It's Not How It Looks

I watched a man picking up trash on the sidewalk and boulevard of Cedar Street. I approached him and said that Adopt-a-Block is looking for people just like him.

“What kind of people are those?” he said.

“People who care about the condition of their neighbourhood and take the time to pick up stuff that’s been tossed on the ground,” I said.

He pointed to an apartment building across the street from where we were standing.

“I live over there and walk down to the water and back with my plastic bag picking up garbage,” he said.

“Do you want a trash picker and garbage bags?” I said.

“Oh no! Then I’d look like someone doing a community restorative justice job, like punishment for some crime I’d committed,” he said.

I laughed and thought of all the Adopt-a-Block volunteers and how it’s not how it looks, at least not to me. I wondered if the people who pass by us as we take up our positions and remove the rubbish from the sidewalks and boulevards of this city, that they imagined us fulfilling some sort of punishment. I smiled at the idea.

I thanked the man for helping to clean up the City however I did not shake his hand. His clear plastic bag contained items that I would not pick up without my trusty garbage tongs.

My Tool of Choice

Near, Yet Too Far?

HI MY NAME IS ROBIN, 

Have a look at the photo below; two garbage cans so near yet so far, for some, from the litter. My Adopt-a-Block route is unlike most of the other volunteers. I don't have to lug trash long distances to get to a receptacle; in fact there are two more cans within 15 metres of those shown. So it just seemed right to pick this kind of thing up myself on my twice-a-day dog walks.

My dogs have changed but unfortunately the litter has not. When I met Susan and became an 'official' volunteer I didn't expect anything to change, but something did. I did.

Having those cans nearby used to irritate me. Thinking "How can people be so unthinking and lazy?" as I stuffed their garbage where it belonged.  That has faded away and calm has been restored. Removing litter is just another part of our walk, like throwing the ball for Ruby.

Near, Yet So Far?

Walking with Ruby

My Twins Park

HI, MY NAME IS DOUG and I pick up trash on the sidewalks and boulevards along Robron Road, north on South Alder Street up to Merecroft Road and back again, south the length of the opposite side of the street to my home.

On the corner of South Alder and South Murphy Street is a small plot of land that I’ve adopted and named Twins Park, after the two trees that stand in it. I could see that the area needed some tending to, so I contacted the City of Campbell River to suggest that I would clean it up regularly if they would come and pick up the refuge. They responded with a yes. I cut the grass and raked it, along with the weeds and leaves, into piles and the City workers took it all away.

I have so much fun doing my pick! Come summer, I hope to plant something in Twins Park. My hope is to outdo the City planting. Watch for my progress come summer and if you like what you see let the Adopt-a-Block volunteers know.

Pickers Up! Doug

Twins Park

One of Doug's Routes

Bonnie The Mascot

I'M HONOURED to be the mascot for the Adopt-a-Block project.

Hi, my name is Bonnie The Birch, and in August 2012, Susan, the organizer of the venture, adopted me. She’s been exploring my origins and has recently discovered that I am a Paper birch. I’m known for my small to medium size, with many stems and can stand up to 30 metres tall.

At one point in my life, a man using a handsaw truncated me. I could only let the event happen. He dragged away my top half and let me stand at five feet. I 'm living on the boulevard on Dogwood Street, my slender trunk with its distinctive curve reaching for the sky. Several of my lower branches remained, most with my egg-shaped leaves still attached.

If you step up to me, at the time when my leaves appear, you’ll see my flowers. They are either male or female and are in the narrow catkins. My female catkins are two to four centimeters long, standing erect at the tip of my branch. My male catkins are longer and hang below the branch. I welcome the energy you bring when you stand next to me and touch my leaves for a closer look.

I am a fruit-bearing tree. The nutlets have wings broader than the seed and I produce thousands of seeds. If I’m in good health, you’ll see hundreds of seeds at my base.

Here’s a little something you might like to know: My seeds are much loved by many species of birds.

Until next time, Bonnie The Birch

Nutlets with wings

This sketch of an Alaskan Paper birch shows the size of my very similar nutlets.

My leaves and catkins. Males hanging down, females at the end.

Six Blocks, One Garbage Tong

OUR NEWEST ADOPT-A-BLOCK VOLUNTEER, JOHN P., sent me a great message.

