Naturehood Tours

Discover the nature of your neighborhood

Naturehood Tours

On Saturday, April 14th, a biologist and community organizer lead a group of volunteers around their neighborhood to learn about their local biodiversity and clean up litter along the way. Savannah is known for it’s Live Oak trees, Spanish Moss and proximity to the marsh and marine ecosystems along the Georgia Coast – but this program shows that you don’t have to go all the way to Tybee to experience the beauty of the natural world. The Naturehood Tour and Litter Pickup event is designed to allow people to learn about the nature in their neighborhoods and internalize how litter has an impact on their local ecosystem. By cleaning up litter in your neighborhood, you’re making a tangible impact on the health of your local ecosystem by not allowing that trash to end up flowing through storm drains and into local waterways. By getting out and taking action with your neighbors, you’re building social bonds that make your community stronger and more resilient.

This event was prototyped in Savannah’s Historic Downtown neighborhood the weekend before the 2018 Savannah Earth Day Festival. Learn more about how the prototype worked and what the team learned from getting out and testing a project in their community:

HOW DOES IT WORK? 
Organizers brought gloves, trash grabbers, burlap bags, cups for cigarette butt collection, clipboards and litter checklists for documenting during the duration of the tour. Groups of 2 people were paired together: one person was in charge of documentation and the other was in charge of litter pickup, and they could switch roles when needed. The biologist led the group and discussed biodiversity along the way, some at designated stopping points and some as they emerged along the tour route. After the tour, the organizers separated the recycling from the trash and disposed of what was collected.