Tom Aulenback is the founder of Greenpoint Trash Club, a weekly neighborhood cleanup and social meetup he started in August 2024. He founded the club as a practical response to a subway shutdown, which made getting to the Bushwick cleanup group he used to volunteer with too long a trip. He’s since turned his group into a consistent and growing community of New Yorkers who spend an hour picking up trash before heading into a local restaurant or bar to connect.