syradoptablock

[syradoptablock]

It’s been a mild December and our Adopt-a-Blockers are still caring for their blocks, green spaces and keeping our city clean one block at a time. Our coordinators are planning exciting announcements and projects to keep cleanups safe and fun. Stay warm and thank you for wrapping up a great year of cleanups.

Maria Lewis and the Adopt-A-Block Team

[syradoptablock]

How fitting :)

[syradoptablock]

WOSA

West Onondaga Street Association clearly had a blast picking up!

[syradoptablock]

Mayor Walsh #SYRAdoptaBlock #PSA

[syradoptablock]

He that plants trees loves others besides himself

[syradoptablock]

Do You Want to Adopt-A-Trashcan?

Check out what our friends on the Westside are doing with #AdoptATrashcan

Adopt-A-Trashcan

The Alchemical Nursery Project, Inc. and the Westside TNT are again teaming up to keep the westside clean.  The Adopt-A-Trashcan program provides heavy-duty plastic trash cans available for placement at residences or businesses. To Adopt-A-Trashcan, residents or businesses sign a pledge agreeing to maintain the cans, place them in a prominent position accessible to the public at the front of their property, and set them to the curb on trash collection night. The heavy-duty plastic cans are stenciled with “I’m Here For You”.  A wooden stake installed in the ground holds the can in place by slipping the handle over the top of the stake. 

Funding for this round is being sought from the Gifford Foundation's What If? grant program. Volunteers are sought to provide outreach to recruit adopters, to become adopters, and to help with the administration of the program. Adopt-A-Block participants who may want to receive a trash can and/or volunteer in other capacities should Contact Frank Cetera at 315-308-1372, frcetera@alchemicalnursery.org, or come to the 610 Gifford Garden Saturdays between 11:00 am - 12:00 pm for more info.

The Adopt-A-Trashcan program has placed over 40 trashcans with adopters.  Using a very conservative estimate of 10% of each can’s 30-gallon volume capacity, the program has kept over 2.8 tons of trash per year off City of Syracuse streets and out of local waterways including Onondaga Lake.  This calculation uses the garbage/household rubbish volume-to-weight conversion factor of .28 ounces per cubic inch from aqua-calc.com.

30 gallons = 6930 cubic inches. 6,930 cu.in. * .28 ounces per cubic inch * 40 trashcans = 77616 ounces = 2.42 tons = .06 tons per trash can. Over the course of one year we estimate the cans are filled and emptied conservatively on a monthly rotation, leading to an annual total of .06 tons for each of 40 cans * 12 months * 10% adjustment = 2.8 tons annually.

[syradoptablock]

Thank you Leadership Greater Syracuse for stepping up to adopt a block! 

[syradoptablock]

In an hour and a half, the volunteers collected 24 bags of litter and weeds, leaving a clean park for the Syracuse community to enjoy. The volunteers plan to return next month to clean Comfort Tyler Park again. This volunteer effort is part of WeLoveU’s Clean WORLD Movement—an initiative promoting a safe and healthy environment for communities worldwide.

[syradoptablock]

The Clean First Program was developed in response to the City’s Clean-up Cuse Adopt-A-Block program, a year-long neighborhood beautification initiative. Focusing on the Historic Hawley-Green triangle (bounded by James St., Lodi St., and Burnet Ave.)

NEHDA is encouraging neighborhood residents, property owners/investors, businesses and stakeholders to assist with “on the spot” litter pickup, as necessary.

Clean First will allow those who are interested to stop by the NEHDA offices any weekday during the first full week of each month, grab a bag, and proceed to any area in the Hawley-Green triangle and help beautify our neighborhood. Volunteers can return to NEHDA, drop off what they have picked up and let us know the area they cleaned.

[syradoptablock]

The Mayor’s Office first #SyrAdoptABlock under the Interstate 690 East/West Connector bordering Downtown Syracuse. We’re joined by our intern from @niagarauniversity-rp Kaylin Hubbard. Kaylin pitched an entire corridor beautification proposal at the Citywide Employee IDEAS Competition and came in as a semi-finalist.

[syradoptablock]

"While as a community every year we've done a great job rallying around Earth Day...where we quite frankly fall short is in following through," said Mayor Walsh.

By adopting a block, a group commits to cleaning a minimum of two blocks for the next two years. That includes organizing a monthly pickup and being responsible for keeping the block looking nice.

[syradoptablock]

It all started with our 2018 #EarthDay Clean-Up.

[syradoptablock]

Volunteers from the WeLoveU Foundation came together on Saturday to help clean up Comfort Tyler Park on East Colvin Street in Syracuse.

Each month, about 15 volunteers pick up litter, rake leaves and remove weeds at parks to encourage environmental protection in our community.

Volunteer coordinator Roxanne Libby says they chose this park because they understand there are a lot of families in the area and a lot of children who like to use the park.

WeLoveU is an international organization and its volunteers work in communities across the world to keep parks safe and clean.

[syradoptablock]

Van Duyn Elementary 5th Grade Class with Mrs.Kelly McCann are our #SYRAdoptABlock heroes! Great job kids!

[syradoptablock]

Litterbug Doug

Back in August, a resident asked us to consider a mascot for Adopt-a-Block. The thought intrigued me but we were still eyeballs high in logistics to unravel. I did a quick search and found this playful book on litterbugs! Something you can read to children in the winter to continue #KeepingCuseClean :)

[syradoptablock]

The City of Syracuse Neighborhood and Business Development Department adopting Billings Park. They mean business :-) 

[syradoptablock]

Ruthnie Angrand, Director of Marketing and Communications; Corey Driscoll Dunham, Director of Operations; Jimmy Johnson, Syracuse Police Officer; Mayor Ben Walsh and Deputy Mayor Sharon Owens pose for a photo after cleaning up litter in downtown Syracuse Saturday, Aug. 4, 2018. Photo used with permission. (City of Syracuse Facebook page)

from @Syracuse.com

To the Editor:

I think I saw a strange and wonderful sight Saturday morning on East Washington Street in Syracuse. A young man with tongs was picking up and bagging trash near the Interstate 81 overpass. He looked like Mayor Ben Walsh. Could that be possible? Could the new mayor actually be doing something himself to make the city more livable? If so, it's a wonderful example for all of us.

Fred Wenthen Fayetteville

Editor's note: Yes, it was the mayor, participating in City Hall's monthly Adopt a Block program.