On Sunday we went to the Gowanus Canal and helped participate in cleaning the canal. When we got there, we met up with Natasia, who is an important member of the organization helping cleaning this canal. She explained what we would be doing. The Gowanus Canal organization has been extremely helpful in the clean up of the polluted Brooklyn canal. There were about 20 other people there who were helped as well. The Gowanus area was dirty and had piles of compost with steam coming out of it everywhere. We began by taking soil and leaves out from large garbage bags and putting it into a pile. Then we cleaned up Christmas trees and took off the ornaments. We then loaded them into a truck. Later we began pulling mulch out of large piles and loading it into wheelbarrows. Then, in partners, we brought the wheelbarrows across puddles and dirt to where construction workers where putting the compost into machines and cutting it up. This experience showed me how much help canals and rives and ocean need if they are contaminated. The reason the Gowanus Canal needs to be cleaned up is because corporations from a couple decades ago had polluted the water and nobody helped until now.
