American River Restoration
A.K.A. ARR, is setting out to rid inland waterways of trash and congestion to create access for recreation and ensure the plastics do not wash into bays and oceans.
OUR MISSION
Here at American River Restoration, our mission is fourfold. We strive to clean up inaccessible rivers, promote awareness regarding plastic pollution, prevent littering and increase access to environmental education. Throughout it all, we hope to remind everyone that there is no place in our society for single use plastics.
1. CLEAN UP
With the help of our members and other incredible volunteers, we send teams directly into the rivers to rid them of trash. Many sections of the river are broken up by fallen trees. These create what we call chokeholds, barring a clear kayak path and allowing for the accumulation of trash. In order to remove the trees, we first must clear out the debris; including cans, bottles, bags and other single use plastics. Then, when we are certain we aren’t simply flushing trash further down the river, we take out the trees and create a cleaner, safer place to be. Ideally, a kayak could travel uninterrupted down the entirety of the Chickahominy.
2. AWARENESS
We want the river to be a fun place for families to spend time and enjoy nature. We also want the animals in the river to remain safe and healthy. Unfortunately, we have found that neither of those things can occur or continue if we are unable to stop the problem where it starts- with the simple act of littering. Few people know that every piece of trash that is dropped onto the ground eventually flows into our rivers and then to the ocean. All of that trash ends up in the water, where animals are struggling to survive. Birds, turtles, and fish are found with bottle caps in their stomachs and plastic rings around their necks. To stop this, we encourage recycling, safe disposal of trash and outright refusal of unnecessary plastics like drinking straws. We increase awareness of this issue through our social media sites and our merchandise.
3. PREVENTION
This part of our mission isn’t so different from promoting awareness of the problem. In this prevention, we work with larger businesses and restaurants instead of the individual. For example, we hope to create anti-straw artwork to be posted in places that include them with their drinks. We also strive to cultivate relationships with bigger businesses that contribute to plastic pollution by assisting them in their transition to recycling.
4. EDUCATION
We would love for all the children of the area to understand plastic pollution and their ability to make a positive impact on the rivers they play in and grow up on. We speak with local schools to incorporate our posters into their classrooms, and we educate from our booths at festivals and concerts. We plan to continue to involve the youth in our future awareness campaigns and keep them interested in the environment with other opportunities ahead.
Programs and Support
We need your help and funding for these programs!
American River Rangers
This program encourages youth, ages 4-14, to learn about and participate in the cleanup movement.
FREE Educational Posters
Download free educational posters, like “Make Art Not Trash” (featuring Harry from A.K.A. Bad Plastic Book)
Kitchen33’s Bakery Project
Our plastic free restaurant modeling that you can be environmentally responsible, by avoiding all single-use plastics and recycling.
Chickahominy Environmental Park
A 60-acre environmental park, with a ½ mile of river frontage, plus miles of walking trails, running alongside the Chickahominy river.
All donations to American River Restoration are tax deductible and assist us in river clean up and awareness promotion. You can donate here on this website, or, if you prefer, we can receive payment through Venmo @arrva. Any amount is appreciated and goes towards real hard work.
Products
American River Restoration Brand
When you buy one of our sauces you are helping clean more of your local rivers and streams!
We bottle all of our sauces in recycled glass bottles to both remove the plastic in our environment but also the microplastic hiding in your regular sauce options.
Make a statement, Make an impact
Browse Our T-Shirt Store and Make your own American River Restoration T-Shirt!
Choose from a variety of designs, colors and sizes.
First, pick your design. Then, the color and size that you like the best. These T-Shirts make a statement and help you make an impact by spreading the word about bad plastic and our efforts to clean up our planet, for example:
- REFUSE, REUSE, RECYCLE
- Have you had your micro-plastics today?
- Save a Turtle, Skip the Straw
- Plastics you use one time can torture the ocean forever.
- There is a special place in hell for people who pollute this earth
These t-shirts are for Mother Nature’s biggest fans. We take cotton scraps from the cutting room floor, add in 50% recycled poly and then stay true to the original t-shirt color by not re-dying it, which saves water usage and energy.
Volunteering
Learn about our volunteer opportunities and view our clean up schedule.