Annual '20 Minute Makeover' takes place across the city ahead of Earth Day
Ahead of Earth Day this Monday, April 22, the annual 20 Minute Makeover took place Friday.
"We want to give back to the community, we're part of the community here, so we want to come back out and make sure everybody is enjoying their time, cleaning up around the city and just beautifying London,” said volunteer Cleveland Brownlee, district operations manager with Better Bin.
If you didn't get the chance to get involved Friday, Londoners can also participate in London Clean & Green’s community-wide clean up day Saturday.
"It's been a long-standing program, 29th year, it has grown from a small group of people to thousands of Londoners that take part and take pride in their area, where they live,” said Jay Stanford, the director of Climate Change, Environment and Waste Management with the City of London.
Earth Day is celebrated annually on April 22, and was first held in 1970. It is now recognized globally.
Volunteer Carmela Ianni has been involved with the Clean and Green program since its inception and said she has noticed a positive change.
"Huge difference, specifically with graffiti. This is how we started off, it was graffiti and garbage clean up, litter, trash...big difference,” explained Ianni.
Ward 7 Coun. Corinne Rahman was on hand Friday, and said there is still more work to be done.
"It’s something this council is committed to, however, we also have to have the financial commitment, and that's something we worked on in the multi-year budget, but absolutely we could have done more,” explained Rahman.
The city is also holding it's third annual EarthFest this weekend, celebrating environmental action through music, art, activities, vendor booths, and green food and fun.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING Alberta's request for federal assistance approved after fast-moving wildfire hit Jasper National Park: Trudeau
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on social media that Ottawa has approved Alberta's request for federal assistance after a fast-moving wildfire hit Jasper National Park and its townsite late Wednesday.
BREAKING Loblaw, George Weston to settle class action over bread price-fixing for $500 million
Loblaw Cos. Ltd. and its parent company George Weston Ltd. say they have agreed to pay $500-million to settle a class-action lawsuit regarding their involvement in an alleged bread price-fixing scheme.
EXCLUSIVE One address, 76 foreign currency dealers: Inside Canada's money service business 'clusters'
An IJF and CTV News investigation has found dozens of cases across Canada where multiple money services businesses (MSBs) are incorporated at the same address, sometimes without the knowledge or consent of the location's actual occupant. One money laundering expert calls it an 'abuse of the system.'
U.K. police officer suspended after video appears to show a man being kicked in head
A British police officer was suspended from all duties Thursday after a video was posted on social media that appeared to show an officer kicking and stamping on the head of a man lying on the floor of a terminal at Manchester Airport.
Barrie-Innisfil MPP 'blacked-out' and crashed car into window of child care centre
Staff at a Barrie child care centre say they are frustrated by what they call a local MPP's inadequate response after a car crashed through a window in one of the toddler rooms.
Norad intercepts Russian and Chinese bombers operating together near Alaska in apparent first
The North American Aerospace Defence Command (Norad) intercepted two Russian and two Chinese bombers flying near Alaska Wednesday in what appears to be the first time the two countries have been intercepted while operating together.
Biden explains why he ended re-election bid in Oval Office address
U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday delivered a solemn call to voters to defend the country's democracy as he laid out in an Oval Office address his decision to drop his bid for reelection and throw his support behind Vice President Kamala Harris.
Jasper mayor says alert system to be reviewed after message 'glitch'
More than 25,000 people have been displaced from Jasper National Park since wildfires started to threaten the picturesque corner of Alberta Rockies on Monday, but the mayor of its namesake municipality says not everyone received an evacuation alert when it was sent out.
Unclaimed bodies are piling up in Newfoundland. A funeral director blames the government
A funeral director in St. John's says the bodies piling up in freezers at Newfoundland and Labrador's largest hospital likely belong to people whose loved ones couldn't get enough government help to pay for a funeral.