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ONE MAN IS MAKING IT HIS PERSONAL MISSION TO SPRUCE UP AN OFTEN OVERLOOKED AREA. THE HIGHWAY EXIT AND ENTRANCE RAMPS AS WVTM THIRTEEN’S LISA CRANE EXPLAINS THIS ONE MAN TEAM HAS EXPANDED AND IS LOOKING FOR EVEN MORE VOLUNTEERS. THESE PLANTS WERE GIVEN TO US BY THE CITY. THESE FLOWERBEDS NEAR THE CURB ON 21ST AVENUE SOUTH AT RED MOUNTAIN EXPRESSWAY ARE RALPH FIELDING’S PRIDE AND JOY. HE STARTED PICKING UP TRASH IN THIS AREA AS THE CITY PREPPED FOR THE WORLD GAMES LAST YEAR. BUT WHEN THE GAMES ENDED, HE WAS HOOKED. I FELT LIKE THAT COULD BE OUR LITTLE CONTRIBUTION AND WE JUST KEPT IT UP FROM THERE AND BUILT ON IT. AND NOW WE’VE GOT SEVERAL TEAMS. RALPH NO LONGER WORKS ALONE. HE HAS AN ARMY OF VOLUNTEERS. OTHERS, LIKE WAYNE HESTER, WHO LIVES JUST OFF 21ST AVENUE. I HAD BEEN COMING OUT HERE ONCE A MONTH ANYWAY, CLEANING THE OFF RAMPS AND THEN I NOTICED OTHER PEOPLE WERE DOING IT. AND SO AFTER A FACEBOOK POST, RALPH GOT US ALL TOGETHER. THE CITY NOT ONLY KNOWS ABOUT WHAT RALPH IS DOING OUT HERE, IT’S ACTUALLY HELPING THESE PLANTS. HERE ARE FROM THE CITY. GREENHOUSE AND RALPH ACTUALLY USES CITY EQUIPMENT TO TELL THE SOIL. NOW THE GROUP HAS MOVED EVEN BEYOND CLEANING AND PLANTING. THEY’RE STRATEGICALLY WORKING ON WAYS TO KEEP THE AREA MORE BEAUTIFUL. THAT WALL WAS FULL OF GRAFFITI. AND SO WE WE PAINTED THAT WALL AND ANOTHER VOLUNTEER, COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT OF US, IS PLANTED FIG VINES TO GO UP THAT WALL. AND IT’S A STRATEGY TO TRY TO DETER SOME OF THE GRAFFITI. AND HE’S ALSO PLANTED ZINNIA SEEDS ALONG THERE AS WELL. BUT PLANTING PRETTY FLOWERS RIGHT NEXT TO A BUSY ROAD COMES WITH POTENTIAL PROBLEMS. FROM TIME TO TIME, A CAR OR TRUCK JUMPS THE CURB AND TAKES OUT SOME PLANTS. THAT’S PART OF IT. WE’RE LIVE AND LEARN, YOU KNOW, TRIAL AND ERROR ON WHAT TO PLANT, AS WELL AS EXACTLY WHERE TO PLANT. SO WE’LL GET BETTER AS TIME GOES ON WITH THAT. IN BIRMINGHAM, LISA CRANE WVTM 13 AND RALPH YIELDING HAS EXPANDED HIS FLOWER PLANTING TO A FEW OTHER RAMPS OFF OF RED MOUNTAIN EXPRESSWAY. HE’S ALWAYS LOOKING FOR MORE VOLUNTEERS. SO IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO HELP OPEN T
Mountain Brook man working to beautify Birmingham roadways
Ralph Yeilding and a group of volunteers plant flowers near expressway
What a difference one person can make. That seems to be the lesson learned in Birmingham after one man made it his mission to beautify an often-overlooked area. He focuses on highway exits and entrance ramps. Now the one-man team has expanded and is looking for even more volunteers.The flower beds near the curb on 21st Avenue South at Red Mountain Expressway are Ralph Yeilding's pride and joy. He started picking up trash in this area as the city prepped for The World Games last year. But when the games ended, he was hooked.Yeilding said, “I felt like that could be our little contribution and we've just kept it up from there and built on it. And now we've got several teams.” Yeilding no longer works alone. He has an army of volunteers, like Wayne Hester, who lives just off 21st Avenue.Hester said, “I had been coming out here once a month anyway, cleaning the off-ramps. And then I noticed other people were doing it. And so, after a Facebook post, Ralph got us all together.”Your neighborhood: Local coverage from WVTM 13The city not only knows about Yeilding’s work. It's helping. The plants are from the city greenhouse and Yeilding says he also uses the city's equipment to till the soil.Now, the group has moved even beyond cleaning and planting, they're strategically working on ways to keep the area more beautiful.Yeilding said, “That wall was full of graffiti. And so, we painted that wall. And another volunteer, completely independent of us, has planted fig vines to go up that wall. It is a strategy to try to deter some of the graffiti, and he's also planted zinnia seeds along there as well.”Follow us on social: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTubeBut planting pretty flowers right next to a busy road, comes with potential problems. From time to time, a car or truck jumps the curb and takes out some plants.Yeilding said, “That's part of it. We live and learn, you know, trial and error on what to plant as well as, for exactly where to plant. So, we'll get better as time goes on with that.”Yeilding has expanded his flower planting to a few other ramps off red mountain expressway. And he says he's always looking for more volunteers. Contact him at ralphyeilding@gmail.com if you're interested in helping beautify Birmingham.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. —
What a difference one person can make. That seems to be the lesson learned in Birmingham after one man made it his mission to beautify an often-overlooked area. He focuses on highway exits and entrance ramps. Now the one-man team has expanded and is looking for even more volunteers.
The flower beds near the curb on 21st Avenue South at Red Mountain Expressway are Ralph Yeilding's pride and joy. He started picking up trash in this area as the city prepped for The World Games last year. But when the games ended, he was hooked.
Yeilding said, “I felt like that could be our little contribution and we've just kept it up from there and built on it. And now we've got several teams.”
Yeilding no longer works alone. He has an army of volunteers, like Wayne Hester, who lives just off 21st Avenue.
Hester said, “I had been coming out here once a month anyway, cleaning the off-ramps. And then I noticed other people were doing it. And so, after a Facebook post, Ralph got us all together.”
Your neighborhood: Local coverage from WVTM 13
The city not only knows about Yeilding’s work. It's helping. The plants are from the city greenhouse and Yeilding says he also uses the city's equipment to till the soil.
Now, the group has moved even beyond cleaning and planting, they're strategically working on ways to keep the area more beautiful.
Yeilding said, “That wall was full of graffiti. And so, we painted that wall. And another volunteer, completely independent of us, has planted fig vines to go up that wall. It is a strategy to try to deter some of the graffiti, and he's also planted zinnia seeds along there as well.”
Follow us on social: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube
But planting pretty flowers right next to a busy road, comes with potential problems. From time to time, a car or truck jumps the curb and takes out some plants.
Yeilding said, “That's part of it. We live and learn, you know, trial and error on what to plant as well as, for exactly where to plant. So, we'll get better as time goes on with that.”
Yeilding has expanded his flower planting to a few other ramps off red mountain expressway. And he says he's always looking for more volunteers. Contact him at ralphyeilding@gmail.com if you're interested in helping beautify Birmingham.
English (US)