Hi guys! For my action project, I’ve continuously went to my Adopt-A-Park park to clean up almost every Wednesday. I may have missed a week or two, but honestly I don’t really remember.
I feel like I’ve basically become one with the park now since I go there so frequently. I know the whole entire park like the back of my hand. From the small little wobbly bench at the side to the basically always full trash bin right beside the parking lot. I show up with a pair of gloves, a trash(or two), and a shovel if needed. Sometimes I bring my sister with me, although she just standbys every time I bring her along.
I’ve slowly learned I don’t just “clean” a dog park, it’s more of a continuous cycle of mess and clean-up. Every time I come back there’s always a new plastic water bottle laying on the floor, or some sort of dog waste. In truth, I’ve actually noticed the park becoming more cleaner lately. Maybe it’s because people have noticed me coming weekly, or they just suddenly picked up a sense of responsibly. Who knows?
One of the more annoying factors is the ever-changing weather. It is genuinely so annoying, why is it the day I go, or more like the MOMENT I go, it starts pouring? It’s really beginning to feel like a deliberate plan to ruin my project and it’s pissing me off so bad.
On the bright side, I’ve gotten to known some regulars AKA people that bring their dog there almost everyday. Sometimes I talk and get to ask them how they feel about me helping out with trash pickup. One of them said they’re “pretty grateful with your work”. When I ask these people, it’s basically me making a list of what I need to do next time Their feedback matters as much as my work cleaning up. I’m planning to bring a little bit of dirt and sand some time in the incoming weeks to fill in some holes I found in the “play area” in the sand. (1) There’s an organization called Project for Public Spaces that says the best parks are ones that the community helps create. By asking everyone their opinion, it feels like we’re all doing some form of “placemaking” together.
Above is the bag of sand I plan to buy.
At first I had thought I would just get the park “cleaned” then get it over with. I’ve learned it’s more than that. It’s really more about the feeling after you see your progress becoming more and more visible, and enjoying the process.
