Residents Make a Clean Sweep of Earth Day

Eighth-graders Ryan Deutsch and Nolan Smith could have spent their Saturday with friends. But in the spirit of Earth Day, they decided to spend it at school.

Encouraged by a mural in the school’s quad that reads, “The Future is In Our Hands,” the two 14-year-olds joined about 100 other classmates and faculty from Balboa Middle School in Ventura to spruce up the campus with brooms, rakes, a rainbow of flowering plants and fresh coats of paint.

“It all makes our school a better place,” Nolan said. “Having it clean and looking good makes it a lot more comfortable here.”

Throughout the county, residents lent a hand to help preserve the natural beauty of their communities and increase awareness about the need for society to be environmentally conscious.

Some events, like the “Making a World of Difference” celebration at Oxnard College, were more festive, featuring music, food and exhibits with an ecological theme. Others, like the campus beautification day at Balboa Middle School, were more proactive.

Ryan and Nolan took turns with a shovel planting bunches of elfin roses, blue marguerites and electric-pink impatiens. Other students swept the cement pathways, while still others wandered about packing candy wrappers, papers and soda cans into trash bags.

“I think the students get a lot out of this,” said Balboa Principal Helena Reaves. “They learn to respect their school and themselves because they’re the ones working to make this a better place.”

Other volunteers, like district maintenance and repair employee Fernando Gonzales, agreed.

“In a climate where graffiti and vandalism are so prevalent, this goes a long way toward stopping it,” he said. “When kids are the ones doing the work, they’re the ones who are going to protect it.”

Meanwhile, more than 40 people showed up at Ventura’s Marina Park to scour the beaches, jetties and grassy lawns for trash.

Organized by the city’s Partners in Progress, a volunteer organization that works to preserve the area’s natural beauty, the beach cleanup brought together families, individuals and other civic organizations for the four-hour event.

“It’s a great way to not only spend Earth Day, but also to get people out to our parks and take an interest in them,” said Beth Caputo, project manager at Partners in Progress. “All we really want is for people to care about them.”

Several Brownies from Troops 123 and 156 were among the scores of people cleaning the beach.

“I want to keep the park clean because it’s a lot more fun to play in when it is,” said 11-year-old Melissa Sanchez of Brownie Troop 156. “Besides, it’s also fun.”

Melissa’s mother, troop leader Karen Sanchez, agreed and said the cleanup gives the kids an important lesson in responsibility.

“It teaches them the value of our parks here in Ventura,” she said. “Hopefully doing this sort of thing will make them better leaders in the future.”