Penny Gibbons started Trash People in 2022 with eight people, a plastic bag, and a reply to a stranger on the Logan Square community Facebook page. What began as a personal search for community has grown into an unexpected grassroots movement, now spanning nine neighborhoods.

In this episode of Notes from Chicago, Penny talks about how a neighborhood cleanup became the "gateway drug" to community participation, why she walked away from a marketing career to do work that actually aligns with her values, and how she's tackling loneliness and waste at the same time.

Follow Penny Gibbons:

Website:

• https://www.trashpeople.org
•  ...