Restoring the Sycamore hillside: a volunteer-led project in Rio de Janeiro

The Sycamore hillside has been used as an informal dump for years. This August, 49 neighbors turned up for a first cleanup, filling 94 bags in a single morning. Now we want to restore it for good. We have a plan agreed with the local forestry office, 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. Funds buy saplings, gloves, bags, hire of a skip, and signage. Where the $700 goes: • Tools and protective gear: $100 • Native saplings and stakes: $380 • Waste removal and skip hire: $220 With deep gratitude, Alexandre