FoLAR La River Clean-Up

The Concrete River

Hello, my name is David Navarro and I will be discussing my experiences during the FoLar La river clean up, for my English 2030 class with professor Hernandez. Although this was not my first volunteer clean-up project, but with the rugged terrain of the concrete leftovers of the rivers forced redirection, it was not the easiest of clean-ups.

Roaming the concrete desert of this “river,” there was plenty of camp communities built by the less fortunate individuals, there was an intense feel in the air, as if the very aroma of this abandoned landmark was tickling my nose.

Although the river is seen by thousands a day there is no concern for it, whether it is polluted or not is never in the mind of the people of Los Angeles. Now that I am here experiencing the garbage infested landmark of ours first hand I can say without hesitation something has to be done to change the rivers current conditions. There are countless plastic bags, intensely rusted clumps of metal pipes already molded around certain grounds of the river, and even pieces of lost e-waste. 

Although the river seems beyond saving, with is full shopping cart trash, and even hundreds of pounds of metal pipes, and thousands of miles of plastic pollution, but it can still be done. Events like this are the only way word can spread and actions can finally begin to save our concrete river. I would gladly volunteer again for this cause.