When Kris Carico talks trash, entire communities benefit. A ’97 PSU alumna and the CEO of SOLVE, Carico heads the nonprofit that organizes litter and environmental clean-up projects in neighborhoods and natural areas across Oregon. It’s a big job, and Carico says SOLVE’s volunteers fulfill their mission.
“We are an organization of 17 people based in Portland but have 30,000 volunteers across the state,” Carico notes. “I love seeing how passionate our volunteers are. Whenever we put out a request, people always answer the call.”
The ban on gatherings during the pandemic raised difficult questions about the nonprofit’s future at the time, but Carico believes organizations must remain flexible to survive. As soon people could congregate safely again, SOLVE moved to clean up after the protests in downtown Portland.
“We quickly found our footing,” Carico recalls. “We wanted to let people stay focused on the message of the Black Lives Matter movement and not let the destruction and trash take center stage. Our first event drew more than 400 volunteers, and we were able to stay true to our mission and adapt to community needs.”
Carico thrives on change. Her ability to embrace new challenges helped her advance over the past nine years at SOLVE, from Development Director to Director of Advancement and then to CEO in 2019. Outside of the office, cleaning up trash at illegal dumpsites is Carico’s most rewarding field activity.
“That work dramatically changes people’s lives,” she says. “Those dumpsites contain trash from both houseless and housed populations, as we find illegally discarded appliances and building materials. We once pulled up at a dead-end street in an underserved community with volunteers and a dumpster. When we started cleaning, the residents came out and clapped for the volunteers. That really makes you feel good.”
SOLVE volunteersCleanups prevent litter from entering the waterways and impacting streams, rivers and the ocean. In fact, SOLVE is well known for its large-scale beach cleanups, but Carico says those only happen twice a year. On a daily basis, SOLVE offers litter collection and habitat restoration opportunities in the greater Portland region and across the state.
Carico has a personal interest in making positive impacts locally. The native Portlander started college in Southern Oregon but became homesick after two years. She returned and enrolled at community college first, but then transferred to PSU and lived on campus for a while in West Hall.
“I was a career college student,” she says. “I loved taking classes. I would try archeology, accounting, literature – anything that sounded interesting. I had some of the greatest professors. In the end, my advisor helped me choose a degree in Social Science.”
Her connection to PSU continues at work. There are four current or former PSU students in her midst, and a SOLVE staff member formerly worked for PSU.
“We have a strong contingent of Vikings here. Over the years, many alumni have walked through SOLVE’s doors,” Carico notes. “We’ve also worked with PSU’s environmental programs and students who launch their own programs on campus, and we’ve staged many events in the south Park Blocks.”
For the first time, SOLVE is working with Portland State on a Serve the City Day event this spring specifically to engage alumni. Carico says spring is a critically important time to collect litter as winter storms wash a lot of debris into the stormwater system.
“I’m really excited for it,” Carico asserts. “We’re working to intentionally attract alumni to take care of the campus and neighborhood. We’ll meet at the Urban Plaza, which wasn’t even a part of campus back when I attended. Alumni will receive supplies, safety tips and a return time. They can pick up trash and spread out as far as they can go.”
And if the sun’s out, Carico will likely be sporting her green PSU sunglasses, as the proud Viking always keeps them close at hand.