I often get asked about what I like doing when I am not talking, writing, teaching, and thinking about politics. It’s a stressful time in our nation and the world and I am constantly looking for ways to satisfy my diverse interests. Anyone who follows this column knows I love the theater, the Knicks, birding, talking about transportation, and most recently, learning all about New York City’s trash systems. Yes, I am a trash nerd who took a free online course with the Sanitation Foundation’s Trash Academy to learn all about how NYC moves trash, recycling, waste, and compost for close to 9 million people each day.
I initially took the course to learn about trash and quickly realized that the Trash Academy, which was attended by people from across the United States and the world, aims to “advance efforts that strengthen New York City’s cleanliness, sustainability, and civic pride.” Keeping a city clean is also keeping a city safe. We choose to live with millions of people and the collective action needed to keep NYC thriving is really a larger conversation about how we collectively view community and our intertwined futures.
The Sanitation Foundation is constantly finding ways to increase our collective sensibilities and this year will be celebrating the Trucks of Art festival, co-hosted with the Department of Sanitation (DSNY) on May 19th in Union Square. The festival is a citywide public art initiative, led by the NYC Department of Sanitation in partnership with the Sanitation Foundation. They invited independent artists to transform active DSNY sanitation trucks into bold, moving works of art seen daily across New York City. The organizers state, “Each design celebrates the work of keeping New York City clean while highlighting sustainability, waste reduction, and the essential DSNY workforce.”
What better way to celebrate New York than with a moving canvas? The unveiling of the trucks will take place next Tuesday at a family-friendly (and free) event in Union Square. At the event, the newly painted trucks will be on display. You can also view massive artworks up close, meet participating artists, enjoy various activities, learn all about sustainability, waste reduction, and the essential work of NYC Sanitation. According to the Sanitation Foundation, you can even roll up your sleeves and volunteer to participate in Community Cleanups, presented by Mack Trucks.
I am so excited to see if I can spot the colorful artistic trucks in various neighborhoods throughout the city in the months to come. Maybe seeing the trucks will inspire you to submit a design one day!
To learn more about this event and other interesting and engaging opportunities, check out the Sanitation Foundation website at www.sanitationfoundation.org. And be sure to enroll in the Trash Academy; we need more trash nerds keeping our city clean.
Christina Greer, Ph.D., is an associate professor at Fordham University; author of the books “How to Build a Democracy: From Fannie Lou Hamer and Barbara Jordan to Stacey Abrams” and “Black Ethnics: Race, Immigration, and the Pursuit of the American Dream”; and co-host of the podcast FAQ-NYC.