3k+ lbs overall cleared
Clean Environment
River, lake, park, street, and neighborhood cleanups that turn local places into shared responsibility.
Est. 2020Student runYouth-led nonprofit · Metro Atlanta
Everythingbegins with afirst step.
First Step Team turns cleanups, service, culture, and environmental research into measurable local action, recorded in public and run by students.
Accomplishments, on the record
The record so far
Counted from 2020 to 2026: events, volunteers, fundraising, and trash pulled out of public places.
250+Registered members
300+Student and family volunteers
240+Events organized
$17.9kRaised for nonprofits
3,000+Pounds of trash cleared
35+Published articles and presentations
What the team does
Four kinds of work, one public record
Every event lands in the ledger: what happened, when, who led it, and what it added up to.
$17.9k raised
Service and Care
Food banks, senior performances, MedShare volunteering, bell ringing, and community support work.
35+ works
Culture and Voice
Public speaking, publications, cultural resources, team presentations, and youth leadership practice.
2025 cohort
Research and Data
Microplastics mapping and public waterway data that make environmental problems easier to see.
2025 cohortResearch and data
The first public microplastics data for Metro Atlanta.
Microplastics Mapping in Natural Waters was part of the Bloomberg Philanthropies' Youth Climate Action Fund 2025 Atlanta Cohort. Students mapped pollution across natural waters and published the results for anyone to use.
Fresh off the ledger
View All 240+ EventsRecent activity
I envision a future where we all think about how to make the world a better place and start by taking small but concrete steps. I have always wanted to clean up trash, save coral reefs, solve hunger and other large scale problems. That's why I founded this team. Let's all take the First Step to a better future.
Annie LinFounder & President 2020-2024
Where to dig in