Litter to Glitter: Earth Day Cleanup Helps City Shine for NFL Draft

It’s not often that Earth Day and the NFL Draft collide — but leave it to the friendly folks of Northeast Wisconsin to find a way to put the two together. Earth Day cleanup events will help the city shine when thousands of football fans flood Green Bay during player selection days April 24-26, 2025. And area residents are taking time to tackle beautification projects with some of the same energy they bring to game day. Michael Bergman is the communications director for the City of Green Bay and shares how the city is blending its pigskin pride with a planet-loving purpose.

“We’ll squish football with just about anything,” Bergman jokes. “But this one’s kind of a no-brainer.”

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Listen to Teri’s full interview with Michael Bergman here:

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The heart of this particular Earth Day event is the annual cleanup at Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary. It’s a tradition where the Conservation Corps is the quarterback. This year, it’s getting an extra special glow-up when volunteers from the city, schools, and even those attending the draft will be planting trees, mulching, yanking out garlic mustard, and waging war against the dreaded phragmites (those pesky invasive reeds that are basically the linebacker of the plant world—tough to beat and always in the way).

“We actually have to cap some of our volunteer openings,” Bergman says. “We’re about 50 shy of what we can handle at the sanctuary, so if folks want to sign up, there’s still time!”

Interested? Find all the information here. No fumbling around. Just a quick form to fill out.

And Bay Beach isn’t the only place getting some extra TLC. You can find clean-ups happening from the Baird Creek Nature Preserve to the Botanical Gardens. Earth Day events continue to pop up all around the area. It seems everyone wants to pitch in to make sure the city shines.

Officials will also be rolling out the green carpet – with an estimated 250,000 visitors expected – that’s more than double the city’s population. 

“Everyone’s a little tired, but they all have smiles on their faces,” Bergman says. “This is what we’re here for. We’re selling the city—and what better way than to partner with the NFL and the Packers?”

So, whether you’re visiting for the draft, the trees, or the cheese curds, the Green Bay area is about to put on one heck of a show.