Here is a special Father's Day edition of Humans of Hyde Park! 

Tell me how you came to Hyde Park and what you do in Hyde Park?

My wife and I were looking to settle down and she was adamant about what she wanted in a house,  and I was adamant about it being in Boston since I’m a 5th generation Bostonian and Hyde Park was the perfect place where we felt like we would get what we wanted out of a home as well as a community environment to raise our kids in. We came here 6 years ago and we love it! It reflects the reasons why we chose the neighborhood and because of that it’s just more compelling to want to give back to the community. 

What are the reasons that made you come here and the reasons that keep you here in Hyde Park?

We have 2 children and what I remember from growing up in Boston that I loved most is that I grew up with kids from everywhere and I grew up seeing those kids in the neighborhood, seeing those kids around, and I see there’s parts of the city where that’s not as prevalent as I remember which correlates to the recent Boston Foundation Study that showed the shrinking child population. So when we came here and I saw that there was diversity, kids playing together, families, access to green space where the kids can congregate, it reminded me of the best of Boston that I had and I want that for my kids too. That’s what it is here! And the data speaks for itself: the prevalence of green space, family households - that’s what attracted us. Since then we’ve met other families who are active and engaged and that’s inspiring to me because at the last Reimagining Engagement session we heard Rep. Consalvo speak about how it’s not a surprise that Hyde Park is rising to the top as a place to live because it’s a reflection of it being a collaborative community. All the assets that our community has is driven by community efforts and collaboration with the reps and officials to funnel those resources here. I’ve seen that happen and I feel like there’s a sense of community. That’s what drove us here, but when you’re actually living it and experiencing it, it makes you want to stay. 

What do you do professionally and what community projects have you been involved in?

I’m a public land use planner; I’ve done land use planning for a number of things from schools, housing, infrastructure, open space conservation, and land protection. The Moynihan Playground (at 920 Truman Parkway) has been one of the larger projects I’ve been involved in. There’s also an outstanding request for getting municipal signage. It’s still in the works since 2018. You go around the city and see them - Readville has them - there’s two in Hyde Park. You see there’s no real placemaking so people can have a shared community identity and shared history. There’s a perfect place for it at the base of Wakefield Avenue and Truman Parkway - it’s part of a city streetscape.  

How are you building a coalition in the community?

If you bring up an idea and people are responsive to it, it’s the responsiveness that validates whether it’s worth pursuing. Because I’m aware of how certain processes work, I feel that it’d be irresponsible of me not to take it to the next step once there’s consensus around it. If it’s a good idea and people are going to benefit from it, then why not? That’s literally how it started, “Why don’t you write a letter?” 

How did the Moynihan Playground project get started?

The playground started with my son. Children tend to like to play and they tend to know what they like to play and where they like to play it. We used to go around different playgrounds and he asked me, “How come we don’t have a playground like the other ones?” He was basically asking me why don’t we have modern equipment, and I didn’t have an answer. It was at a playground in Readville and a playground in Milton that I actually met neighbors who live in Fairmount Hill and they were there because their kids also liked those playgrounds so then I’m like, “OK. I’m not tripping!” Once I started to realize it’s a shared issue, it led me to believe there’s a trend of other families going to playgrounds in other neighborhoods instead of ones closer to them. 

I applied for CPA (Community Preservation Act) funds - this is where the theme of jurisdictional impasse comes into play. I applied for the first time in 2018. They have an eligibility form and the city’s initial response was, “This is DCR (Department of Conservation & Recreation) property. Have you talked to them?” Regardless of who owns the park, it’s in the city of Boston which means the primary beneficiaries are the Boston residents and although the city distributes CPA funds the mechanism to enact the funds is established at the state level. I reached out to DCR as the city suggested and requested a site visit. The city of Boston came out in October of 2018 and the staff of Councilor McCarthy’s office and a few other members of DCR staff - now that we were in person we could ask those questions: “Can you see this park? Do you see clearly it’s being used?” It’s hard to avoid the potential when it’s in your face. From there we were able to get a potential scope in the eyes of the state identified. 

