Clean air and water for Mekelle: restoring the Union hillside

The Union hillside has been used as an informal dump for years. This July, 65 neighbors turned up for a first cleanup, filling 109 bags in a single morning. Now we want to restore it for good. We have a plan agreed with the city parks department, including native species selected by a local botanist. The area floods more each year, and fish have returned for the first time in a decade after our first cleanup. Restoring it will protect homes and bring back shade. All the labor is volunteered. We just need materials. We'll post planting day photos and a count of every sapling planted. Where the $250 goes: • Native saplings and stakes: $165 • Signage and educational materials: $15 • Waste removal and skip hire: $70 Glad we found this place.