Students and community members participated in a day filled with music, art and recreation when an ordinary parking lot on campus was transformed into a student-designed park on Sept. 16.
More than 20 trees were brought in to surround the area, which overtook a section of metered parking near the College of Business Administration.
PARK(ing) Day, hosted by the Recreation Society, was created to increase awareness of environmental issues, make more efficient use of open space and promote recycling and environmentally friendly practices.
A group of more than 100 volunteers comprised of students, faculty, staff and members of the community collaborated to put on the event in Parking Lot 15.
“Students from the facility design class in the recreation and leisure studies department designed the park with the assistance of many professional, student, faculty and staff volunteers,” said Wynndi Dahlin, health and human services secretary.
Dahlin added that there were a wide variety of volunteers and supporters, including organizations ranging from Associated Students Inc. to Fingerprints Records.
A face painting table, acoustic music and pieces of art made of recycled materials created a relaxed atmosphere for the event.
Some highlights of the artwork included a CSULB sign made of aluminum cans and a pyramid-like sculpture made of bottles, cans, paper, bags and other recycled items.
A sign on the park’s surrounding fence summed up the event: “Once it’s destroyed, it’s hard to get back. Add your voice in support of preserving and creating open space.”
A total of seven locations in Long Beach participated in PARK(ing) Day.
“This year, we are collaborating with the 4th Street Business Association and other businesses in Long Beach to bring the event into community-wide focus,” Dahlin said.
PARK(ing) Day was established in San Francisco in 2005. This was the third year CSULB participated.
“Last year, 180 cities within 30 countries on 6 continents participated to transform parking spots into parks in order to bring attention to the value of open space in urban areas such as Long Beach,” Dahlin said.
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