We re-applied in 2019 after taking up the city’s encouragement in 2018 to connect with DCR. DCR has its own partnership matching fund so I decided to create a Go Fund Me page so we could apply to DCR for the matching funds, then go to the city to show them matching us and ask for money. We didn’t raise enough money but DCR awarded us, but wouldn’t give it until we had a match. The city let us know we didn’t get the money because there was a higher priority for housing. 

2020 came around and I remember being up late and my wife walking in the living room and asking, “Are you still working on that playground thing again?” For me, I gotta see it through - I can’t see it unfinished! For the 3rd application I went deeper into the data - I’m gonna go full on planner on them. It was like, “Families are leaving Boston, but they’re coming to Hyde Park. Why wouldn’t you want to invest in things that are conducive to families?” When I first wrote the application, I had one kid and now if it were to start this year I’d have two. 

Our application was for $450K and it was based on DCR’s estimates and it was a matter of going to the committee hearings and listening to their priorities and it was about doing something for families. I spoke at the hearings and pointed out here’s a playground that checks the boxes of all of the priorities. I wrote to the committee members to follow-up on the comments to reiterate why the project aligns with the priorities let alone that it’s been years. 

The project went from not fully considered to being partially funded for $200K. I was so excited because I was able to tell my wife, “This year I stayed up and it worked!” This project shows how when there’s a multi-jurisdictional effort to collaborate for constituents that benefit from the resources they pay taxes to, things can happen. The city gave us partial funding and I applied to the state for a match where the one-to-one match happens and they gave us $140K. Now there’s $340K going to Moynihan Playground. Last I was told the design will be complete in summer/fall and construction will start in spring.

What’s next? Do we still need to raise funds?

With costs going up around the country in general, $340K from 2018 might not be the same today. Maybe members of the community can reach out to local councilors to see if there’s funding in the parks budget. It could be a matter of asking a state rep or senator to have money funneled to DCR to offset increased costs. Once they go out to bid we’ll have a sense of the costs - DCR will be the first ones to know what the costs are. 

At the end of the day, even though I wrote and called, it showed we need the city and state to work together to benefit the community of Hyde Park. 

If you're interested in supporting future efforts of the Moynihan Playground project please email keephpbeautiful@gmail.com 

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Sprague Pond, located in Readville, was featured in the December 9 edition of The Bulletin which details the ongoing challenges given its historic nature and potential development. This interview highlights three Hyde Park neighbors who have taken the lead in raising awareness of and preserving this treasure. 

Tell me a bit about yourselves and your involvement in the Sprague Pond project:

Mimi: “I’m the new president of HPNA, long-time activist and community organizer and attorney; I’ve lived in Hyde Park for 20 years. [The Sprague Pond project] is just one of those incredible projects [that] demonstrates the strength of the community coming together. It was a remarkable nexus of a whole host of different skills and capacity that really reflects the best of what Hyde Park can do when it brings community activists and real committed environmentalists together.”

Martha: “I’m a lifelong resident of the home I still live in - in Readville. I was raised by my grandmother and she would bring me up giving me the stories of how that was the Civil War campground, training ground and soldiers came there from all over New England. Sprague Pond was always a part of it - kids in my neighborhood would go there swimming [and] fishing. That was before the Acela came in, and then it became too dangerous. To know that this is the last totally undeveloped parcel for the Civil War campground at Sprague Pond and then to know further that MDC (now DCR) also believes it to be a prehistoric/Native American site makes this a very important parcel to preserve for our history. The views of Big Blue are phenomenal! Sprague Pond is a kettle pond - we only have a few of them in Boston and this is one of them. It is an ACEC - area of critical environmental concern - that goes from the Neponset River all across my side of Readville, across the train tracks, across the pond and on to Sprague Street.”

