Vermont Cleanup Group Uses Collected Debris to Raise Water Pollution Awareness

Maine native, Willow Hogan, has always been familiar with the effects pollution has had on water systems, and now she’s committed to fighting it.

Hogan, now a law student in Vermont, spent her life growing up among fishermen, and seeing pollution has ignited her passion to help prevent it.

“I’ve always been an advocate for marine debris cleanup and plastic cleanups of all kind,” Hogan said. “I’m currently in law school to hopefully go into politics and policy to stop this kind of thing.”

Local cleanup crew, Lake Champlain, was joined by Hogan over the weekend for a water cleanup event. The two walked along the Burlington, Vermont waterfront, collecting litter. The event was hosted by the water cleanup group the Rozalia Project. Ashley Sullivan, executive director of the Rozalia Project, says clean-ups help people realize the impact of their waste.

“This is an opportunity for people to see our debris that ends up in the natural environment and actually do something about it,” Sullivan says.

After the cleanup, volunteers sorted the collected items which were made up of plastic bottles, cigarette butts, aluminum cans, and paper products. Fortunately, the group found a very small amount of plastic shopping bags, take-out boxes, and plastic straws.

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