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Powerful Clean

Powerful Clean

The San Diego River is fighting a battle against trash. This team is helping it win.

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Clorox

There are many words you could use to describe the San Diego River: beautiful, vital, and majestic only scratch the surface.

All photos in this post courtesy of The San Diego River Park Foundation.

If you've ever been to San Diego, you've likely heard some people refer to the river as an "emerald ribbon." It's 52 miles long and winds its way down some of the most vibrant vistas in southern California.

Walking along the riverbank, you may see one of the hundreds of species of birds that live or migrate through the area including the black-chinned hummingbird, the California condor, and the golden eagle.

On the ground, you might see a brush rabbit. Or come face-to-face with a grey fox. And, if you're really having a good animal-spotting day, you may run across a mule deer. You'll definitely brush by an abundance of vibrant plants.

Unfortunately, you'll also likely see trash.

While we all know that natural parks and waterways should be treated with respect and care, we still have a tendency to leave our litter without being mindful of it. And it often ends up polluting green spaces like The San Diego River.

Some of this trash is storm debris that washes its way down explains Juan Salgado, a volunteer leader with The San Diego River Park Foundation.

Other trash is carried into the river by the wind. But there's another, less accidental reason trash accumulates in the water and on the riverbank: People toss their garbage from their car windows as they drive by the river. While they may not think much of it, the empty soda cans and chip containers build up, endangering the wildlife that depend on that river.

It's the reason Salgado spent over 175 hours last year volunteering with The SDRPF. "I saw the massive amounts of trash," he says. He knew he had to do something about it.

The San Diego River Park Foundation is on a mission to restore the river to its original glory. Its volunteers are making that mission a reality.

"The San Diego River Park Foundation engages the community to create a better future for our San Diego River," says Ally Welborn, SDRPF's Community Engagement Manager. "Our vision includes a 52-mile river-long system of parks, trails, and open spaces."

"The San Diego River Park Foundation has a vision of achieving a trash-free river." This will not only make riparian habitats healthy for plants and animals, but also keep local green spaces beautiful and safe for people to relax and recreate in."

Volunteers are a vital part of this goal. To help keep the San Diego River trash-free, the organization appoints volunteers to scout ahead and find trash. Then, the SDRPF mobilizes volunteers to clean up the area. In 2018, they had 2,050 people helping with this work.

"Between these two tasks, volunteers are out along the River at least four times per week," says Welborn.

"Some people come out two or more times a week to haul soggy cushions, dig buried bicycle wheels out of the ground, and load heavy trash bags."

And if you want to help the river without actually getting your hands dirty, you can do that, too. All the organization's trash bags, trash pickers, gloves, and dumpsters come from donations from people who also want to see the river clean.

The cleaning The SDRPF has done isn't just important. It's transformative.

Juan Salgado cleans up The San Diego River.

At one point, there was so much trash in parts of the river that volunteers had to wade into it hip-deep. These areas now, Welborn says, are nearly trash-free.

"The difference that dedicated volunteerism and directed enthusiasm can make is astounding!"

For volunteers like Salgado, it's rewarding to be able to see the amazing difference he's made by helping de-trash.

"It's incredibly gratifying after three hours of digging through mud and dirt and lugging 40-50 pound bags of trash uphill, to look back on the space I just worked on and see nothing but the dirt, grass, and water that should be the only things there," he says.

"Our efforts have turned something that most people thought was an unlined storm drain into a beautiful bit of nature that runs directly through the center of a huge city."

Of course, that feeling of pride sometimes comes with a tinge of disappointment. The battle with trash is never-ending. But it can be won. It just requires all of our support.

If you want to help keep nature clean, beautiful, and inhabitable, you absolutely can. It just takes commitment, and sometimes, getting a little dirty.

"The problem of trash in local green spaces is an ongoing issue," Welborn says. "For anyone who's interested in solving this problem, local organizations and dedicated volunteerism can make a real difference."

Getting involved is as easy as looking for cleanups in your local area. Or starting one yourself. If you do the latter, Welborn offers this piece of advice: Be prepared for the enthusiasm to be so infectious that you won't be able to help coming back to continue working to make the green spaces pristine.

"The atmosphere of a cleanup is so uplifting," she says. "Everyone is working hard, collaborating, and cracking jokes. Once you come to one, you might get hooked!"

Clorox believes clean has the power to transforms lives, which is why they've partnered with Upworthy to promote those same traits in people, actions and ideas. Cleaning up and transformation are important aspects of many of our social good stories. Check out the rest in the campaign to read more.

Powerful Clean

When they saw students acting out, these educators brought ties to school. Here’s why.

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Clorox

When teacher Kenneth Joyner and student support specialist Raymond Nelson III started working together they noticed something that worried them.

All photos courtesy of Boys With a Purpose.

