The Great River Cleanup is launching under founder Joe Kinslow and co-principal and producer Laurie Ashbourne, a veteran of Walt Disney Feature Animation. The new environmental education project in Easton will use animation to teach young people about the Delaware River and its health.
The project focuses on an animated short film following two children, Ellie and Miles, who discover the connections between the river, its wildlife, and the communities that depend on it. Miles is a young tinkerer who meets Ellie, an apprentice river guardian working to restore a damaged section of the waterway.
Organizers say the story goes beyond teaching children to pick up litter. Instead, it explores how individual actions can affect an entire ecosystem and how different skills can be combined to solve environmental problems.
The goal is to help young people see themselves as capable of making a difference.
Through the project, a “River Rover” will also be developed – a floating river-health laboratory built from recovered materials. It will be used to collect debris, test water quality, and explore what is happening above and below the river’s surface.
The Great River Cleanup is partnering with the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary. PDE Executive Director Kathy Klein says the project can help people understand how actions on land affect water quality.
Educational resources, school programs, community screenings, and environmental engagement activities will eventually be created through the program. While the Delaware River is the starting point, organizers say the goal is to give young people and communities everywhere a framework for understanding and protecting their waterways.