Sylvie: "I got a call in April 2020 about Sprague Pond from a colleague that I had done ecosystems physiology field work with, because they knew I was really into American history. At the beginning of lockdown, I had been binging on 18th century maps and journals [and] had purchased artist space in 2013 in Readville and the rivers, reserves and history were a big draw (I had moved from a similar area in Fort Point). By the end of the year, I was looking to return to environmental science and policy work again and in March 2021 I was invited to collaborate with community environmentalists on the technical aspects of this project. The statewide public hearing was held virtually mid-May, and Hyde Park Historical Society received the great pond determination letter by early October."

What sparked interest in preserving Sprague Pond?

Mimi: “A developer had an agreement with the original owners of two parcels to build a 3 unit townhouse adjacent to the pond - that was the impetus to start pushing back. Then there was the Conservation Commission component - this was all in 2020.”

Martha: “I went to the community meeting and went up to them [and said]: “You do know that’s an area of critical environmental concern? You do know that it’s a well protected area, and it’s historical. They claimed they really didn’t know. We later discovered via Boston Urban Wild that it’s been on the city’s list to preserve as open space for many, many years.”

Sylvie: "I believe Tom Sullivan of the Hyde Park Historical Society had read (in a golf magazine) that  it was a great pond also. I was happy to help with the technical research and presentation because I was “bingeing” on maps and historical docs more than usual, and working on a land-use tool and conservation primer. This isn’t about stopping development - [it’s the sensitivity] to this particular site. The marsh grass is beautiful; it looks like the pencil sketches from the 1700s.”

Mimi and Martha joined forces with key contacts to get the city to apply for funds and the matching grant from the Parkland Acquisitions and Renovations for Communities (PARC) to preserve the site. 

​What’s at stake with the Sprague Pond project? 

Mimi: “There are so many of these land acquisition projects that as a community we’re struggling to protect certain parcels of land. There’s Crane’s Ledge, Dale Street, etc. this question of why does the city not follow through on its commitment to open space even now when we understand that this open space is a critical component to inland climate mitigation. Conservationists don’t get in power and don’t write the laws. 

[We’re] trying to shift away from development as an economic engine to understanding that green space and inland climate mitigation and all of the things that are fundamental to our survival as human beings and Humans of Hyde Park - it’s fundamental to save this stuff because that’s what makes us human: embracing nature and the natural world and the cultural and historic manifestations especially at this site.  We’re hopeful with the new mayor that it’ll be systematic; each one [of these land acquisition projects] is its own little struggle but each one is part of this larger struggle of saving the remaining green space.”

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What’s the current status of the project and what are the next steps?

Mimi: “There’s been an appraisal done of the parcels. We’ve received a pledge of funding from the state and city."

Sylvie: “We met via zoom in March, presented May 2021, the state’s open comments concluded July 30 and the great pond designation was granted on October 12. The City of Boston Parks and Recreation Department secured a Commonwealth PARC grant that was accepted in December. Together with Community Preservation Act Funds, we were able to put together monies for land acquisition and extend an offer to the prospective developers through the Trust for Public Lands. There is a lot of important environmental justice work going on in Massachusetts and in the city- inland and on the coast- and all of these projects are part of one ecosystem, so it’s all in progress."

Mimi: “There was a lot of work that was done with the former State Rep. Angelo Scaccia and Rep. Rob Consalvo played a big role in getting a commitment of funding from the state and matching funding from the city [in fall 2021]. We have funding for what is a rational amount and the question is whether the developer will hold out or not.”

Martha: “Even if the developer doesn’t want to take that, he can’t bring in the water and other stuff he wants [given there’s the] great pond designation.”

Mimi: “Sylvie did a huge amount of research; she and Frank O’Brien presented to DEP and then there was this [great pond] designation so those are major milestones in this project that started with Martha hoping we could do something.”

What message do you have for your fellow Hyde Park neighbors?:

Mimi: “We are neighbors helping neighbors. You can come to meetings, you can write letters, talk to your neighbors - it’s really about getting a groundswell of community will to push political will.”

