On Sunday, July 28, World Mission Society Church of God volunteers spent the morning cleaning up Kaiser Park and its beach in Brooklyn for World Environment Day. The volunteers organized the cleanup to encourage awareness and action for the protection of the environment. About 50 volunteers from the Brooklyn, Manhattan and Staten Island branches participated in the cleanup. They partnered with the NYC Department of Parks & Recreation to clean in the Coney Island section of New York City. Volunteers removed 350 pounds of trash and debris. Such debris includes many micro plastics that animals often end up ingesting. This affects the food chain as the micro plastics eventually make their way into foods that many people eat regularly.
Kaiser Park is located in Coney Island and is the perfect combination of beach fun, beauty and functionality. There’s a fishing pier for fishing with the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge seen in the distance, a track with different sports fields, and 20 grills for barbecuing. Kaiser Park is a large community park with over 26 acres of land. Naturally, many people spend their time in the park and enjoy its use. So, the volunteers’ cheerful attitude towards cleaning the park for the community earned appreciation from local residents and officials alike.
Cleanup Reactions
“It’s wonderful that we cleaned up this beach. It’s becoming a nice environment for families to come and spend time together. I’m just glad that this beach can become a safer place and a cleaner ocean for residents and the sea animals,” said Laura, a cleanup volunteer.
New York State Assemblyman Alec Brook-Krasny from the 46th Assembly District attended and even participated in the cleanup.
“First of all, let me say thank God for the Church of God,” he said. “You guys are doing an amazing job here and it’s just so appreciated by many people, because we hope that one day we are all going to be swimming here. That day is still ahead of us, we have a lot to do, but every time I’m here with you, this beach is getting cleaner and cleaner.”
“The Department of Parks has 1,700 parks to take care of. That’s 14% of NYC land,” said Kate from the NYC Department of Parks & Recreation. “Unfortunately, with half the budget needed, we cannot get to the beaches. What you’re doing here is really appreciated by our staff and provides tremendous help.”
Raising Awareness
The United Nations Established World Environment Day in 1974. It’s a platform for raising awareness on environmental issues such as marine pollution, overpopulation, global warming, sustainable development, and wildlife crime. Thus, the World Mission Society Church of God is committed to working in local communities to bring lasting changes and making the parks, streets, and oceans clean.
The Church of God believes they can positively impact the safety and well-being of their neighbors by promoting the importance of clean and orderly shared spaces. Church members follow Jesus Christ’s teaching to be the “salt and light of the world.” Though these events may seem small, in the grand scheme of things, they have a gigantic impact on the world and future generations.
The Church of God’s young adult volunteer group, ASEZ WAO carried out their own cleanup at Kaiser Park just a month and half ago. Take a look at their cleanup results by clicking here.
