The Big Sweep of Salem Creek 

By: Emma De Noble

Haleigh Totten (left), Neva Mellows (center), and Peyton Harris (right) show off their collected trash. Photo Credit: Vera Kahn

The annual Piedmont-Triad Big Sweep took place on Oct. 4. Salem College’s Tri-Beta and ECO clubs joined in collaboration with Keep Winston Salem Beautiful to collect trash from Salem Creek and the surrounding area. On the morning of the big sweep, students, faculty, and other participants gathered behind Salem’s athletic fields to eat a breakfast of bagels and discuss logistics. Salem Creek runs from the bridge under Research Parkway to behind the tennis courts near Salem’s softball fields, and along a tract of land near E. Salem Avenue. Everyone was split into small groups in order to cover as much ground as possible. With the help of some waders – or simply a whimsical disregard for getting wet – some of the team was able to enter the creek directly and collect trash from hard-to-reach areas on the bank or in the water itself.

Salem Creek. Photo Credit: Vera Kahn

In the afternoon, all participants gathered their filled trash bags and returned to the meeting spot, where the trash was collected and weighed. Among the trash were some unusual finds, such as an entire metal gate, a basketball, and various abandoned clothing items. Incredibly, more than 300 pounds of garbage were collected, making the group’s efforts a huge success. 

This annual event is deeply important to maintaining the cleanliness and health of Salem Creek. Trash accumulates easily. Some of the packaging on collected wrappers had antiquated logos; it would be no surprise if they were 15 or more years old. Runoff, wind, and careless people discarding trash into places where it shouldn’t be are, unfortunately, inevitable, but through efforts like the annual Big Sweep and clubs like Tri-Beta and the ECO Club, we can respond to human-made problems with redemptive action. This kind of joyous and deliberate activity brings us together in community and encourages our sense of responsibility and care for the world around us.

A snail resting on a gloved finger, discovered and picked up from where it was snailing around on some trash. Photo Credit: Peyton Harris.