Sylvie: "People really come from all walks of life and many different state and municipal offices a  and many different state and municipal offices [to support our project]. No matter what you can contribute - big or small - everyone is important to the civic process. I've been impressed to see everyone gather around these issues and drop whatever differences they may have. So much was accomplished in a short period, and during a pandemic, because we were building on prior efforts, and because we have liberty and a democratic process. We used maps from as far back as 1640, and we were able to access court records, deeds, and other vital research because Americans value public education and open information. The Massachusetts constitution is the oldest functioning constitution in the United States and environmental protection legislation is written in because it is fundamental. We exercised law according to the Great Pond Act of 1648 and the public land and waterfront acts of 1866, that reaffirmed the public’s right to open space, clean air and water- and that is thrilling. To know that regular people can engage with the government and accomplish so much is extremely motivating, and moving."

Martha: “By talking to one another, other people will join [the cause] and that will make a difference.”

Mimi: “Door knocking is so important; it’s one of my favorite things to do. You can’t really understand a neighborhood unless you knock on doors. You have to meet the neighbors - you have to know people on a personal level.”

Sylvie: “Kids can get involved through Leventhal Map Center - they have a whole unit on the Civil War that includes a map of the encampment at Camp Meigs.”

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Interviewed by Kathryn Macdonald

Craig Martin is a long-time resident of the Readville section of Hyde Park who for  many years has been a vocal and persistent advocate for the preservation of Hyde  Park green spaces and livable neighborhoods. Craig was interviewed at the  Westinghouse Lofts on July 20, 2021.  

What is your Hyde Park history?  

I attended the Weld School in Fairmont for the first and second grades (the school  is no longer there) and the Fairmont School (now the Police Academy) for third  grade. The family then moved to Cape Cod where I stayed throughout high school.  After college and during a career as a CPA, I lived in and around Boston and Cape Cod, before returning to Hyde Park in the mid-l990’s. One of the reasons I  returned to Hyde Park was that it had the same quality and character as I  remembered from my youth.  

How did you get involved in Hyde Park activism/advocacy? What moved you  to action?  

After returning to Hyde Park, there were some proposed major changes that were  going to affect the quality of life in Readville. In the early 2000’s, there was a  proposal to construct the largest residential housing development in the history of  the state where the old Stop & Shop warehouse was located. Our neighborhood  banded together and managed to block that proposal and now that area is utilized,  as we’d hoped, for light industrial purposes. I have been a participant in several  neighborhood associations, with the hope of ensuring that proposed changes are  appropriate for the neighborhood. We sometimes met with success!  

What are your concerns for future Hyde Park development? 
 
My biggest disappointment now is that the power brokers in City Hall are ignoring  the zoning codes and the normal procedures that have been utilized by city  agencies in the past. We are not appropriately informed of development proposals  at community meetings. This information should be disseminated by the City Hall  community liaisons at the neighborhood meetings, as they are there to bring any  news from City Hall to us. It’s not adequate to simply make on-line postings. They  are staffed to inform us and they should be doing so. 

There are proposals to tear down well-functioning single family housing including  large Victorian homes and replace them with standard square “plastic” apartment  buildings. I feel this type of housing stock is out of character with our  neighborhoods. We appreciate the architectural diversity in Hyde Park - - single  family bungalows, two- and three- family housing, an occasional small apartment  building. The newest proposals are in violation of current zoning codes; many  variances are required and are being approved. Hyde Park was rezoned about 10  years ago under BRA (Boston Redevelopment Authority) direction; those by-laws  were accepted and the BRA suggested that the by-laws not be changed for at least  20 years. Now the BRA/BPDA (Boston Planning & Development Association) is  flooded with proposals that don’t come close to complying with the zoning by-laws  that they drafted. While our previous mayor had strongly lobbied for new  developments anywhere in Boston, we have other elected officials to monitor the  behavior of the chief executive officer (the mayor) at City Hall and to answer to  their constituents. Our voices are as loud as can be, but too often our requests are  being shunned. City councilors’ jobs are to represent their constituents and not to  bring their own thoughts to City Hall. They are hired to bring their constituents’  thoughts to City Hall.  

