In celebration of Earth Day, Binghamton University students and community members alike participated in a city of Binghamton cleanup event. Approximately 50 volunteers met at Despina’s Mediterranean Taste on Hawley Street to gather bags, gloves and maps before hitting the streets of Downtown Binghamton and the North Side to pick up trash.

The event was planned by City Councilman Conrad Taylor, a junior majoring in political science. Taylor has hosted four other cleanups since his inauguration last January with the help of his Clean and Green Coordinator Sharon Nieminski and constituent Debra Hogan. He said that he often gets complaints from his constituents about how the streets and sidewalks are dirty, and began organizing these events to help alleviate the issue.

“For Binghamton to continue to develop and rejuvenate, we need clean streets,” Taylor said. “Getting out in the community and making a physical difference is unlike anything else.”

The event was publicized through social media, local television shows and club Listservs. The effort was concentrated in the fourth district, where Taylor serves, and focused on major roads such as Susquehanna, Chenango and Court streets. Volunteers also picked up trash on the residential side streets, including Tudor and Centenary, that run perpendicular to the larger roads.

At the start of the event, Taylor thanked everyone for coming out to help and told them his goal for the day was to make a visible change in the community.

“Let’s actually make a difference today, so that when people drive around tomorrow, they actually notice a change,” Taylor said.

Like Taylor, Emily Van Loan, a senior double-majoring in cinema and integrative neuroscience, wanted to make a noticeable impact on the city during Earth Day.

“As someone who is a student and really does care about this community, I want to actively care about this community, and I thought this was a good way to show that,” Van Loan said. “I want the various vacant lots that are usually filled with garbage to be less full of garbage.”

Max Steinbach, a senior double-majoring in political science and environmental studies, heard about the event through a friend and thought it would be a great way to help out in the community.

“I think a lot of students don’t consider themselves to be part of a larger community outside of the University,” Steinbach said. “But it’s important to come together and make it a good place for everyone to live.”

Deborah Gabay, a junior double-majoring in geography and environmental studies, also said that she wished students were more involved in the greater Binghamton community and did their part to keep it clean.

“I know there is a big problem with people littering Downtown, mostly students, and I feel like it makes a huge difference to pick up the trash because not a lot of people would want to do that,” Gabay said. “I hope that Binghamton can become a more sustainable and clean community. I hope that many students at the school realize that there are real people who live here and it’s not just a place for them to trash.”

Taylor said he hopes to continue hosting cleanup events in his district throughout his tenure, and is in the process of planning two more, one in the summer and one in early fall.