JCU Volunteers Join World Cleanup Day 2021 with Retake Roma

JCU Community Service volunteers, spearheaded by board members of the Grassroots environmental club and STAND, participated in World Cleanup Day on Saturday, September 18, 2021. One of the biggest civic movements of our time, the latest edition of World Cleanup Day brought together over 25 million people across 190 countries for a cleaner planet.

In Italy, Retake Roma and its sister affiliations rose to the occasion. In Rome alone, Retake Roma unleashed about 1000 volunteers – known as Retakers – to carry out its multiple-site -event featuring five separate cleanup sites along the Tiber River. The project, named “Terra Roma,” gained massive support from the community: 45 different organizations pitched in, including NGOs, universities, embassies, and business enterprises – uniting Romans and the international community along the banks of the Tiber River, as it crisscrosses through the Capital.

JCU Community Service volunteers joined Temple University and other Retakers at Scalo de Pinedo, an ancient but defunct port near the Vatican. They removed trash, weeds, and overgrown foliage from the historic staircase, filling 100 oversized garbage bags.

JCU volunteers at World Cleanup Day 2021 with Retake Roma

JCU volunteers enjoyed engaging with other participants while working towards an important and common goal. Daria Kozlova, Community Service Intern and Grassroots’ Events Coordinator said, “World Clean-Up Day was a fascinating opportunity to get out of our routine and connect with different volunteers and communities engaged in environmental activism and cooperation.”

The JCU Office of Community Service and the Grassroots and STAND clubs look forward to working with Retake Roma again in the near future.