Hyde Park has stood out as different from other Boston communities, which is why  so many from other areas have moved here. We appreciate being able to get around in vehicles and finding nearby green space. The more we permit gargantuan apartment buildings here, the closer we come to being homogenized with the rest of the city and consequently, quality of life lessens.  
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Are you involved in other community efforts?  

I have been a participant in the Factory Hill Community Garden, where I attempt  to grow beefsteak tomatoes for juicy sandwiches. In my spare time, I enjoy getting to beaches with my dog, Watson, and swimming alongside him. I also see to it that  he gets runs through Blue Hills and dog parks in the greater Boston area.  

As things re-open, it was a pleasure to resume in-person interviews this summer. For the return of Humans of Hyde Park, a special in-person interview was conducted on a beautiful June morning with neighbor Victoria (Vicky) Gall at Fairview Cemetery. As president of the Friends of the Hyde Park Library, Gall led the fundraising efforts for the installation of a headstone for Dr. Rebecca Lee Crumpler, the first Black woman in the United States to earn a medical degree in 1864.

Tell me a little backstory about yourself:

I grew up in Connecticut, in a family that volunteered in the community. My mother with Hungarian refugees and with retarded children (the term used in the 50’s and 60’s), and I was a girl scout and candy striper. After college, I was very active with the Arthritis Foundation and AIDS Action Committee. When I moved to Hyde Park I went to an open meeting of the Friends of the Hyde Park Library and I’ve been with them since the mid-90s except for two years when I was in the Peace Corps in Turkmenistan. 

I learned at a young age that I enjoy being active and helping others. Now I have even more time, so why not do it!  In the past few years, I became interested in other local groups so I connected with the Hyde Park Historical Society and with Keep Hyde Park Beautiful for neighborhood cleanup and beautification projects.

Walking by the headstones of Dr. Rebecca Crumpler and her husband Arthur, Vicky provided a bit of backstory on her involvement:

This project developed from my love of history and cemeteries dating back to childhood. For the Hyde Park Historical Society, I wanted to find where people significant to Hyde Park were buried. I learned that Dr. Rebecca Crumpler - the first Black female physician in the United States - was buried in Fairview Cemetery. I looked for her gravesite and was surprised to find that she did not have a headstone. I immediately realized that something had to be done. I formed a committee and we started fundraising in February 2020. Within 2 weeks we had sufficient funds to purchase her headstone, and a separate headstone for Arthur Crumpler. The donations came from across the country and all four MA medical schools. We’ve brought overdue recognition to a medical pioneer and we plan to continue to honor her in different ways. 

That project made me think, “who else of historical significance or human interest is buried in this cemetery?” resulting in this year’s Points of Interest self-guided tour.  Small walking group tours can be arranged.

What do you hope for the community of Hyde Park?

If someone has an interest, just go out and investigate it. I don’t do a lot of group things - I’m more of a “give me a project, I’ll do it myself” kind of person. If you're like me, you can connect with a group that interests you and there’ll be things you can do individually. Try the personal ask to get others to help. For example, when people say “thank you for picking up litter” I suggest that they do the same in their yard or on their block.

When you have an idea, don’t be put off by people who say “that won’t work.” 

What are you currently focused on?

For the Friends of the Hyde Park Library: The library will open in a few weeks and we need volunteers in the following areas: 

1.   Book and Media Sales     
2.   Garden Committee [NEW]
3.   Children and Teen Program Planning 
4.   Social Media    
5.   Indoor/outdoor entertainment planning
6.   Educational offerings
7.   Membership Recruitment/ Board of Director activities
8.   Special Events 
Any future projects you’d like to see happen in Hyde Park?

The Hyde Park Historical Society would like to develop self-guided Hyde Park tours [similar to the map of Fairview Cemetery] on topics such as Black history, industry, and the women of Hyde Park. All we need are volunteers and inspiration. 

If any of the projects or initiatives that Vicky mentions are of interest to you, please email KeepHPBeautifiul@gmail.com so we can put you in touch with her.

