The spot where we're planting is a large green space that's all part of the DOT right of way. No one really takes care of it besides me and the groups I've organized.
I started this project last year when I was unemployed from a former high paying tech job. I wanted to do something with social impact and tangible benefits, so this all started with cleaning up litter in my neighborhood. I didn't even have much of an appreciation for plants at the time, but the progress from cleaning up all the litter kindled an interest in this type of stewardship.
I volunteered at a similar project last fall with a group of gardeners. Their goal was to turn a traffic divider that was used as a dumping ground into a pleasant green space. The current project I'm working on at the plaza has mostly come down to reapplying the same techniques and gardening tricks. Their technical support and encouragement has provided a lot of octane to this project.
People have brought me drinks, lunch, and invited me to their backyard bbqs. One of my elderly retired neighbors offered cash to help pay for what I was doing. Even the neighbors I've never seen smile have expressed delight with the progress we've made.
I think it’s mostly the creative outlet that I find to be so vital. I'm not creative in the artistic sense of the word, but I thrive on the problem-solving and the attention to detail that goes into it.
I think my work ethic on this project was mostly inspired by the values that startup culture inculcated in me from my job as an engineer. The phrase that you have to "wear a lot of hats" is true, but it's euphemistic and the sobering translation is that you have to be willing to do everything yourself. I'm no historian, but perhaps this is a fair interpretation of the phrase 'We the People' etched into our national myths. If the legitimacy of the state in a democracy is warranted on the consent of the governed then it follows that we shoulder the full burden of responsibility for our destiny.
I started this project last year when I was unemployed from a former high paying tech job. I wanted to do something with social impact and tangible benefits, so this all started with cleaning up litter in my neighborhood. I didn't even have much of an appreciation for plants at the time, but the progress from cleaning up all the litter kindled an interest in this type of stewardship.
I volunteered at a similar project last fall with a group of gardeners. Their goal was to turn a traffic divider that was used as a dumping ground into a pleasant green space. The current project I'm working on at the plaza has mostly come down to reapplying the same techniques and gardening tricks. Their technical support and encouragement has provided a lot of octane to this project.
People have brought me drinks, lunch, and invited me to their backyard bbqs. One of my elderly retired neighbors offered cash to help pay for what I was doing. Even the neighbors I've never seen smile have expressed delight with the progress we've made.
I think it’s mostly the creative outlet that I find to be so vital. I'm not creative in the artistic sense of the word, but I thrive on the problem-solving and the attention to detail that goes into it.
I think my work ethic on this project was mostly inspired by the values that startup culture inculcated in me from my job as an engineer. The phrase that you have to "wear a lot of hats" is true, but it's euphemistic and the sobering translation is that you have to be willing to do everything yourself. I'm no historian, but perhaps this is a fair interpretation of the phrase 'We the People' etched into our national myths. If the legitimacy of the state in a democracy is warranted on the consent of the governed then it follows that we shoulder the full burden of responsibility for our destiny.
