Our Westcott neighborhood rarely looks totally clean. There are too many variables – and a lot of messy people, too! When recycling is put out in the open blue bins, trash blows all over. When residents put out plastic bags, these get torn open and trash spills out. When trash is put out early and sits on the curbside, it gets knocked or pawed through. Still, cleaning up even some of the trash makes a big difference in Westcott’s appearance, and we believe that when the neighborhood looks nicer, people act nicer and feel better.
Back in 2021 we participated in an Earth Day clean-up and decided that once a year certainly wasn’t going to be enough to keep our neighborhood clean. Even since – with only one or two months missed – WNA members and other volunteers have been meeting on the third Saturday of the month at Huckster Hill to fan out and pick up trash, remove graffiti, pull weeds and trim bushes, or scrub the bricks in front of Petit Library. It is not enough – and might never be enough – but it does make a difference.
This year we are teaming up on Earth Day again with other neighborhood organizations including UNPA and SEUNA. Join us on Saturday, April 22nd, from 9-11, at the Westcott Community Center to get your marching orders and supplies. Can’t make it? Then take it upon yourself to clean your own block whenever you can, perhaps once a week. It just takes a few minutes, and removing even a few snack bags, red solo cups, old pandemic masks, empty vape cartridges or crushed amazon boxes can make street look almost new. Join in!