Harvard Students Keep It Clean with Brew Dr. Kombucha

On the day following Halloween, November 1st, twelve students and Harvard’s NPT college ambassadors, Kyra and Aiken, rallied around the entrance to the Harvard T-station stop, ready to partake in a service and stewardship project for the town of Dorchester, MA. Kyra and Aiken navigated the group through 11 stops that eventually brought us to Dorchester around noon. Next came a mere fifteen-minute walk to Ronan Park, our main focus for this clean-up. Ronan Park is an active center of community for Dorchester residents, featuring 11.24 acres of green space, baseball/soccer fields, basketball courts, and walkways. Kyra and Aiken’s intention with this cleanup was to renew the space for local residents who see the park as a part of their daily lives. Dog walkers, athletes, bike riders, and general park-goers alike would most definitely benefit from a touched-up, trash-free park, and our twelve participants were ready to make this happen! We equipped ourselves with work gloves, contractor bags, several trash pickers, and set out to complete our service. 

As we started our trek to the park, we realized that our work would begin immediately! A walk that was originally planned to take 15 minutes quickly turned into half an hour as we cleaned the streets and sidewalks we traveled on. We separated into groups, one on each side of the street. Our trip participants were passionate about this work and shared stories about the service projects that many had led back home at their high schools. Students also shared that this outing was their first time participating in a service project and that they hope to stay involved. In completing this service project, Kyra and Aiken had hoped to leave every space they came across better than they found it. As the participants jumped at the opportunity to pick up trash not just from Ronan Park but from the residential areas and commuter pathways in the surrounding area, our hearts were filled with gratitude and pride.

Eventually, we arrived at Ronan Park and split into two groups. We had one team go left, and the other go right, so that each would meet in the middle on the other side of the park after completing the trash pick-up. Once again, each team made sure to equip themselves with gloves, trash bags, and trash picker tools for more sensitive waste. Kyra and Aiken were thrilled to see how motivated every participant was and how they all chose to pay special attention to the edges of the park’s property and areas not visible from the main walkways. By intentionally going after the trash that was more concealed and harder to get to, we all made an impact that went well beyond the surface level. Pieces of trash that had clearly been polluting the park for quite some time were finally wrested free from their hiding places and packed up in bags by our wonderful participants. After thoroughly cleaning the park, collecting over 4 bags of waste, we met together and stopped for an afternoon picnic in the center of Ronan Park’s main field. With our service completed and thirsts quenched by Dr. Brew’s kombucha, we ate our pre-packed meals while enjoying the abnormally warm November weather and each other’s company.  

Reflecting on the outing, Kyra and Aiken felt deeply grateful to see such enthusiasm and care from the participants. The students expressed how rewarding it was to see an immediate difference in the park and surrounding streets, and many shared how good it felt to give back to the community together. As the group returned to the T-station, a Dorchester resident leaned out from her doorstep to thank us for picking up trash from her front yard earlier, reminding us of the direct impact this service can have and why the work truly matters. This outing had a clear effect as participants left with a stronger sense of connection to their environment, communities, and each other. The National Park Trust played a key role in supporting and inspiring this trash. The ride on the T back to Harvard was filled with chatter: talks of more trash pick-ups and plans to grab meals together.