San Francisco residents take part in projects to beautify neighborhoods
Volunteers in San Francisco are taking matters into their own hands to spruce up their neighborhoods.
Cynthia Gissler has been working to change an area of Lombard Street, where cars coming off the 101 and the Golden Gate Bridge enter the city.
"I just want it to be a peaceful place, welcoming, and I want people to feel welcome in this beautiful city," said Gissler.
She found some 25 volunteers to help including some or her youngest neighbors.
"I'm planting trees," said Rayaal Wada.
"It's really fun to help out the environment and make the world a better place," said Amina Wada.
Gissler and other volunteers initiated the project three years ago by getting the city and others, like the Presidio Trust, involved in installing native and drought-resistant plants.
"I was never concerned about how long it would take. I kept telling them, 'I'm going to live till 120 if it takes many years, I'll just keep working on this,'" said Gissler.
"These are crazy times that we're living in right now. So, participating in this makes you feel like you are helping to make it better in San Francisco," said neighborhood volunteer Sherry Archer.
Residents looking to improve their neighborhoods have different avenues to get help including reaching out to their district supervisor.
New city programs, like the "Love Our Neighborhoods" permit and "Love Our City" beautification days, are also making various projects easier to get approved.
"We want people to work with us, though, not get frustrated as we're trying to make sure that things are kept safe. But we really are trying to streamline this, this process for people to improve their neighborhoods," said Rachel Gordon of the San Francisco Department of Public Works.
Smaller pocket projects like installing benches, lights, and little free libraries, are now easier to get green-lit by the city.
For Cynthia Gissler, these community-driven projects are key.
"Find the one thing you can do in your neighborhood to make the world a more beautiful place," said Gissler.
It's every day residents creating change, sometimes one plant, or project at a time, that can make the difference between urban blight and beautification.
