Climate activist, 20, cleans up litter at Eaton Canyon for 633 days and counting
PASADENA, Calif. (KABC) -- A local student and activist has made it his mission to spruce up the popular trails at Eaton Canyon in Pasadena. He's been working for 633 days and counting.
Every day you will find Edgar McGregor at Eaton Canyon, cleaning up trash others have left behind. He estimates he's removed 15,000 pounds of trash.
"I quickly realized that if I actually wanted to clean up the park I needed to be out here every single day, because more trash was appearing than I was picking up," said McGregor.
It's one of L.A.'s most popular hiking trails. Two years ago, the 20-year-old climate activist from Pasadena, grabbed a garbage bag and started cleaning up. He hasn't looked back, filling up at least two buckets of trash every day. And with the money he receives from recycled trash, McGregor buys and plants trees.
"Essentially, I'm turning the trash in this park into trees," said McGregor.
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His efforts have even gotten the attention of Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg, who congratulated him on social media. McGregor is on his way to San Jose State University to get a degree in meteorology. He plans to continue his work there.
He is single handedly creating the change he wants to see. But this Earth Week, he is calling on every person to help keep our planet clean and green for generations to come.
"It's amazing to see other people clean up trash at their local parks," said McGregor. "While it's great to see people across Los Angeles clean up trash, it's even more amazing to see people across the world clean up trash."
