It was a blustery Earth Day at Venice Beach where volunteers braved whipping sands to pick up trash.
The event was orchestrated by the Ecological Servants Project, an environmental non-profit. They organize volunteers for activities that include neighborhood cleanups, removing invasive plants from the ecosystem and conservation of coastal wetlands.
They provided trash-picking tools and bags, and when volunteers were done collecting garbage, they returned to basecamp where hot beignets were served fresh from a deep-fryer.
Project founder Jason Josyln and co-founder Robert Trumper traveled to Venice that morning from San Diego where the group also operates. Joslyn explained how the volunteers find each other on internet forums and create small groups to become eco-servants in their communities.
“Unification is what we’ve been working toward,” Joslyn said. “You can’t rely on the government. It’s your planet.”
