A group of SJC Brooklyn students are teaming up throughout October to help clean the Gowanus Canal Conservancy.
Lisbeth Juela Tenemaza, far right, and her friends cleaning up the Gowanus Canal Conservancy.
During the tree stewardship cleanup volunteer activity at the conservancy, students made sure local tree pits were weed and litter free. Some students volunteered at the conservancy — located just over two miles from SJC Brooklyn — through their Honors Program certification or the campus’ Go Green club.
Lisbeth Juela Tenemaza, a junior Criminal Justice major, joined the tree stewardship cleanup twice. She said she chose to participate in this community service project after developing an affinity for nature and service as a teenager, when she took up gardening with Midwood High School.
“Since I’m required to volunteer once a semester for the Honors Program, I decided to do something I really enjoyed — like helping the trees out in my community,” said Tenemaza of Sunset Park, Brooklyn. “The Gowanus area is pretty close to where I live and so it felt fitting.”
An tangled necklace found at the Gowanus Canal Conservancy.
She and her peers — led by Kris Percival, Academic Center director and coordinator of Student Accessibility Services at SJC Brooklyn — removed an assortment of garbage and litter from the conservancy, including an intricate necklace, kids bike helmet, a syringe, drywall, boots and recyclables.
“While I was cleaning the trees I found so much garbage — it seemed unreal,” said Tenemaza, a member of the sorority Beta Upsilon Delta, and the Go Green, Women’s Empowerment and Law and Justice Society clubs.
The Gowanus Canal Conservancy empowers community stewardship of the Gowanus Watershed. Since 2006, the conservancy has served as the environmental steward for the neighborhood through leading volunteer projects, teaching about environmental issues, and working with officials and members of the community to care for the canal.
Tenemaza said she is proud she could play a part in rejuvenating the canal.
“To me, it’s important to give back as much as you take,” Tenemaza said. “I live in Sunset Park, and we’re known for the beautiful park that takes your breath away at sunset. But over the years, the park and the trees have been subject to a lot of littering.
“The trees in my neighborhood, especially, have really hard clay soil which makes it hard for a tree to prosper,” she continued. “I know that isn’t a problem solely Sunset Park faces, so I wanted to help the Prospect Park area through the Gowanus Canal program.”
