L.A. River Clean Up

Hi, my name is Thien Doan. On April 18, 2015 I had the opportunity to attend an event by FoLAR to clean up the LA River. Before attended this event, I was not interested in protecting the environment however I changed my opinion after the event. The experience was not a pleasant once; I noticed, for the first time in my life, I saw nature existed in the middle of L.A., but it has been destroyed by humans. I also had some contribution in destroying the nature in L.A. As I walked around picking up trash, I noticed that all the trash that been dumped inside the river can be recycle and reuse. I was curious about how the river looked therefore I tried to get as close to the river as possible, and what I saw was devastated. After the river been channelize 1935 to prevent flood, the water level has decreased significantly. The water color turned to a greenish color, and the smell was dreadful. I found nature was forgiven and strong as it still lives with humans. For example, I found a couple of ducks swim and walk on the shore of the river, and trees are still growing on one side of the river. My best accomplishment was hauled a shopping cart from Target with Luis, my partner, up the hill. These type of events are meaningful because it helps to spread the awareness about the environment to others. I will participate again next year as I find myself doing something meaningful to the city and to the environment.