“I did my 6 block loop from the house, only got 3/4 of a bag today...2 beer cans,1 liquor bottle and a wiper blade. I count cigarette butts (i hate butts) 46.”

John, along with his wife and their dog, treks approximately three kilometres starting from the corner of Thulin Street and Evergreen Road, west to McLean Street, north to 2^nd Avenue, east back to Thulin Street, a westward jag onto 1^st Avenue, south on Murphy Street and back home via Evergreen Road.

Like John, many of the volunteers remove trash from the sidewalks and boulevards of Campbell River even in the winter. A person who is service driven performs his or her duty as commonly as they live life.

Mr. Rogers said it simply: “Life is for service.”

~ Fred Rogers, Life's Journeys According to Mister Rogers: Things to Remember Along the Way

John and family's six block route

Wendy's Story

Eurasian Dove

The tranquil cooing of Eurasian Doves herald the entrance to Lewis Road, a quiet road approximately twenty-five kilometres south of Campbell River, west of South Island Highway. This is the Oyster Bay area of Campbell River. It's the territory I’ve adopted as a volunteer with Adopt-a-Block. I’ve been cleaning the boulevards on my street for two years and enjoy it because I am surrounded by the sounds of nature.

As I approach the end of my road, I listen to the soft neighing of horses. As I get closer, I watch them nodding their head and gazing at me with their soulful eyes. I interpret their look to mean, “We think you are doing a good job.” I find this particular area on Lewis Road to be picture postcard beautiful.

Most of my neighbours live on half-acre plots of land and burn wood for heat. Most of their papers and cardboard go to making their cozy fires in the winter months. Discarded papers are rare on my trek. Also, a lot of them have compost boxes so their vegetable peelings and fruit residue go into it.

I occasionally have to pick up soggy newspapers from the local Postal Unit Box, and at the end of my road if there has been a windstorm.

A note of humour is when I get to watch teenagers as they sleepily stagger up the road to catch the 7:45 a.m. school bus, which takes them to a school in nearby Campbell River. The looks of apathy on their young faces is hilarious. Pieces of toast hang out of their mouths while they are trying to drink copious amounts of liquid in a plastic bottle and at the same time answer their cell phones. It amazes me how everyone gets on that bus!

There is an elementary school about four blocks away from my home. Most of the younger students are pretty good about not throwing their apple cores or banana peels to the ground. I understand that they have a recycling program at their school.

All in all, I am very fortunate to live in such a reasonably quiet and neat area, aside from the odd “twit brain” who comes roaring up my street on their dirt bike, scaring me half to death. I can hear the roar of their engine while reading my paper in my kitchen at the back of the house.

Green seems to be the word in our Oyster Bay area, and Lewis Road rates a score of “l0” in my way of thinking in relation to the Adopt-a-Block program.

I will continue to monitor my area and perform my task with pleasure.

Wendy on Lewis Road

Wendy's Route on Lewis Road

Wendy's Lewis Road

Garbage Can Campaign

TOSSED STRAWS AND BIG GULP CUPS, sopping wet discarded pizza boxes and hundreds of other bits of trash covered the sidewalks and boulevards on the 4.7 kilometre trek made by one of our Adopt-a-Block volunteers. She willingly picked up each bit of rubbish and placed it carefully in her large plastic bag. The more she dropped into her sack, the heavier it became.

Her search for a public garbage can became her second mission. Unfortunately, her journey from the 1300 block of South Island Highway, north on Galerno Road, west on Lai Road, north again on South Murphy Street, west on Pinecrest Road, north on South Alder Street to Evergreen Road gave her no opportunity to place her heavy bag into a receptacle.

To her great appreciation, a garbage can stood on the boulevard just north of Steiner Bakery on 231 Dogwood Street. She heaved the large bag into it and opened up her reserve plastic container to collect more trash until she arrived at her friend’s home.

All Campbell River citizens should have the confidence that the City of Campbell River, at the very least, could afford to place a garbage receptacle at each bus stop. Collaboration and cooperation between Campbell River Transit and the City of Campbell River would benefit all people of this fine city.

Imagine a garbage can at every bus stop.

Round concrete garbage can

Speak with City Hall about a garbage can in your neighbourhood.