At Recover, we believe in walking the walk of sustainability not only in our apparel, but also in our local community. Long a supporter of the Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation, this year, we are ramping up our sponsorship of the organization for bigger impact throughout 2022. Catawba Riverkeeper’s Monthly Cleanup Series presented by Recover rallies an opportunity every month for volunteers to join and conduct a river cleanup, helping Catawba Riverkeeper reach its goal this year to clean up 150,000 lbs of trash. This month’s cleanup is on April 22, 2022- the 53rd anniversary Earth Day, and what better way to celebrate?
We’re also celebrating with the special pre-sale release of the Recover Catawba Riverkeeper Earth Day Collection, which includes men’s and women’s tees, hoodies, and crewneck sweatshirts, and youth tees and hoodies. The pre-sale lasts until April 30, so order today. Twenty percent of profits will be directly donated to Catawba Riverkeeper and their work to make and keep rivers clean and safe for our communities.
Riverkeepers, also known as Waterkeepers, are organizations that act as watchdogs and advocates for keeping local waterways clean, drinkable, fishable, and swimmable. Recover’s Founder and President Bill Johnston described, “We wholeheartedly believe in the mission and work Catawba Riverkeeper is doing to protect waterways in our backyard here in Charlotte. We’re big supporters of riverkeepers in general, and we work with riverkeepers in North Carolina and across the country.” He continued, "The Catawba River is really important to our region, and our mission with this partnership is to keep it clean and safe for people in our community. Sponsoring the monthly cleanup series allows us to do just that - support Catawba Riverkeeper and all the volunteers that come out on an ongoing basis throughout the year."
Catawba Riverkeeper was established 24 years ago, working to protect and improve a huge watershed basin that stretches through 26 counties and 2 states. Catawba Riverkeeper works extensively to improve and monitor water quality and to educate and advocate for our watersheds, creeks, and rivers through events such as the Cleanup Series presented by Recover. They also sample water at 53 sites throughout the basin weekly to report if it is safe to swim in, and are constantly working to reduce the amount of sewage and waste that goes into the local river systems in the first place. Needless to say, it’s crucial work and a huge undertaking.
Describing the synergy between Catawba Riverkeeper and Recover, John Searby's, Catawba Riverkeeper Executive Director, explained, “Our partnership with Recover is an alignment of two like-minded organizations with similar goals. From our shared work to keep single-use plastics out of landfills and out of our waterways to our shared desire for people to explore and appreciate nature through outdoor recreation, we are rowing the boat the same direction for a better planet!”
So much of this work is made possible by volunteers. We hope to see you out there on April 22, and whatever you do on Earth Day this month, enjoy and get out there!
Check out the Recover Clean Water initiative and our 1% for the Planet commitment to learn more about how we support Riverkeepers and work that protects communities’ rights to clean, drinkable, fishable, swimmable water.
