We Combat Pollution

to keep Tahoe blue, healthy and pristine

Traffic impacts and litter damage wildlife habitat, degrade Tahoe’s natural beauty and cloud its crystal-clear waters.

Tahoe is at risk of being loved to death.

15 million people visit Tahoe each year – three times the number of annual visitors to Zion National Park or Yellowstone National Park. Yet Tahoe is not a national park, so it lacks the protections, staff and resources that protect places like Yellowstone.

Death by a thousand cuts?

Litter, such as cigarette butts and single-use plastics, harm the Lake’s health and natural beauty. Endless car traffic pumps out tailpipe emissions and grinds Tahoe’s roads into dust and debris that degrade Tahoe’s water clarity, a threat that is exacerbated by climate change.

We empower the community to help, innovate transportation solutions, and lobby for policies that prevent litter at the source.

As an independent, science-based nonprofit, we are flexible and innovative. We were the first to introduce microtransit – scooters, bikes and shuttle vans – as Lake-friendly alternatives to the private car. Our Tahoe Blue Crew program empowers volunteers to remove litter and report what they find. Our staff use that citizen science data to advocate for litter solutions, like a ban on polystyrene, a.k.a. Styrofoam.

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Featured work

Impacts

124

Tahoe Blue Crews fighting litter around Tahoe-Truckee

95K+

pounds of litter removed through League events and programs

172K+

cigarette butts picked up since 2014

Tahoe Blue Crew Map

Volunteer Crews have adopted more than 120 sites around the Tahoe-Truckee region to keep free from litter and pollution.

See the map

More programs, projects and initiatives

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