5 Ways to Celebrate Earth Day in St. Clair Shores

Sunday is Earth Day, but how can you show some love for Mother Earth around St. Clair Shores?

Here are five green ideas to help keep the our environment in tip top shape for the next generation.

• Adopt-A-County Road

There are roughly 1,700 county roads in Macomb and County Executive Mark Hackel wants residents to adopt 1,000 miles of them. Hackel issued the 1,000 Mile Challenge in October of 2011 and 504 miles of road have been adopted to date.

Adoptive groups receive safety vests and trash bags for their clean-ups, a road sign recognizing the group after completion of the first clean-up and recognition on the Adopt-A-County Road website.

For more information, or to apply to adopt a road, visit www.macombcountymi.gov/adoptaroad, or call 586-463-8671.

• Adopt-A-Highway

You and at least two friends can also participate in MDOT's Adopt-A-Highway program. Participants adopt both sides of a section of state highway roadside to clean up for at least a two-year period. There is no fee to participate, and MDOT will provide bags for litter and pickup of filled bags.

Contact Macomb County AAH Coordinator Rosalyn Hayes at 586-978-1935 or
hayesr@michigan.gov about location availability prior to sending in your Adopt-A-Highway application form.

• Household Hazardous Waste Day

Clean out the garage and prepare items for the the Macomb County Health Department's hazardous waste collection from 8 a.m. - 1 p.m. at .

Macomb County will be collecting a variety of household wastes including:

• Automotive products such as used motor oil, gasoline, antifreeze, polishes; garden products including pesticides, weed killers, oil based paint, pool chemicals and florescent tubes.

• Latex paints, ammunition and smoke detectors will not be accepted.

• For a complete list of items that will be accepted visit the St. Clair Shores website.

• Register for the Nautical Coast Clean Up

The 17th Annual Nautical Coast Clean Up will be held May 20, to clean the beaches and shoreline of Lake St. Clair. The event runs from 8:30 a.m.-noon, with registration beginning at 8 a.m. at Jefferson Yacht Club. This year's clean-up sites include , beach, the Champine Park shoreline and the Chapaton Retention Basin shoreline. Some canal and shoreline homeowner groups will participate in this year's event by cleaning their beaches, canals and waterfront shorelines on the same day. For more information, call (586) 779-8777.

• Adopt-A-Stream

Adopt-A-Stream is the Clinton River Watershed Council's volunteer water quality monitoring program. CRWC volunteers sample, test and record the water's physical habitat, biological community and channel characteristics such as erosion and the amount of streamside vegetation. CRWC provides volunteers with all the training and equipment needed to participate in Adopt-A-Stream.

If you are interested in becoming an Adopt-A-Stream volunteer, or have questions, contact the CRWC at (248) 601-0606 or email contact@crwc.org.

The CRWC also makes rain barrels available to residents. Click here to order or email contact@crwc.org or call 248-601-0606 for details.