Boston Charles River Clean-Up Day-- Make a difference in our community

Written by (Boston Tzu Ching) Alice Chen and Miki Huang

On April 24, 2010, the weather was beautiful, the sky was blue, the breeze was gentle and the Charles River was quietly flowing … yes, Boston Tzu Ching joined the community project of the ‘Earth Day: 11th Charles River Clean Up’, and we enjoyed making a difference for our Earth by picking up trash on the river banks.

Around 8:30am, we gathered at a café to enjoy breakfast and to have a brief introduction, since we had a few newcomers. Though we only had 20 volunteers, we had a good start and were very confident in doing great work.

We walked to the designated site and began the cleaning process. In the beginning, people worked quietly as they felt they didn’t know other people well enough. Gradually, they started talking and interacting with each other. The president of Boston Tzu Ching, Alice Chen said: “I am very glad to see that this outdoor event bringing people closer and helping the bond of Tzu Ching.”

The Charles River bank was much dirtier than expected. Alice went to the site the day before to check out the cleaning area, and she thought that the area was not too bad. To her surprise, today there was much more trash that she did not notice previously, hiding underneath leaves and branches. Later on, Alice said: “It made me realize that I was not aware of how bad the pollution is in Boston. It is very easy for us to ignore or overlook the problem, because it is being hidden from our sight.”

After seeing the amount of trash in the river and by the banks, people felt more strongly about using environmental kits and cups, because the most common type of trash picked up was coffee cups, especially Styrofoam pieces from Dunkin’ Donuts. In addition, most of the trash that we found had been long sitting by the banks and in the river. This unexpected scene indicated how careless we were in making efforts to save the Earth.

Miki Huang, newly joined Tzu Ching, enjoyed the activity very much. She said: “This is not my first time being a volunteer; however, this is one of the most meaningful and memorable volunteering events I have ever been to.” While she was cleaning up trash along the Charles River, some passersby thanked her, which made her very happy. Miki later expressed: “These people noticed our group and what we were doing. That was what I was so happy about. On top of that, bringing people’s attention to environmental issues is vital.”

This is Miki’s second experience in joining Tzu Ching’s activities. Miki previously attended a gathering where Tzu Chi volunteers shared their experiences of doing Haiti relief work. After joining Tzu Ching, she met many new friends, and felt that it was a great deal of fun working with people who have a similar goal — to save the Earth.

During cleaning, we also found some odd objects such as tires, a wooden desk, dead animals, needles, and other things that one would think to have no reason to be along the river. It became a treasure hunt as people were finding weird things all over the area.

The cleaning ended at noon, and a picnic followed. Many thanks to SGs, who mindfully prepared delicious sandwiches and snacks; we enjoyed them very much. During the picnic, people reflected on their positive experiences. In the end, people thought that Boston Tzu Ching should make this an annual event, because everybody felt enriched by the experience. We hoped that everybody could be aware of the importance of the environmental protection, and carry it out in daily life.

The Charles River Clean-Up Day was very meaningful, successful and fun.