Volunteers clean up Concord ahead of Earth Day

CONCORD, Calif. - Cities across the Bay Area are cleaning up their communities this weekend ahead of Earth Day on Monday. 

From picking up trash to spreading mulch and clearing out debris in the creek, volunteers in Concord dedicated their Saturday morning to the Earth.

"God created the earth so we gotta keep it clean," said Kenny Ga, volunteering with others at New Hope Church.

Dozens teamed up to paint and refurbish the Mateo's Dream playground at Hillcrest Park, an area for children of all abilities. 

"We are proud to have this here, and so we want to make sure this playground continues to be clean and looks nice, because it does draw people from all over the Bay Area because it is very unique," said Carlyn Obringer, vice mayor for the City of Concord.

"Sustaining this beautiful park is really important to us, not just for the community, but helping invest in our future," said Andrew Holbrook, the chief accessibility officer at Wells Fargo, volunteering with his co-workers and their families. 

Children got involved too. 

"I’m just really happy to help the earth and I love it. I feel like I’m on an adventure," said young Alice Andrade, picking up trash with her sisters and friend.

Hillcrest was just one of nine parks where there were clean-up events. They also coincided with the city's "dumpster days," where residents could get rid of junk for free.

"So that Mother Earth doesn’t have to be embarrassed by what you have in your backyard," said Concord Mayor Edi Bursan.

Bursan helped unload a lot of it, and get it into the big dumpster. 

"Hey, you’re part of the community. This is what you’re supposed to be doing. What else would I want to do at 6:30 in the morning on a Saturday?" he said.