POSTPONED: Pitch-In returns for 2021: Promoting a safe and litter-free Kingston

Update (Apr. 8, 2021):

Pitch-In Kingston will be postponed in response to the Province-wide stay-at-home order, which came into effect today, Thursday, Apr. 8, 2021 at 12:01 a.m. The annual community-wide clean up was initially planned for April 18-25.

“The health and safety of our community is top priority,” says Tess Wittmann, Community Engagement Specialist at Sustainable Kingston.

While the event will not be held during the Provincial State of Emergency, Wittmann says residents will have an opportunity to take part in the event when it is safe to do so. 

“It’s important to underline we are not cancelling this event, just moving it out. We look forward to hosting Pitch-In Kingston when it is safe to do so,” concludes Wittmann. 

Original Article:

Sustainable Kingston invites Kingston and area residents to take part in Pitch-In Kingston, being held April 21-25, 2021.

Many of us have enjoyed the outdoors more over the past year, and now it’s time to clean up the green spaces that have given us so much, the City of Kingston said in a release dated Tuesday, Mar 30, 2021.

“Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen how essential parks, paths, trails, lakes and greenspaces are to our mental health and well-being. Pitch-In Kingston is an opportunity to give back to these spaces by cleaning them up,” says Tess Wittmann, Community Engagement Specialist at Sustainable Kingston.

Held in partnership with the City of Kingston and part of a wider national initiative, Pitch-In Kingston was cancelled in 2020 due to the pandemic. This year, Sustainable Kingston will safely reintroduce the community-wide clean-up.

At a council meeting on on Tuesday, Mar. 23, 2021, Kingston City Council voted to proclaim the week of April 18 to April 25, 2021 as ‘Pitch-In Kingston’ in the City of Kingston, as recommended by Sustainable Kingston.

Sustainable Kingston’s mission is to enhance the livability and resiliency of Kingston by sharing knowledge and providing resources and programs that drive community action. According to the release, Sustainable Kingston is currently focusing its work on driving measurable improvements in the Kingston community across six priority areas: climate action, environmental stewardship, economic prosperity, sustainable transportation, sense of community, and food security.

To participate: register your cleanup team on the Sustainable Kingston website, pick up your Pitch-In bags, complete the Pitch-In cleanup, and then place the bags at a respective drop-off location.

All Pitch-In Kingston participants are advised to follow KFL&A Public Health Measures. Participants are also asked to respect the Section 22 Class Order to limit social gatherings, which restricts gatherings, inside and out, to five people.

Pitch-In Kingston is part of the national Pitch-In Canada event, the largest environmental improvement campaign in Canada.