In 2018, long-time Ocean Beach resident and graphic designer Aaron Null got tired of the endless Facebook rants about trash. Instead of arguing, he grabbed a map, marked a green line, and declared, “This block is mine.”
“Within weeks, we had almost the whole town covered,” says Null. “Then I tried it in other neighborhoods, and the same thing happened. By the time the pandemic hit, we were already established and growing fast.”
Today, Street Stewards has nearly 1,000 adoptions spanning 10 San Diego communities and a brand-new website designed to take its crowdsourced cleanup effort countywide. We caught up with Null to talk about the movement’s origins, its latest expansion, and what’s next.
Courtesy of Street Stewards
What’s new with the program?
We just launched StreetStewards.com, a tool funded by county grants that makes it easier to sign up, track your cleanup efforts, and see real-time data on neighborhood conditions. Streets are color-coded: green means recently cleaned, yellow means it’s been a while, and red means overdue. It’s a live map of San Diego’s streets, updated by those who care about them.
We also introduced Second Saturday Cleanups in downtown San Diego, a new initiative launched in partnership with I Love A Clean San Diego, Downtown San Diego Partnership, Think Blue Alliance, and Ace Parking—even Mayor Todd Gloria has joined in.
How can people get involved?
It’s super easy. Just go to the website, pick a block, and start cleaning when it works for you. There’s no pressure—we won’t check in and scold you. Some people prefer doing it solo while walking their dog, while others like organizing group efforts.
That’s where our Captains Program comes in. You can step up as a captain if you want to lead a neighborhood effort—host cleanups, manage a local group, etc. We especially need leaders in places like National City and City Heights.
What’s next for Street Stewards?
We’re looking at reaching every part of San Diego County and maybe beyond, and our team is working on a mobile app to make it even easier for people to adopt blocks and track their impact. Every time we introduce this program to a new area, it catches on quickly. People get it, they sign up, and before we know it, the movement spreads. It just works.
To adopt your own block, visit Street Stewards’ website, sign-up and find your community, record your clean-up and watch as your city map turns green for a clean street.
Jackie is a long-time freelance journalist covering cannabis, food/restaurants, travel, labor, wine, spirits, arts & culture, design, and other topics. Her work has been selected twice for Best American Travel Writing, and she has won a variety of national and local awards for her writing and reporting.
