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International Cleanup Weekend sounds like something that only a handful of hippies would acknowledge.  But it’s not; Google itself has thrown its weight behind the event.

Google Celebrates International Cleanup Weekend

“On October 13th and 14th, Googlers and many people around the world will head out to clean up local parks, beaches, trails and other places close to home,” announced Steve Miller on the Official Google Blog.  “We’ll be planning our cleanups using Google Maps and sharing our plans with friends and families, along with an invitation to help.  So far, Googlers have sent in almost 100 cleanup maps and proposed plans, and have invited more than 900 of their personal contacts to help.”

I know, I know - you’re probably still suspicious, and at this point, so was I.  “[M]any people” is subjective, and even if every person on the planet’s surface was invited, it’s not the same thing as having all of them participate.  Yet if you look at the International Cleanup Weekend’s homepage, you’ll see a list of collaborators that includes major organizations like Keep America Beautiful and the Sierra Club.

You’ll also notice a handful of names that aren’t in English, and a map showing cleanup sites spread the world (with an especially heavy concentration in Europe).

This is a nice bit of PR, to be sure; Google and Google Maps once again get tied to earth-saving efforts.  But as long as those efforts have an impact (as this one apparently will), it’s hard to feel too cynical.