Keep Vancouver Spectacular (KVS), a litter clean-up program, celebrates its 20th year. This year, a special emphasis is on thanking the thousands of volunteers who have taken to the streets to keep our city beautiful for those who live here and visit.
“Our clean streets are a leading reason that Vancouver is considered one of the most livable cities in the world, and the tens of thousands of volunteers who participate in Keep
Vancouver Spectacular events are continuing to make our city an even more beautiful place in which to live, work and visit,” said Mayor Gregor Robertson. “The remarkable participation in this program over the last 20 years shows that people really care about Vancouver, and that our neighbourhoods are taking an active role by keeping litter off our streets.”
Established in 1996 by the City of Vancouver and Tourism Vancouver, KVS grew from a modest 1,500 volunteers to as many as 18,500.
Last year, approximately 8,000 bags of litter were collected. Participants include people from sports teams, neighbourhood associations, youth clubs, business improvement groups, community policing centres, schools and more.
This year, the City aims to reach 20,000 volunteers leading or joining in litter cleanups or graffiti paint outs in neighbourhoods throughout Vancouver.
To celebrate the pride that Vancouver residents show in their city by participating in neighbourhood cleanups, all residents are invited to a kick-off celebration at the Vancouver Art Gallery on Saturday, April 25, from 12noon-2pm.
The celebration will feature live music, puppetry, gardening 101, a FIFA Women’s soccer kick station, and more. Families are invited to come down and enjoy the festivities.
The celebration is open to everyone. Learn more about the history of KVS through this special anniversary video. To sign up to join or lead a cleanup, visit vancouver.ca/kvs.