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​​Nominate yourself or someone in the community for a Humans of Hyde Park story; nominees can remain anonymous in the story or use their first name only if they prefer: https://goo.gl/forms/qgTj1Rh8t2bSbh973​
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1. Litter Clean-Ups - There were a number of litter clean-ups whether by groups or individuals taking it upon themselves to grab a bag and tools and get to work. The ​Green Team made it out over the summer for socially distanced clean-ups. We really appreciated their energy and commitment to keeping our community beautiful!

2. Holiday Toy Drives - Part of keeping our community beautiful is also taking care of each other and efforts led by neighbor Michale P. Fagone and Shaw's manager and neighbor April Ricci to benefit Toys for Tots brought joy to so many children. 

3. Eagle Scout Bike Drive - When neighbor and Eagle Scout Dara Concagh posted to the Hyde Park Neighbors Facebook page about his bike drive project in the spirt of Reduce, Reuse and Recycle, neighbors rallied together to donate their bikes. Bikes have been in high demand in the midst of the pandemic and the community's response was proof that we really know how to step in and fill a need! 

4. Hyde Park Little Free Libraries - With our local library branch having to change service, many neighbors came to rely on our Little Free Libraries sprinkled throughout the community. One resident, Jesse Farren-James, did a phenomenal job keeping them stocked and alerting the community when they were replenished. This was and continues to be a great way for neighbors to share their books within the community as a commitment to reuse. 

5. Hyde Park Mobile Testing Site - Keeping our neighbors healthy is important and we are grateful for neighbor Jen Gaman and others' efforts to speak up and amplify the need for a mobile testing site in our community. This will enable us to continue to stay healthy especially as we head into 2021 and stay committed to keeping Hyde Park Beautiful. 

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Alex Thomas Jr. is a lifelong resident of Hyde Park, and a local business owner of the Carroll-Thomas Funeral Home. It wasn’t until we connected for this interview that I realized we are practically neighbors! We sat down at Coffee Break Cafe earlier this year to discuss his commitment to the community. 

Interview by Quiana Agbai

Tell me about yourself and how you’re involved with keeping Hyde Park beautiful?: 

I was born in Hyde Park in 1952, on Beacon Street - the big old stone house that looks like a castle. I went to school here growing up in Hyde Park, and my dad owned a funeral home next to my school - that was difficult! I got into landscaping with my grandfather, an Irish immigrant. I used to go out with him after school, cut grass, plant gardens and do all kinds of things. One of my favorite [memories] was a house in Milton where we were cutting grass and a weeping willow tree had a branch come down. My grandfather took it into the garage, peeled the bark off the bottom, put it in a vase of water, wrapped it up with toilet paper and said, “Bring this home and in a couple weeks you’re going to see white roots, and we’re going to plant it somewhere.” At the time my dad was running the funeral home on Oak Street and [the weeping willow] is there today. I was able to get two trees out of that: one at Most Precious Blood Church and one up at my son’s house in Canton. 

I take pride in Hyde Park. I live here now, and I bought the house next to the funeral home. Every morning the first thing I do is look out my window up Maple Street all the way to Las Vegas Seafood, and I go, “Aw man! This was spotless yesterday!” I love just walking down the street and picking up everybody’s trash. If I see kids walking up the hill and all of a sudden I see them doing something and [litter] goes down to the ground, I’ll walk over and nicely say, “You want to pick that up please.” I love keeping things beautiful; I love flowers, I love trees, I love nature. I really do! 

Speaking of youth, how have you inspired them to help keep Hyde Park Beautiful?:

I’ve had numerous kids in our neighborhood help over the years. I put a lot of time, effort and money into the flowers especially over at the Church [Most Precious Blood]. I can’t water them unless I do it by hand, which I can’t do all the time. I used to see [kids] walking by, and I used to ask, “When you get out of school, do you want a summer job?,” and I’d talk to their parents to make sure they knew who I was. I had probably 4 different kids over the years do that. One boy helped for 4 years - watering the flowers, doing great - I had him plant a little garden, and I became a mentor to him. Now he’s married with 4 kids!

