“They had a great time making the video, and they received terrific support for the project from all sides, from city government, to city departments, to local businesses,” said Cathy Procopio, Hughes Middle School’s Green Team adviser. “They are also involved in creating a runoff-busting garden on campus, which will demonstrate how architectural/landscape design can either be the cause of, or the mitigation of, urban runoff. They just received a preliminary sketch from JDC Landscape Architects for the garden and are waiting eagerly to hear back on two grants they worked on to fund the project. Urban runoff is a serious problem, particularly for Long Beach as it sits right between two major rivers that carry runoff from numerous cities upstream. We are really proud of the kids for taking this project on and committing so much time and energy to getting the message out there.”
The video, which can be viewed at YouTube.com/watch?v=dZ4o7RZBBXk, is set to the song “Big Yellow Taxi” by Joni Mitchell and, evidently inspired by Bob Dylan’s pre-MTV video for his song “Subterranean Homesick Blues,” features local figures flipping through cards with information about urban runoff. Those included, among others, in the video are: Long Beach Mayor Bob Foster; Lisa Harris, manager of Long Beach Environmental Service; Lillian Kawasaki, director of the Water Replenishment District of Southern California; Blair Cohn and Krista Leaders of the Bixby Knolls Business Improvement Association; staff of Hughes Middle School; The Bixby Knolls Ranger mascot, who is seen scooping up droppings after a careless dog owner failed to do so; and Squirt the Waterdrop, the Water Replenishment District’s mascot, seen at Bixby Knolls Car Wash and holding a sign encouraging viewers to patronize car washes that recycle water.
