Spring is in the air and Chicago is cleaning itself up for the summer tourist crush. Leading the way is an ambitious plan to clean up the Chicago River involving a pontoon boat and a crew of five to help remove debris and graffiti along the river. Besides the cosmetic cleanup, water quality issues are also being discussed by city officials. Unfortunately, real progress on water quality is still many years off, but it's a good start. The city is also calling for an all-out citywide cleanup on May 1, the spring "Clean & Green Day". This event is coordinated by the Chicago Department of Streets and Sanitation and loans brooms, shovels and rakes and provides free trash bags to local groups to assist their volunteer clean-up efforts.