Vermonters are planning to celebrate the 55th anniversary of Green Up Day on Saturday by participating in trash cleanup events throughout the state. But this year comes with a twist. 

In an effort to attract even more volunteers, this year’s Green Up Day will have a Kentucky Derby theme. After picking up trash, volunteers have the option to participate in a Kentucky Derby-inspired hat contest, see live music and receive food and drink deals at breweries and bars throughout the state.

Green Up Vermont Executive Director Kate Alberghini said the number of cleanup participants has steadily grown since she joined the nonprofit in 2019.

Despite lower turnout during the Covid-19 pandemic, Green Up Day saw a 30% increase in volunteers from 2023 to 2024, which she credits to a successful campaign the organization ran that year to beat the Guinness World Record for the most pledges to pick up trash in a 24 hour period. 

The annual spring cleanup tradition started on April 18, 1970 — one week before the first-ever Earth Day. Interstate highways closed from 9 a.m. to noon so more than 70,000 volunteers could pick up trash to “green up” the state.

A group of concerned citizens banded together in 1979 to create a nonprofit based on this annual day of stewardship, and since then, the organization — now called Green Up Vermont — has led efforts to expand the reach of Green Up Day.

Last year’s Green Up Day eliminated more than 404 tons of trash around Vermont, according to the organization’s website. However, Alberghini said the work extends beyond just one day. The rest of the year, Green Up Vermont works to educate Vermonters about waste reduction, she said. 

“I would like nothing more than to work myself out of a job, but the reality is that there’s too much waste,” Alberghini said.

On Wednesday, students at U-32 Middle and High School gathered at Gov. Phil Scott’s weekly press conference, held on the school’s campus in partnership with Green Up Vermont, where they asked questions about this year’s Green Up Day and voiced concerns about climate change.

“As a young person, I feel very uncertain about my future, and I’ve spoken with other youth who feel the same. We want to know that lawmakers are hearing the youth’s voice and doing their best to create a sustainable world for us to inherit,” said Ella Thomas, an 11th grader at U-32 and winner of this year’s Green Up Day poster contest.

The governor shared his own climate policy concerns when addressing questions from the press after the Green Up event. He said Vermont’s climate policy is too aggressive and creates conflict.

“What we need to do is bring everybody along because I believe climate change is real,” he said. “We have to address it, but we all need to be on the same page.”

Scott pointed to Green Up Day as an opportunity to engage in a community effort to reduce waste, emphasizing the importance of Green Up Day to the state’s environmentally conscious culture.

“Green Up Day just naturally fits into our tradition,” Scott said. “It’s the way we’re built, and I think it’s a great example of what Vermont’s all about.”

To volunteer this Saturday, Vermonters can visit the Green Up Vermont website to find their town’s event details.