Yesterday I spent a couple of hours helping to clean up the block of Degraw Street between Nevins and the canal. The event was organized by the Gowanus Canal Conservancy. We picked up and bagged trash and tidied the planted beds along the sidewalk, where rugosa roses were being overwhelmed by weeds. The Parks Department created the beds some years back as part of the Greenstreets program, but can no longer afford to maintain them because of budget cuts. They did provide the group with tools and mulch to do the work. This is an excellent initiative that helps people take control of their own neighborhoods.
The last time I was on the block it looked like this:
After we were done and the garbage was bagged, it looked like this:
A volunteer prunes bushes. Let's hope the Sanitation Department does its part and picks up the trash we collected.
And this:
Will the cleanup make it less likely people will dump garbage here in the future?
The gentleman at the auto shop at the end of the block said he would help take care of some new plants that Lowe’s sold the Conservancy from their discount table for a penny apiece.
Volunteers plant lilies near the auto upholstery shop.
A feeling of accomplishment.