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SALT LAKE CITY — An exhibitor at the upcoming Outdoor Retailer Summer Market expo plans to continue its annual tradition of cleaning up the Jordan River and is inviting the public to help.
Philadelphia-based United By Blue was founded in 2010 as an urban outdoor apparel company. Founder Brian Linton said he grew up in Singapore and developed a love for the outdoors while learning to scuba dive and kayak.
Linton moved back to the U.S. and settled in Philadelphia in 2007. His childhood passion for the outdoors drove him to start the apparel company that includes an environmental mission: For every product sold, United By Blue cleans a pound of garbage from waterways around the world.
"Water (was) chosen because of the childhood passions, but then also because it is the most critical aspect of the outdoors," Linton said. "You don't have anything really without the water. Anytime, when you explore the outdoors, it's usually water that makes it exciting— the beautiful streams going through the mountains… the mountain top lake… water is not only enjoyable, it's critical."
Since beginning its mission of conservation, United By Blue has completed 130 cleanups across 21 states and Canada, removing a total of 250,000 pounds of trash from rivers, lakes and the ocean, Linton said.
United By Blue
The company began attending Salt Lake City's Outdoor Retailer Summer Market expo in 2010 and continued their cleanup efforts in Utah. In 2012, they removed 218 pounds of garbage from the Jordan River. In 2013, they removed 240 pounds and in 2014, 183 pounds of trash were removed.
"The thing about waterways in the United States is that no matter how clean they appear, there is always going to be trash," Linton said. "Everything flows into waterways… so rivers tend to collect a lot of trash."
United By Blue partnered with Subaru and Backcountry.com for this year's cleanup of the Jordan River and are encouring the public to help. The cleanup will be held Saturday, Aug. 1 at 10 a.m. and volunteers can meet at Jordan Park 1060 S. 900 West in Salt Lake City. Linton said the company will provide gloves, trash bags, water and lunch at the cleanup.
"This project is quite near and dear to me personally," he said. "There's not many places in this world that we go to as often as Salt Lake City. … A lot of us have a sense of ownership and desire to protect Salt Lake City because it is our home away from home two weeks out of the year."
