REI logo small reduced size (002)

An REI Local Store grant of $8,000 to Clean Jordan Lake will improve the effectiveness of our trash removal and prevention programs. Nick Cross, the REI Outdoor Programs Manager for Central North Carolina said “we’re proud to support organizations like Clean Jordan Lake and their efforts to make the Triangle's recreation experience more enjoyable, and thus bring more people to the outdoors. This grant will bolster the organization's efforts to increase awareness and expand their Adopt-A-Shoreline and Adopt-A-Feeder Stream programs.” Expanding the Adopt-A-Feeder Stream Program is critical because 80% of the trash on the shoreline is not from the users of the lake but from rainfall that flushes it off playgrounds, parking lots, roadsides and illegal dump sites all the way up to Greensboro and Hillsborough. Enlisting more volunteer groups in this Program to intercept trash before it reaches the lake will also inspire pride in a cleaner landscape close to home while raising awareness of connectivity to more distant water resources.

We'll also use the grant to increase the effectiveness of shoreline cleanups. Businesses and corporations in the Triangle area will be contacted to explain Clean Jordan Lake’s employee community service opportunities.

And we also want to reduce that 20% of trash coming from recreation at the lake so we intend to raise awareness by rotating an information table around to popular recreation points on the shoreline this summer.

The REI grant has enabled us to hire a summer intern to assist in achieving the outcomes we promised. Luke Heffernan is a rising sophomore in the School of Business at the University of Texas. He wants to have a career in marketing of green energy and protecting our environment. His first week on the job has included survey of shoreline sections to prioritize locations for future cleanups.

Across the country, REI partners with like-minded nonprofit organizations that are focused on increasing access and stewarding the outdoor places where its members play. Last year, the co-op made grants to more than 300 local, regional and national nonprofit organizations for infrastructure building, preservation and restoration projects in over 1,000 locations.

REI Grant Makes Tackling Trash More Effective