The students were picking up debris along the South Halsted Riverwalk on Sunday.
The students spoke with ABC7 about their mission to protect Chicago's ecosystems.
"We're all trying to make this Riverwalk a safe place," Illinois State University senior student Katherine Anderson said.
Dozens of student volunteers made their way to the South Halsted Riverwalk. Their mission was to clean up the area.
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The cleanup effort was organized by Asez, the university student volunteer group of the World Mission Society Church of God. Through their global blue carbon initiative, students work to reduce plastic pollution before it enters waterways.
"I grew up in the city of Chicago, and I always saw the river with heavily damaged plastic, or even there's sometimes needles that flow into the river," UIC senior student Emiliano Guzman said.
Students gathered along the riverwalk with rakes, and picking utensils.
"We see that there's so much trash and debris," Anderson said. "So we really want to make this ecosystem a really beautiful places especially because the trash that accumulates here ends up in Lake Michigan."
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Through their efforts, they look to prevent long term environmental damage, and also ensure that Chicago's ecosystems are protected.
"Small actions that me make today, it's going to make a big difference in the future," Anderson said.