There is plenty of work to be done in restoring the river, the watershed and the communities that touch the Anacostia. A lot of this work is not costly in terms of money. It is not rocket science in terms of intellectual challenge. And it is neither dangerous nor unhealthy. It does require an investment from you – a commitment to the river and some sweat equity. Now is the time to put aside narcissistic notions of self and work for the betterment of the community.

Change, as President Barack Obama has observed, does not come about through wishful thinking. It comes about when people assume personal responsibility for their dreams and aspirations. Similarly, environmental transformation does not take place on the high banks. We, as individuals, must come down to the river. We must acknowledge the Anacostia River as part of both our natural and social inheritance.

Here is a relatively simple RX package for the Anacostia that you can use and follow.

Connect with your neighbors. Before you can embark on building a better environment, you need to form ongoing, cooperative behavior with your neighbors. Explain to them what you are doing and how it will help them and the community. With neighborhood support you can launch clean-up campaigns, share cars and other tools, pull trash out of ravines and gullies, and clean gutters that lead to sewers.

Bag the Bags. Ward 6 Councilmember Tommy Wells has a simple goal: “I want to get plastic bags out of the Anacostia River.” According to Wells, 85 percent of the trash that ends up in the river consists of plastic bags and Styrofoam containers. Also, he says 47 percent of the trash in Anacostia tributaries consists of plastic bags. At the end of February Wells introduced his Anacostia Bag Bill, a piece of legislation that would impose a nickel fee on all bags used for customers by grocery stores, convenience stores, restaurants and liquor stores. This bill will, Wells argues, reduce the use of plastic bags and encourage people to use cloth or net bags for shopping if they do not want to pay a nickel “user fee.” A portion of the revenue from this bill will be used to purchase reusable shopping bags for low-income residents and senior citizens. Wells believes it is an idea whose time has come. Check out green living at GreenAmericaToday.org.

Practice Green Mobility Leave the car parked. Bike more often. It is good for your health and good for local air quality. Try biking to work or to the grocery store for small purchases. Get a cargo carrier for your bike. If you want or need a bike at a moderate cost, shop Craigslist. There is also an inexpensive outlet for used bikes nearly every Sunday at the Flea Market at Eastern Market on Seventh Street SE.

Plant a tree in your neighborhood or in the Anacostia Watershed. As environmental writer Tom Horton has observed, “Forests do billions of dollars of valuable work removing pollutants from air and water. The charge for this? Nothing.” Casey Trees, a private foundation, runs a community tree planting program that helps groups and individuals improve their neighborhoods by planting free trees in apartment complexes, schools, churches and parks in the District of Columbia. Applications require a 10-tree minimum. Call Casey Trees at 202-833-4010 and help to restore the tree canopy of the Anacostia.

Have simple projects to save the Anacostia. The Anacostia region has a major storm-water runoff problem that you can help remedy. Make sure your gutters flow into sewer pipes and not into the streets. Buy a rain barrel to gather rainwater for your garden and put less of a strain on public sewers. Start a compost pile and reduce your garbage load. “Minimize the size of your lawn,” adds Stephanie Flack, director of Chesapeake Strategies for the Nature Conservancy. “I was astonished to learn that there is more lawn than corn under cultivation in the US.” Smaller lawns use less pesticides and fertilizer.

Furthermore, Jim Connolly of the Anacostia Watershed Society suggests, “Probably the most important and radical thing you can do is dig up your driveway and replace the asphalt with permeable paving stones or gravel to absorb storm water runoff.”

Conserve, Conserve, Conserve. Fix leaky toilets and faucets. Reduce electricity usage and hang clothes, if possible, out to dry instead of using expensive dryers. When you use electrical appliances think of how fossil-fueled power plants pollute the air as they bring energy into your home. Replace incandescent light bulbs with those that are energy efficient and longer lasting. Reduce your input of toxic chemicals in our drains. Use alternative non-toxic products like phosphate-free detergents. Never pour household chemicals down the drain. Also, Flack urges us all to maintain our cars more carefully. “Get your car serviced regularly and prevent leaks of oil that can get washed away in storm water runoff into our streams and rivers.”

Become part of something bigger than you. Join an organization like the Anacostia Watershed Society, the Audubon Society, The Nature Conservancy, Earth Conservation Corps or the Sierra Club. Take part in their outings to clean trash from the Anacostia and remove invasive species from our watershed. Work on building and improving nature and bike trails in the Anacostia Watershed. George Hawkins, head of the DC Department of the Environment, reports that he is anxious to hear from citizens on ways to clean up the Anacostia and have a better river. “We are open to new ideas to honor our commitment to the river,” he says. Telephone 202-535-2600.

Volunteers have always been the heart and soul of America. They will be the heart and soul of the Anacostia’s restoration, too. Also, be informed. Read your local newspapers about environmental affairs and log on to the numerous websites dealing with both the Anacostia and Potomac rivers. Check Riverkeeper sites like www.anacostiariverkeeper.org.

Get out on the River! Learn to scull at the Anacostia Boathouse. Contact Jennifer_Ney@Anacostiaboathouse.org. Rent a kayak or a canoe at the Bladensburg Waterfront Park. Paddle into the quiet lotus-filled world of Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens. See ospreys, eagles and beaver. Watch the fish jump in the river. Stroll through the National Arboretum on Anacostia’s shore. Take to the trails and bike up into the watershed. Discover Lake Artemesia. You can get a map of the Anacostia trail system from the Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission. Finally, practice the simple art of walking a few miles each day along the river.

For Anacostia residents like Carl Cole, the Anacostia River is an amazing source of wonder. “It is a library,” Cole says. “It’s full of information if only we care to read the river. This area is a recreation paradise, and people don’t realize it.”