Bay Area volunteers take the time to show some love for our planet on this Earth Day: Here's a look
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Every piece counts. Volunteers picked up trash around the Bay Area on this Earth Day. Their efforts making a difference.
"We do cleanups because they work. The trash and the litter that is out there is polluting and harming the environment. The more we can pickup, the less chance we can pollute the local environment...and get into the bay and the ocean," said Vince Yuen, with nonprofit Refuse Refuse.
About 100 volunteers with Refuse were out throughout the day picking up trash from San Francisco City Hall to The Ferry Building.
Folks like Rick Parina. "I've been picking up trash for a long time," he said. "I've been retired for about 10 years. We have a tradition in my family goes back since 1847 and we give back," he said.
"I love my city. I love the city of St. Francis. I do my share. If I don't do it, who else does it," Parina said.
Miles away at the Oakland Zoo, it was all hands on at deck. Volunteers offered a helping hand to restore wildlife habitat.
They removed weeds, spread mulch, and planted native species at the Arroyo Viejo Creek restoration site.
MORE: Housekeeper to Environmental Hero: Meet the 78-year-old Bay Area woman fighting for clean air
Many say it was a great way to give back to nature.
And, at Lake Merritt, Bay Area Disney and Pixar employees gathered at Lakeside Park Garden Center.
Volunt"ears" pitched in at various sites including Oakland's Children's Fairyland where they planted items for the farm to table edible garden.
Others were at the Rotary Nature Center.
Volunteers realized their commitment to a cleaner, greener earth impacts them as well as their neighbors.
"What I do, what I put into the water, what I put into the air, actually is going to impact neighbors near and far form me," said Dr. Cecilia Suarez, Pixar Studios. "We share the narrative of keeping this earth and land clean and pure."
VIDEO: Watch 'ourHome: Earth Month'
The Lake Merritt initiative volunteers were out looking for trash, clearing away debris on land and in the water.
And in Bayview Hunter's Point, concerned residents made their voices heard. They gathered at Hunter's Point Naval Shipyard.
Many of them are calling cleaner air and taking a stand against groups they say are polluting the environment.
MORE: 2025 Earth Day events happening around the Bay Area, birthplace of the global holiday
Some say they want a full cleanup of all radioactive and toxic waste at Hunter's Point Naval Shipyard superfund site.
However, people spent April 22 dedicated to preserving our planet.
It's a reminder for many to take care of the earth today and every day.
