Save the Drain
Hello. My name is Lynette Lewis, and today I’m going to talk about my project, Save the
Drain. For those of us who live in the city, you know that when it rains – especially in the fall –
all those leaves and the trash that accumulates clogs the drain, and this in turn leads to basement
flooding in residential areas. I for one have experienced quite a few of those in my 18 years of
living, and I know that this is a problem affecting many others as well, not just in east Brooklyn.
Oftentimes, neighbors don’t pitch in to clean up the leaves or the litter on their side of the block,
so what tends to happen is that one person ends up having to perform all the manual labor.
Fellow neighbors wait for the wind and the water to push everything all the way to the end of the
block, and it isn’t until no one can take having to jump over the pile of garbage – because that’s
what it ultimately becomes, garbage – clogging the drain anymore that an individual decides to
take action (on my block, this someone is usually my mom). Save the Drain aims to change this.
The artwork is this case will contain two parts. One will be the transformation of the
drainage cover, into one where the holes are much smaller, thus impeding large sediments from
falling down into the sewers, and vast amounts of leaves as well. This cover will be made out of
metal, a similar material like that already used for drain covers in NYC, because the effects of
weathering, like corrosion, does not have such a strong impact on stainless steel. The second part
is a filtration system that will be placed right under the revamped cover. This system will largely
resemble that of a strainer, the cooking utensil used when making pasta, among other foods. This
strainer will be like a basket, with two hooks on either side of the drain, which will allow for
easy removal when the time comes to empty out its contents. Instead of allowing everything that
goes down the drain to automatically start its course through the sewers, this “strainer” of sorts
will collect whatever solids fall down, and through regular disposal, this would limit how much
the drain gets clogged, and in turn, the fluctuation of materials in our city sewers. Because of
problems with the aforementioned sanitation process, oftentimes, many basements and houses
tend to get flooded (namely, those that are located in coastal areas of the city) especially during
severe weather storms.
The first part of this two-tiered system – the transformed drainage cover – will be
beautified with the help of local community kids; my main focus will be recruiting those who are
of elementary school age. One way in which it can be decorated is by painting designs on the
drainage cover itself, and with an expansion across more Brooklyn neighborhoods, community
members can utilize this as an opportunity to truly take ownership of the drain, with the chosen
illustration demonstrating a key aspect of that particular block/neighborhood, such as imagery
evocative of the Caribbean heritage many members share; this can be expressed by employing
vibrant colors that form the shape of flowers. The materials used to decorate the drainage cover
can range from actual paint to spray cans, which many artists use in order to make public murals
around the five boroughs. Therefore, the first part of the Save the Drain project will be
representative of the artistic side to it, while the second part – the strainer itself – will serve more
in terms of the practicality function this endeavor requires in actually combatting a community
problem.
My main goal with this contraption is to have the fluctuation of materials resemble the
human digestive system. As the strainer continues filling up, this would represent the process in
which food goes down the esophagus, which connects the throat to the stomach and is part of the
upper gastrointestinal tract. Once it gets to its fullest capacity and we effectively dispose of the
garbage, this would represent the work conducted by the small intestine, which is part of the
lower gastrointestinal tract…quite simply, us going to the bathroom! I would like to demonstrate
to my community that by Saving the Drain, we are saving ourselves. The same way we have
natural filters to keep our immune system in check, we need to imitate those bodily processes so
that our neighborhood can stay healthy as well. Ideally, this would become a permanent
structure. However, for the purposes of this project proposal, I recognize that there needs to be a
set trial run period in order to test its efficiency. Although flooding usually occurs during the fall
and winter, everything that has been accumulated during the previous seasons contributes to this
problem. Therefore, if this were established during the spring to fall seasons, it would be most
beneficial in terms of actively keeping track of how the filtration is working, and the results can
be determined by recording how many floods have occurred during the following fall and winter.
The budget will go into obtaining the materials necessary to construct this full scale
contraption that will serve its purpose of functionality, but I will also need resources in order to
beautify it. As I stated before, anything from actual paint, to spray paint can be utilized, and I
would like to have that range of options available for members of the community to decide upon.
I am a firm believer in the moto, “If you look good, you feel good,” and this can be tailored to
the project at hand. If something looks nice, you are more willing to actually take care of it, to
ensure it stays that way, which is similar to the fact that you are more likely to complete
something if you actually enjoy what you’re working on. Thus, I want to encourage my
neighbors to pitch in and help me out with the construction of this project, and if they were to
enjoy looking at it as well, they could maybe even help me out by expanding this new drainage
system to other blocks in the vicinity, and maybe even other Brooklyn neighborhoods. I need to
contact several companies that produce the metal necessary in order to make the new drainage
cover and strainer; depending on the pricing, perhaps only a few prototypes will ultimately be
constructed, but if my hypothesis is correct and Project Save the Drain proves to be better than
the current system we have in place, then the development of more may be initiated as well. Of
course, I will need to get in touch with the NYC Department of Sanitation in order to inform
them of my proposal and receive approval – and perhaps even assistance from them as well. If
there is any money left over in the budget, I will use that for advertisement purposes, so that
Save the Drain can gain the necessary traction in order for it to truly be implemented not just
across Brooklyn, but potentially in the other NYC boroughs as well. The use of pamphlets,
flyers, and a social media presence (#SavetheDrain anyone?) especially can help reach out to a
myriad of individuals.
I am a part of the Macaulay Honors Program at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, and
a main component of my institution’s mission statement revolves around encouraging and
empowering students to work towards a “common good”. I live in the Mill Basin area of
Brooklyn, New York and my house is one of the most affected by flooding in this neighborhood.
Thus, experience-wise, I am familiar with how to handle such a situation, however I do not think
its fair for certain members of my community to constantly have to deal with this, while others
refuse to clean the drain, especially when its on their side of the block. Therefore, in attempts to
stay true to my college’s purpose, my project is the “common good” I am making the effort to
achieve. I have done many DIY projects in the past – many revolving around home improvement
– and I have volunteered in my neighborhood before to help clean up the area during the fall and
winter seasons. Therefore, I know how to jump into something hands-on, this is just on a larger
scale. My name is Lynette Lewis; it’s my mission to Save the Drain, and I need your help.
Thank you.