Fifty International WeLoveU Foundation volunteers cleaned Christopher Columbus Waterfront Park on September 12, 2021. The big park is a short walk from the North End along Boston’s waterfront. To organize the cleanup, WeLoveU partnered with the City of Boston Parks and Recreation.

The summer cleanup is part of the Oceans and Waterways Cleanups campaign. The movement aims to battle plastic pollution by cleaning coastal sites and educating people about plastic’s harmful effects on human health, marine life, and climate change. As a result, Boston volunteers are mobilizing and taking action to clean their local waterways. At Christopher Columbus Waterfront Park, volunteers set up a tent and displayed educational panels. Tourists and Boston natives, curious about the sea of blue shirts, learned about the non-profit’s initiatives, such as environmental protection.

A Message of Support From Representative Michlewitz

Joining them was Massachusetts State Representative Aaron Michlewitz. While talking to the crowd of volunteers, he spoke about what inspires him to keep the city’s shoreline clean: the history of the Boston harbor. “It instilled in me as a child how important it is to make sure that we’re keeping our shores clean,” said Representative Michlewitz. “How we’re keeping our marine life healthy and clean. The work you’re doing today, continue in that. People should continue to be vigilant in this discussion because it’s important for all of us. I wanted to come down here and thank you for participating in this today.”

All Hands on Deck

Back at the tent, park visitors learned shocking data surrounding plastic waste. However, they also learned about WeLoveU’s activities that hope to reduce plastic pollution, like the Oceans and Waterways Cleanups campaign. Aside from the informative aspect of the event, volunteers split into teams to clean the park. Residents and tourists visiting from Peru grabbed rakes and filled trash bags with litter too. A Boston police officer spent his afternoon cleaning alongside volunteers too.

North End resident Kevin Welch said, “It’s been a tough year and just giving back and helping seems like the best thing to do. So the more people we can get doing that, the better our communities will be; the better the world would be. Let’s get more people out there. Let’s get more people volunteering. This could be a great thing, so thank you all.”

In all, volunteers collected 210 pounds of trash from Christopher Columbus Waterfront Park in Boston, MA. WeLoveU hopes to organize more cleanups in the greater Boston area and throughout Massachusetts.