By Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


Organizers say a new interactive scavenger hunt that coincided with Earth Day weekend was a success.

Livingston County residents took part in the new event throughout the entire weekend, which was put on by the Livingston County United Way and a host of collaborative partners.

Participants were invited to explore the county’s sustainability offerings and to practice simple ways they can be better stewards of natural resources.

Teams were challenged to complete missions addressing topics such as conservation, protection and clean-up of natural spaces, waste reduction, reusing and upcycling goods, recycling, green gardening practices, and just plain enjoying the great outdoors.

Organizers say 27 teams combined strategy, creativity and hands-on projects to address each challenge with a total of 314 missions completed.

Prizes were awarded to the top five teams that were competing.

Livingston County United Way Development Director Nicole Mandziuk commented “We are so fortunate to live in a county rich with parks, lakes, rivers and land. By pulling together as a community we can work to preserve the beauty of these treasured natural resources for generations to come”.

United Way Community Investments Director Liz Welch said the scavenger hunt was a fun way to spend time with family and friends celebrating Earth Day. She said “I think we’ve all had that moment where we went to toss an item in the trash and paused, knowing it probably shouldn’t go into a landfill. We hope the scavenger hunt gave residents a few practical ideas about what to do and where to take those things in moments like those. It’s those tiny steps we can all take that will lead to big, positive impacts”.

The local non-profit says it looks forward to continued collaborations with sustainability partners. Individuals, businesses or organizations interested in joining the conversation are engorged to reach out to Mandziuk at nmandziuk@lcunitedway.org or (810) 494-3000.

More information is in the attached release.