Flushing resident Maureen Regan didn’t spend the day after Thanksgiving in a food coma — she got up and gave back to the environment by cleaning up religious debris left behind on the shores of Jamaica Bay.

And though Regan called the cleanup an important part of ensuring the bay’s long-term survival, she hopes to eliminate the need for any more.

“That cannot be the right solution,” she said. “It’s like sticking your finger into a hole where there’s water coming out.”

Regan’s group, Green Earth Urban Gardens, is looking to start a conversation between the Hindus who use the shores of Jamaica Bay as a prayer site — often leaving behind large amount of mats, statues, fruit and more that end up in the water — and environmental groups to come up with a solution that pleases all parties.

“They should build a place where people can openly practice,” the environmentalist said. “It’s not going to go away.”

The issue has been going on for years. Environmental groups and Hindus have discussed it before but have not yet come to an amicable solution.

Regan also works near the bay on a pollination garden, where bees and other insects can come to pollinate different plants. Her groups works to clean it in the winter and spring.

— Anthony O’Reilly