By Crystal Xie, ACE Field Correspondent and student at Rosemead High School in Rosemead, CA

On Saturday, April 16, the Rosemead Ecology Club hosted a Park Clean up at our local Rosemead Park.  We got together and tidied the place up for a better and cleaner place to hang out.

I was surprised by the turnout at first. We didn’t know everyone, there were so many people there. It was a very hot day, and we played some icebreaker games to get to know one another, and then split into groups of three to four people.

As groups split up, we announced that the team that collected the most trash during the cleanup would win the cleanup challenge and some small prizes. Well, this hyped everyone up and they raced off in every direction, scouring the area for any scraps of trash. There were even some teams competing for fragments of gum wrappers and bottle caps.

After about thirty to forty-five minutes of cleaning, we compared trash heaps to see who got the most. The team with the most trash won seemingly small prizes – bubbles, candy, and fun post-it notes.  But, really, everyone won because all participants chowed down on pizza and ice tea.

Organizing and implementing this Park Clean Up showed me that prizes and competition are amazing motivators! And, they helped us boost our turnout. It is great to know that there are people who will lend a hand to help our environment, and all they need is a little push and a prize at stake to help them focus.

How to host a successful cleanup: To make a cleanup day happen, all you need is a couple of friends and some trash bags and gloves.  It does not have to be with a big group but with a couple of friends just hanging out and picking up trash.  To bait a big group, all you need is to advertise PRIZES and FREE drinks or/and food!

Why this project is important: Looking back, at first glance this cleanup seems like a minor action that doesn’t matter. But, upon closer examination I believe it does have an impact. First of all, we clean our community’s environment – something that is visible and tangible in Rosemead. Also, we showed the volunteers that small bits of trash physically add up and fill garbage cans — and I hope they carried that message to their communities of friends and encouraged eco-friendly behaviors.

And, perhaps most important, I believe that this little get together started a chain reaction for good.

How?  Well, other people in the park saw what we were doing and were inspired to also make a difference in their communities, and in turn inspire more people. It is the circle of recycling! Kind of like the concept behind ACE’s DOT Campaign.

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Crystal is from Rosemead High School’s Ecology Club. She is in the 11th grade, class of 2012, loves the color orange and hanging out with her family!