Small Acts, Big Impact: Caring for Shoe Pond at Cummings Center

It started as a simple idea: take a walk and pick up a little trash.


The Auburn team headed out around Shoe Pond and quickly realized this was going to be more than a quick lap. Bag after bag filled up with bottles, wrappers, and debris carried in from nearby roads and foot traffic. By the end, it was clear: small actions add up fast when people take the time to care.

That’s one of the reasons we value being part of the Cummings Center in Beverly. It’s easy to think of it as just a business campus, but it’s much more than that. Originally built as the home of United Shoe Machinery Corporation, the space has evolved into a hub of innovation while still preserving its character and, importantly, its natural spaces. Right in the middle of it all sits Shoe Pond—an unexpected pocket of nature surrounded by buildings, roads, and daily activity. And despite being in the heart of a busy area, it supports a surprisingly rich ecosystem. Ducks, turtles, frogs, insects, and plant life all rely on this small body of water to survive and thrive.

But ecosystems like this are fragile, especially in urban environments. Trash doesn’t just sit on the surface. It breaks down, affects water quality, and can harm the wildlife that calls the pond home. What washes in from nearby streets or gets left behind by passersby can quickly become a problem in a contained environment like a pond. That’s why something as straightforward as picking up trash matters. For us, it’s about more than a clean shoreline. It’s about protecting a shared space. One that blends history, industry, and nature in a way that’s pretty unique to Beverly. It’s a reminder that even in the middle of a working campus, there’s real wildlife, real ecosystems, and a real responsibility to take care of them.

And sometimes, that responsibility starts with a walk at lunch and a willingness to pick things up.