Clean Up, Clean Up, Everybody Everywhere…. 

You may have seen Riverfront North Partnership out in Bridesburg, both along Lewis Street and at the site of the future riverfront park doing trash cleanups.  We even did a call for volunteers and partnered with Rep. Joe Hohenstein’s office.  Why are we doing this?  We know nuisance activities at these sites are problematic and while we realize that cleaning up the trash is not a final solution to the problems, there are results of clean ups that we hope can be felt by the community. 

  • Safe Recreation – Since the pandemic began and quarantine/social distance measures in place, we have seen tremendous growth in the usage of our trails.  In the case of the Port Richmond Trail, there has been a 91%+ increase in bicyclist and pedestrians are using our trails to safely recreate.  While we more actively maintain our greenway, we see the adjoining trail along Lewis Street as a connector to our riverfront and want that to be viewed as a safe place to also recreate.   
  • Environmental Impact – those cans, bottles, papers etc. that are thrown along the street or discarded eventually make their way to storm drains that connect directly to the Delaware River.   Plastics are especially harmful to aquatic life, but this also impacts the source of drinking water for over 60% of residents of the City of Philadelphia.   
  • Creates breeding grounds for mosquitoes. It only takes 1 plastic bottle cap full of water for mosquitoes to reproduce.  Although we are past mosquito season, it is a good reason to consider all year long. 
  • Trash and litter decrease community aesthetic.  There are a lot of community pride in Bridesburg, and we know how frustrating this is! 
  • Volunteering gives you a reason to get out.  We know this pandemic has been isolating in many ways.  Volunteering gives you a reason to get out, and tangible proof of accomplishment.   Fresh air is healing and restorative in many ways, why not help us out along the way? 

Forgotten spaces tend to be treated that way.  With the trail along Lewis Street and construction of the Riverfront Park beginning in the next year, we do not want these spaces viewed as forgotten.  We want to make sure they are well cared for and maintained by the proper authorities so they’re an asset for the community near and far to enjoy.   

Riverfront North is holding three more cleanups this fall: 

  • Thursday, October 15 from 4-6pm at Lewis Street 
  • Sunday, October 25 from 10am-12pm at Lewis Street 
  • Saturday, November 14 from 1-3pm at the future Bridesburg Riverfront Park, as part of Love Your Park Service Day 2020, biannual event that cleans, greens, and celebrates Philly’s parks.  

 

To register or for more information, email Gina Craigo at gina@riverfrontnorth.org.