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Photo courtesy of Shehzan Maredia
Mayor Frank Brocato, Shehzan Maredia, Pippa Lother and Councilman Derrick Murphy at a CleanHoover Initiative cleanup day.
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Photo courtesy of Shehzan Maredia
Students pick up trash at Moss Rock Preserve as part of the CleanHoover Initiative.
The student-led CleanHoover Initiative, which organizes environmental cleanup and awareness events, is joining more schools and local organizations to keep Hoover litter-free.
Hoover High students Shehzan Maredia and Pippa Lother started the group near the end of 2017 and had their first cleanup day in March at Chace Lake Park. Since then, Maredia said they’ve had more than 600 volunteers show up to their regular cleanup events.
He estimated that they have collected 10,000 gallons of trash from various Hoover parks so far.
Maredia and Lother were recently added to the Hoover Parks and Recreation Foundation board, and Maredia said this means they will have input on planning environmental initiatives. He is hoping to enact a plan to put recycling bins around the city.
“That will be really cool,” Maredia said.
The pair are working on achieving nonprofit status for the CleanHoover Initiative, and Maredia said they have met with the Hoover Area Chamber of Commerce and the Hoover Arts Council about ways to spread awareness of the group around the city.
CleanHoover Initiative has now gotten students from all Hoover schools involved, Maredia said. While they see mostly middle and high school students at their cleanups, he said some elementary students have also helped in picking up litter.
CleanHoover Initiative helped with the Cahaba River Society’s recent Cahaba Frydown, and Maredia said they want to organize events of their own in the future. He and Lother also would like to see students get involved with other cleanup and beautification events around town, such as the Hoover Dad Brigade’s annual back-to-school cleanup events.
Going forward, Maredia said he would like to get schools and community groups to host their own cleanup events, perhaps with an award for the cleanest park in the city. He is also looking for other students who can take on leadership roles in the CleanHoover Initiative for the coming years.
Contact Maredia at shehzan.s.maredia@gmail.com and Lother at pippalother@gmail.com for more information about the CleanHoover Initiative.
