On Sunday, May 5, 2024, 34 ASEZ student volunteers from various universities, including Tufts University, Bridgewater State University, and Massasoit Community College, united to clean DW Field Park in Brockton, MA. The volunteers collected 16 bags of trash, totaling 105 pounds of waste, in an effort to preserve their community green spaces.
To accomplish carbon neutrality and UN SDG 13, ASEZ is carrying out the Green Carbon campaign worldwide. Green carbon refers to the carbon stored in the terrestrial ecosystems, such as forests. It acts like a natural vacuum that sucks up carbon dioxide, which is a major player in climate change, and stores it safely in trees, plants, and soil. These terrestrial ecosystems can absorb about 11 billion tons of carbon every year.
Inspired by this campaign, the volunteers in Massachusetts wanted to contribute to the climate change response and preserve their local parks. DW Field Park is located in Brockton, MA, which is the sixth largest city in Massachusetts. The park is very popular for outdoor recreational activities. Due to its foot traffic, waste quickly accumulates in the surrounding forests, fields, and walkways. With gloves and garbage bags in hand, the volunteers moved as one unit to clean up the park. Volunteers removed debris from the parking lot, entrance, roadsides around Upper Porter Pond, as well as Tower Hill. Community members also stopped by the ASEZ tent to learn more about carbon neutrality and how ASEZ is working to accomplish it worldwide.
State Representative Rita Mendes Stands Behind ASEZ’s Mission
During the clean-up, State Representative Rita Mendes visited to share words of encouragement and support for ASEZ. She stated, “It’s small acts like this that bring us together to really care for our environment. When other people see us doing the same thing, it will initiate others to come together. Thank you for coming to Brockton and thank you for doing all of this. I really want to get together with you and help you. I really appreciate all of you.”
ASEZ volunteers were inspired to continue cleaning up parks in their local communities and playing their part to combat climate change. They are also looking forward to seeing community members enjoy the newly cleaned park.
