The upcoming Great Lakes Cleanup Road Trip is a weeklong, volunteer-driven campaign traversing five distinct watersheds from June 10th to 16th, 2026. Led by Meag Schwartz, Executive Director of Great Lakes Great Responsibility, the itinerary features stops in Hamilton, Buffalo, Port Huron, Traverse City, and Marquette. Schwartz drew inspiration for the rapid-succession format from extreme athletic endurance challenges, specifically from a 2016 all-women scuba-diving team that explored all five Great Lakes in a single day. Spreading the cleanups over a week balances the demands of travel logistics while sustaining high energy and community momentum across international borders.
The campaign aims to shift local culture away from individual consumption toward a community-minded sharing mindset, which naturally minimizes environmental waste. Because the Great Lakes contain roughly 20% of the world's surface fresh water, Schwartz emphasizes that regional residents bear a global responsibility as the trusted keepers of this vital ecosystem. Trash volume varies drastically along the route; highly populated, urbanized watersheds like those near Lake Ontario and Port Huron face overwhelming amounts of litter compared to the Lake Superior watershed in Marquette, where lower development and strong local stewardship keep the shorelines cleaner.
Public Radio 90's Kurt Hauswirth spoke with Schwartz about the Great Lakes Cleanup Road Trip:
Beyond physical trash removal, the initiative focuses on data collection to fuel the organization's ongoing goal of collecting one million pieces of debris. This data is shared with the Ocean Conservancy's TIDES platform to lobby for systemic state and federal policy changes that target pollution at the source. To stop plastic pollution upstream, Schwartz encourages everyday lifestyle choices like wearing natural fibers instead of synthetic polyester, which research shows is a major source of microplastics in the lakes.
Great Lakes Cleanup Road Trip events:
- Hamilton, Ontario, June 10th
- Buffalo, New York, June 11th
- Port Huron, Michigan, June 13th
- Traverse City, Michigan, June 14th
- Marquette, Michigan, June 16th
Visit the Great Lakes Great Responsibility website for more information on the cleanup efforts and volunteer opportunities.
