Volunteers to Welcome in the Year of the Ram by Cleaning and Greening

For immediate release: Feb. 13, 2015

Contact: Rachel Gordon, 415-554-6045

San Francisco, CA – On Saturday, Mayor Ed Lee, District 3 Supervisor Julie Christensen and San Francisco Public Works will join more than 150 volunteers in celebrating the Chinese Lunar New Year with neighborhood beautification and cleaning projects.

Lion dancers, firecrackers and other festivities are a part of this month’s Community Clean Team, Public Works’ largest and longest-running volunteer program, now in its 15th year.

Saturday’s morning of community service will focus on Chinatown, North Beach and other District 3 neighborhoods. Projects include landscaping, planting trees, sprucing up alleys, removing graffiti, painting the Stockton Tunnel and embarking on many other beautification projects.

“As we celebrate the Lunar New Year, it is a great time to reflect on what is important to us as a City and ask how we can contribute to our community,” said Mayor Lee. “Our dedicated residents and volunteers who are cleaning and greening our diverse neighborhoods provide the inspiration, energy and teamwork that keeps San Francisco a world-class city.”

Lunar New Year Community Clean Team event details:

When: Saturday, Feb. 14, 9 a.m. start time

Where: Portsmouth Square, Washington and Kearny streets

What: Lunar New Year celebration and neighborhood beautification projects

Photo opportunities:

Lion dancers at Portsmouth Square, Washington and Kearny streets 

• Planting and landscaping medians along Drumm at Washington

• Pruning and cleanup of Kearny stairs, at Filbert

• Pruning and mulching at The Embarcadero, Battery to Broadway

• Graffiti abatement on Polk Street

• Painting inside the Stockton Tunnel

This is the second of 11 Community Clean Team volunteer work days for the 2015 season. Each month, volunteers will focus on a different supervisorial district.

“It is inspiring to see so many community members come out to lend a hand in beautifying our neighborhoods,” said Supervisor Christensen. “Kicking off the Year of the Ram with volunteerism and cleaning projects bolsters neighborhood empowerment, binds our diverse communities, and helps our residents and small businesses keep the City sparkling.”

Community Clean Team partners with Giant Sweep, a citywide campaign that brings together local schools, residents, businesses and community groups to create a culture of clean. The program has logged more than 154,000 volunteer hours in the last three years and gathered more than 40,000 pledges from residents to play a role in keeping San Francisco clean and beautiful.

The Year of the Ram is tied to peace and calm, with personal characteristics of those born in these years as kind-hearted with a sensitivity to art and beauty, a perfect tie-in to Community Clean Team goals of keeping our neighborhoods clean and green. The Year of the Ram starts Feb. 19, 2015 and lasts to Feb. 7, 2016.

“This will certainly be a year to ram-member, as we keep the momentum going with the community cleanups, getting our neighborhoods into sheepshape and empowering folks to take pride in this great City,” said Public Works Director Mohammed Nuru.

Since 2000, the Community Clean Team program has logged more than 148,000 volunteer hours, added more than 30,000 plants to public spaces, and painted over more than 3 million square feet of graffiti. Information about dates and locations, and how to sign up, can be found at sfpublicworks.org/volunteer.