He couldn’t ignore the trash piling up in L.A., so he quit his job
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Juan E. Naula is the founder of @cleanlawithme, a nonprofit created to make a difference in Los Angeles. When he landed in L.A. in early 2025, he was pursuing a business opportunity for his start-up company. When things didn’t go as planned, he decided to turn that frustration into something positive.
After living most of his life in Virginia, Naula was shocked to see the amount of trash in the streets and wanted to take action. Inspired by his family’s hometown in Cuenca, Ecuador, Naula started cleaning up the city one trash bag at a time.
He now dedicates his mornings and evenings to cleaning up parks and sidewalks across L.A. County. He’s grown a massive following on social media and gathers volunteers every Saturday for minga, a Kitchwa and Quechua word that means “community work.”
After living most of his life in Virginia, Naula was shocked to see the amount of trash in the streets and wanted to take action. Inspired by his family’s hometown in Cuenca, Ecuador, Naula started cleaning up the city one trash bag at a time.
He now dedicates his mornings and evenings to cleaning up parks and sidewalks across L.A. County. He’s grown a massive following on social media and gathers volunteers every Saturday for minga, a Kitchwa and Quechua word that means “community work.”