The threat of severe storms did not keep dozens of Dallas residents from working to clean up their community.
Dallas Park and Recreation partnered with local “de-extinction” company Colossal Biosciences to put on a community park cleanup event on Saturday to round out Earth Week. The event took place at Ferguson Park in northeastern Dallas from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
The Dallas Express arrived shortly after the cleanup event began. City staff provided dozens of participating residents and their children with gloves, trash pickers, trash bags, cleaning supplies, and other tools to help clean up the surrounding area.
Volunteers picked up trash, washed the park’s playground and workout equipment, and executed other tasks to improve the park’s cleanliness.
“To me, it’s more than just a clean-up. It’s beautifying your park,” said Tamara Aquino-Cespedes of Dallas Park and Recreation. “It’s not just litter, but we just put flowers in over there, and we painted a couple of pools, and I mean, honestly, it does give [the park] its shine back.”
Volunteers included several individuals affiliated with Colossal Biosciences, who helped out with picking up trash and refuse. Aquino-Cespedes noted that a previous It’s My Park Day event was planned for the previous Saturday (Earth Day), but it was canceled due to rain. Colossal Biosciences, however, was “really motivated” to hold the most recent cleanup regardless of the weather, she said.
Members of the company told The Dallas Express that Saturday’s event was a pilot for the company’s collaboration with Dallas Park and Recreation and a way for the Dallas-based firm to give back to the community while engaging in conservation efforts.
“We see this as an opportunity to do more work with the City of Dallas. Events like this, getting community members out, getting our team out, and helping clean up, whether it be planting trees next time or whatever it is that they need help with,” said Stefano Daza-Arango, manager of conservation partnerships at Colossal Biosciences, speaking with DX.
The City of Dallas has struggled to deal with trash accumulation in public spaces. A survey conducted by DX in 2023 showed that most residents were unhappy with the City’s handling of the problem.
Organizations like the Metroplex Civic & Business Association have had to step up and organize their own adopt-a-block programs and cleanup events.
Daza-Arango said that Colossal Biosciences is open to future collaborations to serve Dallas residents.