Historically, what have you noticed with clean up efforts over the years?

I love the little gardens put around in the different squares! Back when I was a kid I never really thought of it. Graffiti bothers me, and I don’t have tolerance for litter - I’ve filled up a barrel full of trash at times. I still have t-shirts from Mayor Menino’s Boston Clean-Up with the broom on it, I think from 2002.  

What would you say to your fellow Hyde Park residents to encourage them to get started helping to keep Hyde Park beautiful?  

If everybody just concentrated on their little block - not just their house - and thought of their neighbors. Even things like cleaning off your neighbor’s car when it snows or helping the elderly people; just walk around and pick stuff up! I love it when I see somebody pick something up. It’s amazing how many times you see that! We can do some amazing things here. I love taking a left and going up my street and seeing that there’s not even a straw or a q-tip or cigarette butt. It’s so nice! I love having my sidewalks clean, and I love when I see people out in their yards. 

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​Is there any collaboration with Blake Estates or other businesses in your corridor?
I’m closely involved with Blake Estates, but mostly with the seniors - we love and appreciate them more than you know! We’ve never discussed a cleaning plan together; maybe that’s a good idea or plan I can seek out with Robin [the manager of Blake Estates]. 

As Shaw’s manager, what are some of your goals for 2020?
To continue to keep clean, continue to meet our customers’ needs, most importantly to listen - that’s the #1 thing that keeps me going. You have to listen, whether good or bad, continue to expand our variety and continue to get better. My goal is to continue to move up and forward - not look in the past. 

As a long-time resident, what do you look forward to in Hyde Park?
I see a lot of changes coming - sometimes change is needed to get better. Something I would like to see happen, and something I’m trying to implement at Shaw's, is we need to change our store fronts. I love that Main Streets put the wreaths [during the holiday season]. We need to expose all the great things about Hyde Park!

I notice people like to comment about Shaw's on Facebook, but what’s the most constructive way for people to give feedback about Shaw's to you? Can we give feedback to Shaw's corporate?
I tell people to contact me via Facebook - I may not be able to respond in a timely manner, but I read all the messages. They can also contact the store and I’ve given local business owners my number too so we can work together. I like the direct contact so I can hear from the person - it works better. I know it sounds cliche, “Fill out the survey!” but ultimately, our surveys go directly to our corporate office in Bridgewater, and it comes right back to us. They do see it, whether good or bad! There’s also social media for Shaw's too. Corporate sees it and passes it along to me - Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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​​Nominate yourself or someone in the community for a Humans of Hyde Park story; nominees can remain anonymous in the story or use their first name only if they prefer: https://goo.gl/forms/qgTj1Rh8t2bSbh973

Interviewed by Cathy Horn

KHPB was recently contacted by Hyde Park resident Osasenaga Idahor, a high school student hoping to get feedback on the Conscious Waste Decision project he’s working on for school. A couple of us met with him at Coffee Break Cafe and we were so impressed by his ideas, commitment, enthusiasm, and confidence that we decided on the spot to interview him for this Humans of Hyde Park feature. Osasenaga is eager to move his project forward and is looking for partners in the community. If you have feedback, ideas, or assistance you would like to share with him, please email us or comment here.   

1. Tell us about yourself and your connection to Hyde Park.
I have lived in Hyde Park near Cleary Square my entire life, and as I grow up, I continue to see myself connected to Hyde Park. Hyde Park is a special place for me because I feel more responsible as I grow up to give back to the small town in the city. I understand that I have an obligation to make my community a better place, for now, and for the future. Since my days in middle school, I always wanted to become someone whom others would respect for making a positive impact. I just did not know how, and I never realized that I could do so in Hyde Park, until now.

