FOLAR River Clean Up

Old radio that was found.

People cleaning the river.

A dollar that was found in the plastic.

Hello, my name is Carolina Rodriguez and I am a freshman at Cal State LA. On April 22nd, 2017 I participated in the LA river clean up along with my Engl 2030 class. This event was organized by FOLAR. This was a new experience for me since I have never participated in something like this. I was content to see so many people participating in this event as well. I was surprised to see the amount of trash that has accumulated in the river and disappointed by the fact that people fail to see how neglect can affect our river and all the creatures living in it. While picking up trash, I noticed that a lot of plastic was stuck on the tree branches but when I tried to get rid of it I realized that I couldn't because they were bird nests. I was saddened by the fact that birds and other animals had to live in these conditions which is why I appreciated the fact that FOLAR would go out of their way to organize this event. I picked up a lot of trash and managed to find a lot of things. Regardless of how many trash bags we filled, it felt like there was no end to it. I liked how they provided water, oranges, trash bags, gloves, and t-shirts. I really enjoyed this experience and it felt rewarding to come together and clean up the river. I wish this could encourage others to take better care of our river and the environment to prevent things like this. Thanks to FOLAR we were able to help the environment little by little and play our part even if it was just cleaning the river. It felt great to be part of this experience on Earth Day and I would definitely do this again.