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Restoring the Acacia wetland: a volunteer-led project in Shinjuku

Volunteers are restoring the Acacia wetland in Shinjuku; $1,450 covers saplings, tools and waste removal.

🇯🇵 Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan1,645 views
Noboru Toru Maeda
Email verifiedPhoto verified
Shinjuku
The Acacia wetland has been used as an informal dump for years. This April, 81 neighbors turned up for a first cleanup, filling 63 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 $1,450 goes: • Waste removal and skip hire: $610 • Tools and protective gear: $280 • Native saplings and stakes: $560 With deep gratitude, Noboru

Updates from Noboru

  1. Small update. $733 so far, I made the first payment toward tools and protective gear.

  2. Small update. $313 so far, I met with the nursery and confirmed the amounts.

  3. Thank you all. We're at 18% now ($265). I'm honestly stunned. we've booked the dates and paid the deposit.

  • Amelia Gaines 🇺🇸 · $10

    “Sending love. Thought of Noboru all day after reading this. - Springfield”

  • Angelica R. Macaraeg 🇵🇭 · $10
  • Harper Singleton 🇺🇸 · $100
  • Angelica K. Tomas 🇵🇭 · $100
  • Michael Henry Ekwueme 🇳🇬 · $30
  • Shoaib Arslan Siddiqui 🇵🇰 · $100

    “Thought of Noboru all day after reading this. - Lahore”

  • Leonardo S. Gardner 🇨🇦 · $250

    “You got this. Thought of Noboru all day after reading this. - Ottawa”

  • Eugene Barnes 🇺🇸 · $50
  • Priya Tamanna Saha 🇧🇩 · $20
  • Cora L. Guerrero 🇺🇸 · $100
  • Trisha D. Mabini 🇵🇭 · $25
  • Siti Zahra Nugroho 🇮🇩 · $25
  • Zawadi Faith Waweru 🇰🇪 · $20
  • Brian C. Brown 🇺🇸 · $50

    “Wishing you the best. My neighbor told me about this one. - Seattle”

  • Jocelyn R. Ryan 🇺🇸 · $10
  • Hasan Ratul Haque 🇮🇳 · $10
  • Josiah P. Meyer 🇬🇧 · $25
  • Shantel Henry 🇯🇲 · $30
  • Anonymous 🇵🇭 · $30
  • Inés D. Medina 🇦🇷 · $25

    “Best of luck. My mother told me about this one. - Buenos Aires”

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  • I've been in a tough spot myself and it does get easier. I went through something like this 8 years ago and strangers helped me out. All the best.

    • Praying for you. Great idea, hope you get there. Greetings from Gazipur.

      • sending good thoughts, Noboru. Everyone deserves a bit of help sometimes. My neighbor in Fayetteville donated after I showed her your page. Take care.

        • Sending good thoughts, Noboru. It takes guts to ask. Well done

          • Sending strength. I've been in a tough spot myself and it does get easier. My late mom used to say help given quietly counts double. Thinking of Shinjuku.

            • Keep going, Noboru. Reading this made my day a bit heavier but I'm glad I did. Blessings.

              • Kalyani P. JadhavQuestionPhoto verified

                is there anything that isn't money that would help Noboru?

                • Take care, Noboru. Hope the build day goes well, wish I lived closer. My brother had a similar thing happen so this one hit home. Take care.

                  • wishing you the best. Shared this with my family. My neighbor in Christchurch donated after I showed her your page. Love from Christchurch.

                    • So sorry you're going through this, Noboru. Shared it with a few friends

                      • good luck, Noboru. I've been in a tough spot myself and it does get easier. Please keep us posted. Greetings from San Antonio.

                        • Sending strength, Noboru. Hope you get there. Take care

                          • Raymond ArmahPhoto verified

                            Hope it all works out, Noboru. More neighborhoods should do this. Thinking of Shinjuku.

                            • keep going, Noboru. I've been in a tough spot myself and it does get easier. Don't be hard on yourself for asking. Take care.

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