2. Tell us about the project you’re working on, and your goals for that project.
This past summer I visited Tokyo, Japan and I discovered that there were no public trash bins on the main streets, and yet there was not one piece of trash on any of the sidewalks or roads. In Tokyo, it is expected that anyone passing by on the street would hold on to their trash until they enter a building. When they enter the building, they could choose to recycle or throw it into the general trash bin. The discovery inspired me to begin thinking of how I could start changing people’s mindset about public waste receptacles here in Boston. I gathered my thoughts about how I could use existing trash bins to change the way people think before throwing away waste in these bins. Once I found out about Boston’s plans to be a zero-waste city by 2050, I knew how I could make my project’s ideas relevant to everyone living in Boston. Even when I told people in my school’s own environmental club about zero-waste Boston, no one knew that the initiative had been set in place. Thus, I decided to motivate people to consider the environmental consequences of throwing away their waste in public trash bins by increasing awareness about the zero-waste Boston initiative.

The only way we get to zero-waste by 2050 is if we all remember to think before we throw out our waste. There need to be more collaborative community-led projects to support our zero-waste plans as a city. The Conscious Waste Decision project is all about how together we can make Hyde Park and other neighborhoods in Boston model neighborhoods for the others by having this community-led project. The zero-waste plan is amazingly ambitious and it cannot be realized unless we help our city stay on track with its benchmarks. Most people know why they should recycle on a basic level, but it is important that we also keep in mind why it is directly relevant to us to want to recycle each time. It's not just about global consequences - there are more direct, local consequences as well for every decision we make about waste.

My goals for the Conscious Waste Decision project are to increase the amount of recycling in public trash bins while decreasing the amount of waste thrown into the landfill bins. Another goal is to increase public awareness about the relevant part everyone plays in making necessary steps for our city's zero-waste 2050 plans to become a reality. The project uses labels and signs visible on public trash bins to help achieve these goals. My vision for the project is a youth-led collaboration making these labels to demonstrate our capability as Boston residents in realizing our city's plans. 

3. How did you get the idea for your project? What inspired you?
I am a member of my school's Youth Climate Action Network (YouthCAN). This past May, YouthCAN hosted its annual summit at MIT where the focus was Facing Waste. The focus really prepared my thinking for this project. This summer, I attended the Global Citizens Initiative Summit in Japan where I developed my project and established the idea of using labels to encourage awareness about the 2050 zero-waste Boston plans. I met with 27 other fellows from around the world and mentors who gave the advice to promote this plan of action. I gained more inspiration in my visit to the BlueCross BlueShield center in Boston. While there, I found out about how they label their trash bins 'landfill' bins. It inspired me to change people's perspectives on the trash we produce and to promote a more sustainable matter.

4. How do you think we can get more teens and kids interested and involved in keeping Hyde Park clean, green, and beautiful?
The easiest way to garner youth climate action and draw people into the cause is by creating a welcoming, judgment-free event where anyone, regardless of their knowledge about climate change, can discuss their concerns about it and think of potential sustainable responses. When people become aware of the imminent threat of climate change, only informing them of the terrifying threats posed by climate change and making them feel guilty about their unsustainable lifestyle decisions is a tactic that makes people shy away from doing any action. People are drawn into advocating for sustainable cities and communities when they are given hope to try to fix our predicament and a way to advocate. Impressing despair and guilt only encourages inaction and feelings of futility. Many teens are concerned about the effects of climate change, it is a matter of galvanizing them with hope to pursue active advocacy. In Hyde Park, there needs to be a revived climate action group for youth. Pushing forward Boson's zero-waste plans of 2050 requires a youth- involved team. The Conscious Waste Decision is a project led by the youth who will have inherited the city by 2050, and as the young inheritors, we have the greatest reason to support the initiative. Hyde Park teens can utilize gathering places, like the Menino YMCA teen center or the Municipal Building, even local bus stops as places to keep our city clean. The judgment-free environment and the collaboration will foster strong ideas and the willingness to follow through with the task of promoting a zero-waste Boston.
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​​Nominate yourself or someone in the community for a Humans of Hyde Park story; nominees can remain anonymous in the story or use their first name only if they prefer: https://goo.gl/forms/qgTj1Rh8t2bSbh973