Local Organizations Host Allston Block Party to Celebrate Earth Day
Chalk-filled streets surrounded Fern Street Square as local organizations fundraised and vendors sold food and clothes, creating a sense of community to celebrate Earth Day on Sunday.
Small stations of DIY crafts and board games filled the square, surrounded by clothes laid out on the block, and even a corner for free skateboard lessons. It was hosted by local organizations, each promoting a cause for the Greater Boston area.
The Public Living Room is part of a social movement that originated in the UK called Camerados, where people create safe spaces in a community to facilitate conversation and togetherness. This living room can be created by any effort to make a comfortable environment, or you can order a box filled with materials for free. An extensive craft table filled with pipe cleaners, markers, paint, and cardboard was set up for the event.
27-year-old Gina Bates brought PLR to Boston as a side project from her full-time job at a humanitarian nonprofit organization.
“My job deals with mental health, and PLR aligns with that,” Bates said. “Creating a community gathering for Earth Day, and in a park because it’s so nice out, really helps people connect.”
The air gradually filled with chatter, upbeat mixes from a student DJ, and the sweet smell of fresh cookies.
One man stood behind a table wearing a tattered apron with fresh-baked bread, cookies, and granola for sale. 24-year-old Niko Powell lives in the area and jumped on the opportunity to be a part of a social event that promoted sustainability. Powell was invited to sell his baked goods for the first time ever by Bates.
“I started baking during the pandemic to use less plastic from all the packaging,” Powell said. “If selling some of my baked goods helps gather people together, I’m all for it.”
Sustainable Swaps is an organization that aims to lower the impact of fast fashion by hosting events where people exchange or buy and sell their clothes with others. Emerson Student Mireya Zellner founded the organization on a whim with the rise of second-hand shopping to make a sustainable difference in her community.
“It’s really nice to see how much working towards helping the environment in a small way can form its own community,” Zellner said. “When people swap clothes, they bond over their similar taste in clothes and maybe even make a new friend.”
Zellner’s organization started hosting events only last year, including an Earth Day event with PLR. This year, there was a collaboration with more local businesses and organizations that promote social aid for underprivileged communities in Boston or are social organizers looking to expand their platform.
“This event is way more successful than last year already,” Bates said. “There was so much more traction on Instagram posts and it’s made PLR much more established coming together with other organizations.”
