FoLAR Postpones Annual LA River CleanUp

Friends of the LA River (FoLAR) is postponing the 31st Annual Great LA River CleanUp to October, due to concerns around COVID-19, also known as the coronavirus. The CleanUp has been postponed to October 3, 10, and 17 from its original dates of April 11, 18, and 25.

“It is FoLAR’s duty and commitment to protect the interest of the environment and also the community,” stated FoLAR President and CEO Marissa Christiansen. “To that point, with the rapidly developing coronavirus situation, we at FoLAR have decided it is best to postpone our annual CleanUp to the Fall of this year. We were already taking precautions to maintain public health at the event, but we realize the threat to public health is growing and want to do our part to ensure the safety and comfort of the community, our volunteers, and our partners.

“We recognize and are grateful for everyone’s commitment and support through this decision-making process – from volunteers to sponsors to our staff – and we want to guarantee a successful event,” added Christiansen.

FoLAR’s CleanUp is a popular annual event for Angelenos of all ages and backgrounds, attracting 1000s of volunteers (families, students, community members, elected officials) across multiple sites along the 51 miles of river. Each year it shatters records for volunteer turnout and trash collected, and is the largest urban river cleanup in America four years running. Last year’s CleanUp attracted over 6,000 volunteers—individuals and groups—who removed over 100 tons of trash from the LA River at eleven sites.

Postmates, which returned to be the lead corporate sponsor of the 2020 CleanUp, supports FoLAR’s decision to postpone. “Calling Los Angeles our largest home demands that we take steps to preserve and safeguard the people, the products and public spaces that power this community. Community safety and public health is our paramount priority, that's why we appreciate the steps FoLAR has taken in response to public health events, and it's why Postmates has taken actions to support our customers, merchants, and a fleet of flexible workers in this time. We look forward to being on the River for the 31st Great LA River CleanUp in October,” stated Vikrum Aiyer, Vice President for Public Policy & Strategic Communications, at Postmates.

On April 22nd, Earth Day celebrates its 50th anniversary, which typically falls around the 2nd or 3rd weekend of the annual CleanUp. “We are especially sad to miss celebrating the 50th anniversary of Earth Day with our month of cleanups, but we encourage everyone to do something on their own to celebrate our planet,” continued Christiansen. “So many care deeply about the river, and we encourage everyone to keep in touch with us as we gear up for cleanups later this year.”

FoLAR encourages everyone to follow the list of recommendations published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

In addition to Postmates, the 2020 CleanUp is made possible through major support from the Cities of Los Angeles and Long Beach and Toyota. Long Beach is a proud sponsor of the CleanUp, and Los Angeles provides support through its Public Works agency and Department of Sanitation. Other financial sponsors include an array of corporations and other entities that give back to Southern California communities. Information on sponsorship opportunities are available online at folar.org.

To keep up with our news for the CleanUp and other events, please visit http://folar.org.