As the late September breeze blew trash across the Charles River Esplanade, Emerson Green Collective (EGC) and Emerson Sustainability volunteered to pick it up.
About a dozen Emerson students scanned the yellowing fields Friday morning, equipped with blue surgical gloves, clear garbage bags, and trash pickers. They collected cigarette butts, leftover food packages, and other pieces of trash that littered the park and its waterfront. The event was a collaboration between EGC, Emerson Sustainability, and the Esplanade Association.
Ava Tribe, a senior political communication major at Emerson and EGC’s president, talked about the choice to volunteer at the esplanade.
“It’s so local to Emerson,” Tribe said. “It’s one of our green spaces as a college.”
The Charles River Esplanade is located a mile northwest of the college. Students often use the space for nature walks, social gatherings, and studying space.
Tribe said that Emerson students benefit from keeping local parks clean, adding that keeping Boston cleaner, greener, and safer is only one aspect of the impact.
“Beyond the cleanup, what’s more important to me is that people are acknowledging their role in sustainability,” Tribe said.
One of EGC’s goals is to bridge the student’s creative passions with sustainability work. Besides organizing volunteer opportunities, EGC runs Green Magazine, Green Sound, and their WECB show—Environmental Hour.
Tribe believes Emerson can do more to educate about sustainability.
“Every major here can relate to sustainability … Having a better educational understanding of it all is very important,” she said.
The Esplanade Association is a nonprofit organization dedicated to maintaining the Esplanade’s park. They work in partnership with the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, which owns the Esplanade.
With only 14 employees, the Esplanade Association relies on volunteers to help their cause.
“We can’t come down here every single day to clean up all the trash, so having the volunteers come here makes a huge difference,” said Molly Ryan, 24, the volunteer and engagement coordinator at the Esplanade Association.
Ryan said the organization hosts volunteer events weekly and enjoys partnering with college students because of the direct impact.
“We are so happy you’re here,” she said to the group before giving them the cleanup supplies. “You guys are Emerson students, you are so close [to the esplanade] and you want to make sure this is a space you can come to and relax by the water.”
Sofia Olsson, 22, is a junior interdisciplinary studies major from California, and one of the student volunteers at the cleanup.
“I’m very passionate about the environment … and love being in the outdoors,” she said.
Olsson started her studies at Emerson in 2020 and took a two-year break after her sophomore year. Coming back, she said the city feels different than it did during COVID-19. She is happy EGC offers social and educational opportunities.
“This is my first semester [back] and I’m very excited to be a part of this organization,” she said.
“I plan on writing for Green Mag,” Olsson said. “One thing that I am interested in pursuing that relates to my course of study is the psychological impact of climate change and how that affects our psyche, especially as a younger generation coming of age in a world that is kind of on fire.”
Olsson sees significance even in small environmental acts.
“It sometimes feels silly to pick up trash because ‘what difference is it going to make?’ … I think it’s a very concrete difference,” she said. “You’re cleaning up a beautiful park that you love to visit … The work we are doing now is going to impact the world for generations to come.”
