FINDLAY, Ohio — Findlay High School extended Earth Day into the weekend.
On Friday morning, members of Findlay High School's National Honors Society got a break from the classroom and got dirty.
Throughout the day, these students took shifts in cleaning out Dalzell Ditch behind their school.
It's a common place for litter to show up as it runs right along a stretch of I-75.
"With our proximity to I-75 in this particular location, certainly we have a lot of litter and a lot of cleanup that has to take place," Findlay High School Principal Ryan Imke said.
The event called Blue and Gold Goes Green was a part of the Findlay Earth Day Challenge.
Where volunteers through the United Way of Hancock County collaborated with the Blanchard River Watershed Partnership.
"I think our kids have a heart for serving other people and trying to make a difference in the world," said UWHC CEO Angela Debosky. "I think it's important to give them regular opportunities to do that, and you can do that in different ways."
These students were not only cleaning up a waterway that will eventually flow into the Blanchard River and in turn Lake Erie, but they also got a first hand look at how fragile our local water sources are.
"And there's already millions of pounds of litter in the Great Lakes as it is, and we drink from the Blanchard River everyday," said Lauren Sandhu with the Blanchard River Watershed Partnership. "So it's really important for the students to see the impact of that litter and how close it is to our water supply."
And this cleanup initiative isn't only happening today at Findlay High School, but will continue with local corporations and volunteer groups cleaning up the Blanchard River watershed all weekend long.
