Eastie Farm: Earth Day and Beyond
These photos are from a comprehensive photojournalism feature completed as a final project for my photojournalism class. It was originally published on this webpage, which also includes a 500 word article about the project.
East Boston, MA: April 22, 2024 - Members of the Climate Corps trek to the Mary Ellen Welch Greenway, equipment in hand. There, they plan to spend hours building new features around the path to reduce flooding and soil erosion, making it more community-accessible regardless of weather.
East Boston, MA: April 22, 2024 - Ilaria and Gabriel, two Climate Corps fellows, soak up the sun on an erosion control blanket. A few moments from now they will begin installing straw wattles and plants, just one of the three single-day projects happening at the Mary Ellen Welch Greenway, with even more Earth Day projects at other Eastie sites.
East Boston, MA: April 22, 2024 - Yared, another Climate Corps fellow, works to dig a trough on the side of the path. The team will use this trough to install a silt fence to keep cascading soil at bay.
East Boston, MA: April 24, 2024 - A few days after Earth Day, a passerby enjoys a clean walkway thanks to this section of the team's efforts. Because of this installation and others like it, rainwater is slowed and sediment runoff is captured before it can spill onto the path.
East Boston, MA: April 21, 2024 - Climate activist group Extinction Rebellion holds an event inside the Eastie Farm Greenhouse. Families gather to play “Extinction Jenga”, a volunteer-made game created to help teach the fragility of ecological balance.
East Boston, MA: April 22, 2024 - Our Garden is one of seven community-growing sites managed by Eastie Farm. Filling various roles day to day, it can be a safe destination for unhoused community members, an educational resource for students at the nearby Mario Umana Academy, and more.
East Boston, MA: April 22, 2024 - Roberto Gomez, Eastie Farm's Volunteer Coordinator and Event Facilitator, and Bryan, a frequent volunteer, fill a truck bed to the brim with chamomile grown at "Our Garden."
East Boston, MA: April 24, 2024 - An East Boston resident stops in at the "Our Garden" site for his first time volunteering with Eastie Farm. Within a few minutes, he's been given the lay of the land and is removing weeds with other volunteers.
East Boston, MA: April 24, 2024 - At one of many weekly volunteer work parties, gardeners take a break from tending to the plant life to eat sandwiches from a local Vietnamese restaurant. Eastie Farm provides dinner at every one of these work parties.