Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service 2009

Richmond Shoreline Report

Highlights

Click here to view photos from the event!

More than 500 volunteers turned up in force at the Richmond shoreline on Monday, January 19, in commemoration of Martin Luther King National Day of Service. The Watershed Project partnered with Richmond Shoreline Citizen Response, City of Richmond, and local artists to provide an opportunity for East Bay residents to give back to the community.

Among activities organized for the day, youth, adults, and families collected nearly 4,400 items of trash, ranging from plastic bottles and caps, cigarette butts, fishing lines, and syringes. Volunteers worked in small groups to assess the trash collected, using International Coastal Clean-Up forms. Shoreline recreation seemed to be the biggest culprit, generating over 1,800 food- and beverage-related items such as plastic wrappers, bottle caps and lids, straws, and plastic cutlery.

Plastic and polystyrene foam pervaded most of the list, attesting their persistence in our environment. Plastic bags by far topped paper bags, by ten-fold.

In addition to picking up trash, volunteers cleared out 4 acres of invasive fennel, planted a new plot with drought-tolerant native plants, and built a sculpture using found trash and removed weeds, with the help of local artists. The sculpture will remain for two weeks at the lawn area between Shimada Friendship Park and the Meeker Slough Bridge.

"The Watershed Project educates and inspires communities to become active stewards of resources in local watersheds. Activities like a shoreline clean-up help folks see the power they have in protecting their environment - as well as the consequences of their actions," said Linda Hunter, executive director at The Watershed Project.

Thank you to everyone who came out to the Richmond shoreline on Martin Luther King Jr. National Day of Service. It was a truly inspiring day and we appreciate your hard work. We would like to extend a special thank you to our partners and sponsors: Richmond Shoreline Citizen Response, Pete's Coffee, Zoe's Cookies and Other Delights, Excellent Packaging and Supply, and many other community groups who helped mobilize volunteers.

Richmond Greenway Report

Highlights
  • More than 300 volunteers attended
  • Over 80 native plants put into the ground
  • Propagated more than 100 fruit trees and berry bushes
  • Native wildflower meadow created
  • Veggies planted in Lincoln School Farm and Community Garden
  • Healthy, tasty and locally grown lunch provided to all volunteers

Click here to view photos from the event!

More than 300 volunteers turned out for the second Martin Luther King, Jr. National Day of Service at the Richmond Greenway on Monday, January 19th. Hosted by a collaboration of local organizations and community groups including The Watershed Project, Urban Tilth, the 5% Local Coalition, Opportunity West, Service for Peace and many others, the event got folks working on growing a local, sustainable foodshed and improving habitat in the heart of Richmond.

Among the activities for the day, youth, adults and families built new garden beds and pathways and planted over 80 native plants - doubling the size of The Watershed Project's Habitat Garden. This garden will provide a home for a myriad of beneficial insects. Volunteers also planted dozens of fruit trees and berry bushes and propagated more than 100 to be planted in the future. These trees and bushes will provide fresh, local, organic fruit for community members.

Other volunteers worked to create a native wildflower meadow, planted veggies in the Lincoln School Farm and Community Garden boxes, and picked up several bags of trash along the Greenway.

DJ Goodbeer kept music playing and spirits high while volunteers growing hungry from the work were rewarded with scrumptious healthy food made by students at Richmond High School from local ingredients.

"We are seeing right here today the power we have working together to grow food and improve habitat right in our own communities," said Becky Lithander, program coordinator at The Watershed Project. "All of us working together in our own community can collectively have a really powerful impact on the larger environment."

Thank you to everyone who came out to the Richmond Greenway on Martin Luther King Jr. National Day of Service. It was a truly inspiring day and we appreciate your hard work. We would like to extend a special thank you to our partners and sponsors: the City of Richmond, Urban Tilth, the 5% Local Coalition, Service for Peace, Opportunity West, the Richmond High School Barrio Bistro Club, and everyone else who made this event possible.