Mark Byington.

Vaughns Creek volunteers included Hugh Hursey, Bill Jackson, Meghan and Zach Johnson, Kate Stroupe, and John Vining. Mckinsey Printing donated the printing of Big Sweep posters, and the Town of Tryon picked up the collected debris off the proposed Vaughns Creek Greenway.

Clean water starts at the top, and these efforts go a long way to keeping Polk County pristine, and improving the quality of downstream rivers which supply drinking water to many South Carolina communities.

N.C. Big Sweep is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that works year-round to educate citizens for litter-free watersheds. Last year, a record number of volunteers (18,443) worked more than 84,000 hours to retrieve almost 521,000 pounds of debris statewide.