Ethan Streun's Our New Hero

So this press release from Metro Parks landed in my inbox. I looked at it and thought, I don’t know that many eight year olds, but this kids name seems familiar… and his ability to round up 20 to 30 folks to clean up a park is awesome! Then the dim lightbulb slowly came on. I used to carpool and bike commute with Ethan’s dad… for eight or nine years. I remember when Ethan was born. I saw him at parties… before he was famous. Crazy.

Friends and family of Ethan Streun will celebrate his birthday with an unusual kind of party this year. A group of 20-30 guests have been invited to join Ethan for a clean up at Blueberry Park, 7402 East D St., on April 19 from 9am-noon in his honor as part of a work party for Parks Appreciation Day.

The 8-year-old who was born on Earth Day 1999 selected this party destination because of the special connection he feels with the planet.

“Since about the time Ethan was able to walk, our family has participated in some kind of environmental activity around his birthday”, said Ethan’s mom Jennifer Streun, a teacher at Whittier elementary. “Last year we helped at a Washington state trails event. Prior to that we’ve done litter clean up projects.”

When the family started looking for a local project to help with this year, Ethan’s dad who works for REI, a Metro Parks community partner, suggested Parks Appreciation Day. His mom said that when went they on line to check out the work sites Ethan got excited when he saw Blueberry Park near the top of the list and said “Hey, that’s where we pick berries in the summer, let’s go there!”

Family and friends invited to Ethan’s special “B-Earth Day” celebration will receive a unique party favor, leather work gloves. Parents of Ethan’s friends have also been invited to attend the party with their children, which could add as many as 30 volunteers to the clean up crew.

When asked why he decided to spend his birthday this way, Ethan replied “because it’s good for the earth…and that’s good for all of us.”

Nice work. I think I went to Chuck E. Cheese for my 8th birthday.