Lower Valley communities rolling up sleeves for Earth Day

Lower Valley residents won't have to look far if they want to roll up their sleeves and help cleanup their towns for Earth Day,

Blawnox, Aspinwall, Indiana Township and Sharpsburg all have litter collection crews heading out Saturday — and are hoping for a slew of volunteers to make them successful.

“The event is a great way to bring the community together by serving together,” said Tracey Russell of I Heart Blawnox.

Her group will wear bright orange vests and join the clean-up committee meeting at 9 a.m. at the municipal building along Freeport Road.

Organizer Diane Casile will distribute gloves, vests and trash bags to people who want to canvass the borough's business district and Blawnox Community Park along Center Avenue.

“This is a perfect time of year to get out and redd up the remnants of winter and spruce up for spring,” Casile said. “It's also a perfect opportunity for entire families and neighbors to work together to demonstrate Blawnox pride.”

Indiana Township residents can meet at the township building along Saxonburg Boulevard at 9 a.m. to clean roadsides and parks.

The township will provide trash bags, gloves and safety vests for volunteers, said community programs coordinator Holly Sammartino.

“If you have a particular road or other area you'd like to take care of, contact the township staff,” she said. “Otherwise, volunteers can leave filled trash bags along the roads for collection by the township road department.”

To register and arrange for supply pickups, contact Sammartino at hsammartino@indianatownship.com.

Sharpsburg residents will meet at 10 a.m. at the Chief Guyasuta statue along Main Street.

Hosted by the Sharpsburg Neighborhood Organization, volunteers will deposit the recyclable trash in a pop-up mesh sculpture installation to highlight the need for expanded recycling efforts in the borough, organizers said.

In Aspinwall, the 12th annual Green Streets spring clean-up will turn into a festival with the addition of Mulch Madness and live music, organizer Tripp Clarke said.

From 10 a.m. to noon, residents will collect trash from the tree-lined neighborhood or join the Aspinwall Shade Tree Committee in spreading mulch around the dozens of trees planted in the borough through Tree Vitalize over the last five years.

Volunteers will meet at 10 a.m. at the borough building along Commercial Avenue.

There will be live entertainment featuring local artists, Asphalt Rodeo and Jocie Ghaznavi, from noon to 2 p.m.

Safety vests, gloves and garbage bags will be distributed and there will be free water, hand sanitizer, cookies and commemorative cups given out afterward.

For information, contact Tripp Clarke at 412-596-8514 or Joe Guiffre at 412-427-3770.

Tawnya Panizzi is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach her at 412-782-2121, ext. 2 or at tpanizzi@tribweb.com.