David Clarke, a 24-year-old New Yorker, cleaned one NYC block daily for 100 days near his Washington Heights home, starting with a $40 cleaning kit and expanding to planting flowers and building fences around tree beds. His project, Trash Talk NYC, evolved into a community effort with neighbors joining in and local businesses donating supplies, while also prompting residents to pressure city officials on street cleanliness. The initiative operates within NYC's strict regulations on tree bed modification, which can impose fines up to $15,000 for unauthorized construction.