What they were seeing in the classroom at Memminger Elementary in South Carolina were kids "cutting the cord" between themselves and their teachers. They weren't paying attention. They weren't listening. Overall, there was simply a lack of respect and discipline amongst their young male students.

In many cases, these kinds of discipline problems would be handled with detentions and suspensions. But Joyner and Nelson didn't think that yelling or exclusion would solve any of these problems long-term.

"When you go to my classroom, it says, 'Connect, Inspire, Teach.' That's my philosophy. That's what I live by," says Joyner.

These educators, who have had positive experiences with mentoring in the past, knew they could give the boys in their school a chance to become active participants in their education. So before the 2015 holidays, they decided they'd team up and get to work.

On January 6th, 2016, Nelson and Joyner brought ties to school and offered them to any boy who might want one. It seems like a small gesture, but it made an impact.

The ties Nelson and Joyner brought in actually belonged to them. They were, the men recall, too big and too long for third, fourth and fifth graders. But that didn't matter. The two men were helping kids put them on and teaching them the beginnings of a perfect knot.

And the boys didn't care that the ties didn't fit or that colors clashed. They didn't care that putting a tie over their regular clothes might look silly. All they cared about was that the ties helped them feel confident, more professional and more grown-up. The ties gave them an opportunity to see themselves differently than they had been before.

"A lot of the boys in the school were maybe labeled as trouble makers, maybe labeled as not good kids, maybe labeled as not academically on par," says Joyner.

"People have to see themselves differently if they're going to change. When they begin to see themselves differently, that's when they begin to act differently."

Nelson and Joyner note that many kids get in trouble because of the perceptions and conditions of worth that have been placed upon them. If a kid gets a reputation for being a fighter, then that kid may have a harder time proving he's more than that. Or say a kid works hard academically, but doesn't feel intelligent because only kids who got 100% on their math tests are called "smart." As a result, he may not make an effort to improve.

With the ties, Nelson and Joyner wanted to send the kids an important message: You don't have to fit into the narrow confines of the roles you may have been pushed into. You can clean up your act, soften your defenses, be both tough and vulnerable. If just putting on a tie made a decided difference, what happens if you adjust your whole image?

Proud of this new confidence the boys were emanating, Nelson and Joyner posted pictures to Facebook. The response made it possible for their small act to become "Boys With a Purpose," a full-fledged leadership program.

Within days of the photos going up on social media, Nelson, Joyner and the boys went viral. Soon, big names started calling. Eventually, Steve Harvey flew five of the boys out to be on his show.

Many of them had never been on a plane, and they certainly hadn't been on a TV show. It was another opportunity to see themselves differently; an opportunity to see the future they could have.

When Nelson, Joyner and the boys returned to school, they were bombarded with donations. People sent ties, then shirts and pants to go with the ties. Nelson and Joyner even received full suits for the boys. This outpouring of generosity allowed the teachers to give clothing to any boy who needed or wanted it.

Eventually they started an after-school program. Nelson and Joyner meet with the boys three afternoons a week, and on Thursdays, everyone dresses up.

While there was initially a misconception about the program — that it was only for kids who didn't have fathers or positive male role models in their life — Joyner notes that's not the case.

"Any young man who doesn't have a positive male role model in his life, this program is for him," says Joyner. "Any young man who does have a positive male role model in his life, this program is for him, because he needs to continue to grow, to learn, to instill those values in himself."

Today, Boys With a Purpose is giving more and more kids a chance at a limitless future.

The College of Charleston offered the group a place to meet on their campus, giving the boys yet another opportunity to see themselves differently: as future college students.

Nelson and Joyner also regularly bring in lawyers, doctors and community leaders to inspire the boys. They've even started working with robotics and they're learning how to code.

"What I wanted to make sure that they understood is that everybody is not going to the NBA, NFL, and major league baseball," says Joyner. "I'm happy if you do, but it may not happen, so in the meantime, I need you to work your academics. I need you to use every bit of your brain power that you can to focus. Not just to play video games, but to learn how to make video games."

Of course, the program still focuses on the basics — the boys learn about confidence, self-respect and respect for others. They learn social skills. They learn the importance of living life with integrity. As a result, many of the boys have improved their grades, improved the quality of their social connections and become leaders. Many of them are now role models for their siblings and other students.

These are the things, Nelson and Joyner say, that may take the boys even further than a degree — although, of course, they're hoping that they get one of those, too.

First, though, they hope that Boys With a Purpose's mission catches on across the country, becoming a powerful, positive inspiration for many more sparkling bright futures.

"We're just hoping that we can get people to see the importance," says Joyner. "Because [if] you start off with the boys at an early age, you can plant the seed early."

"That's what we're working on. Trying to plant the seed early, so when they get older, they can already have the tools necessary to be successful."

Clorox is committed to providing a gentle yet powerful clean, which is why they've partnered with Upworthy to promote those same traits in people, actions and ideas. Cleaning up and strength are important aspects of many of our social good stories. Check out the rest in the campaign to read more.

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