PORTLAND, OR -- An Oregon nonprofit hopes Earth Day inspires everyone to contribute to a cleaner, greener planet. While SOLVE Executive Director Kris Carico wants people thinking about the Earth all year, she understands why there’s one special day, "When the weather starts getting better and it’s nice to have that one day that kind of culminates into a big celebration."

SOLVE Oregon’s Spring Cleanup is underway this weekend, through Monday. Carico hopes the momentum continues all year, "Every weekend we have an event; many here in the Portland metro area, but also along the coast and in southern Oregon, central Oregon. So, every day is Earth Day to us."

Volunteering can be a family affair, "So, we want to get kids out when they’re young, show them how easy it is to volunteer and to safely get out and pull ivy or pick up litter, whatever that might be."

Carico says volunteers are often surprised about how quickly their bags fill with trash, especially when it’s small. "A lot of our beaches don’t have a lot of huge debris; it’s a lot of micro-trash. So, we want to remind people the importance of cleaning up that micro-trash. Sometimes you find it as you’re walking along the beach. On the tideline you’re going to see a lot of that - little bits of plastic." But that garbage is very different in urban areas, "In the city, it’s cigarette butts. We really encourage people to pick up our cigarette butts. They’re very toxic and they pollute our water all the time." And, once you start looking for litter, Carico says you can't unsee it, "If you spend an afternoon or a morning cleaning up in an urban area and you see a lot of cigarette butts, or you see a lot of scattered trash from a convenience store, you start to notice it just as you’re strolling through town, while you’re walking your dog."

Even if you don’t take part in an organized Earth Day event, she asks that you be mindful of the planet, "It’s the only thing we have. I mean, honestly, without the planet, we don’t exist. So, it’s vital that we’re taking care of our natural areas - not just for ourselves now, but for future generations."

Learn more about SOLVE’s events at their website.