Read on to find out how you can win gift cards to Dutchtown businesses while helping to improve your neighborhood! Round Two ends on Sunday, April 26th.

March 2020 was the longest month in recorded human history. It seemed to start like any other month, but somewhere in the middle we entered a wormhole we haven’t yet emerged from. With most normal work, play, and societal function as we know it shut down, many of us are rediscovering the great urban outdoors.

Seeing neighbors outside has been a small pleasure during these uncertain times. Dutchtownies are out walking with their families, dogs, and with beers in hand. Unfortunately, as is always the case, some of our pedestrian foot traffic is also carrying trash, and too often that trash ends up landing on our sidewalks instead of the proper receptacle.

Living in a dense urban neighborhood around heavily trafficked streets and bus routes is a recipe for litter. Psychologists that have studied littering suggest that dropping trash is often a product of social and behavioral expectations. That is to say, folks that see litter in an area already are more likely to litter in that same area.

Over the past year, the installation of new trash cans, more trash pick up, and street porter clean-up services from St. Patrick Center courtesy of the Dutchtown Community Improvement District has curbed the pile up. The tulip bulbs around the district have also been a wonderful touch that guide the eyes toward the flowers and away from any wind blown debris.

Some studies suggest that when individuals witness disapproval from someone else regarding littering simply in the form of someone else picking up litter, those same individuals are more likely to refrain from throwing their own trash on the ground. If we assume this to be true, then our collective action to beautify Dutchtown not only creates an immediate positive change in our neighborhood environment, but also shows potential litterbugs that this is a neighborhood that doesn’t tolerate trash.

Of course, there’s an even greater benefit to a good old fashioned urban clean up. When our public spaces are clean, it encourages neighbors to get out and spend time in those spaces together, which encourages us to look after one another, and ultimately promotes more citizen awareness and safety on our blocks.

While we may not be able to work directly next to one another during COVID-19, that doesn’t mean we can’t still be participating in our normal spring cleanups. In order to gain that extra social benefit, DutchtownSTL will be hosting #CleanDutch Facebook events.

The Rules

  • Clean up the neighborhood
  • Take a before and after photo
  • Upload your photo to social media (or email it to us)
  • Tag your photo #CleanDutch
  • Be entered to win prizes!

We are encouraging neighbors in Dutchtown, Gravois Park, Mount Pleasant, and Marine Villa to take on a public facing project — cleaning, painting, planting, or anything else that makes Dutchtown more beautiful. Dutchtownies can post photos of their project to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or via email. Each post tagged with #CleanDutch is eligible for a chance to win some sweet Dutchtown prizes.

The next drawing will be April 26th, 2020. Keep up with the cleaning, hashtagging, and of course safely social distancing!