Bette Midler moved back to New York after the 1994 Northridge earthquake. Once there, she was concerned about the amount of garbage in the parks. She started cleaning Fort Tryon Park and in 1995 she founded the New York Restoration Project, dedicated to cleaning and restoring green spaces in New York’s five boroughs.
The organisation has so far helped plant 1 million trees, replenish 80 acres of parkland and protect 110 community gardens. Bette and volunteers have picked up 5 million pounds (2.3 million kgs) of trash from public spaces.
Image credit: James White for Variety
“It’s astonishing to see what a little care and attention can do,” Midler says. “How it can change the neighborhood. How it can change people’s lives. It’s very rewarding.”
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Image credit: New York Restoration Project
Image credit: New York Restoration Project