LA River CleanUp
April 2017
SERVICE DESCRIPTION
It’s time to roll up your sleeves and show your love for the LA River – the Great LA River CleanUp’s back for 2017! Join today and be part of the largest urban river cleanup in America.
Last year 9,000 volunteers shattered records at the 2016 CleanUp and hauled off more than 70 tons of trash. This year we’re going to tear up the record books again with another record-breaking CleanUp!
EVENT RECAP
VIDEO BY AMANDA HORNING
4 QUESTIONS WITH EVENT ORGANIZER, LIZZIE SAM
1. Tell me about yourself in 140 characters
I’m a producer working in film, TV, and web content. My goal in life is to be like Bono: wear weird sunglasses and solve the world’s problems.
2. Beyond the obvious NEED for river cleanup – why did you create this event?
For starters, April is a notoriously beautiful month in LA, and I wanted to find an event that would let us get dirty while enjoying the lovely spring weather.
I grew up thinking the LA River was so cool because it had been featured in so many iconic movies, but when I finally got the chance to go into the river myself for a film project, I was sorely disappointed – it’s super gross. But I want it to be the amazing, magical place I aspired to visit as a kid! And that starts with people being aware of the role the river plays in LA’s ecosystem, the issues surrounding its pollution (homelessness, chemical run-off, throwing cigarette butts out the window), and how individual actions can make a difference.
3. What was your most memorable moment from the day?
Ben Tully, a fellow ResisterhoodLA member, and I were taking a break from digging an abandoned tent out of the ground, when Ben (a scientist) pointed out the air bubbles floating to the surface of an otherwise calm portion of the river. He explained that the oxygen was formed by the algae in the river, and when enough is produced it bubbles to the surface. I watched the bubbles rise from seemingly out of nowhere for a few minutes, and it made me think about the LA River not just as a long slab of concrete and old Doritos bags, but a valuable part of the local ecosystem. Thanks for the oxygen, algae!
4. If you could choose any person, living or dead, to help you clean up the river – who would you bring and why?
I would bring the Terminator because in addition to being a really hard worker, he left a burned-out semi-truck in the river and I think it’s about time he took responsibility and cleaned it up:
ABOUT FRIENDS OF THE LA RIVER
Founded in 1986, FOLAR is a 501c3 nonprofit whose mission is to ensure a publicly accessible and ecologically sustainable Los Angeles River by inspiring River stewardship through community engagement, education, advocacy, and thought leadership.
Our Vision:
With your help, the Los Angeles River ten years from now is a public gathering place for all Angelenos where recreation and wildlife coexist. FOLAR is a leading powerful force guiding River policy and connecting communities to the River, nationally respected as a leader in urban river revitalization with a membership of 100,000. The FOLAR team is a dynamic force with a permanent office space and visitor’s center on the River.