River Clean Up Community Project
I
chose Elizabeth River clean up as my community project. I attended this
activity on April 22, 2022. The event was initiated by Dr. Daniela Shebitz with
the participation of environmentalists from both on and off campus. We did a
trash cleanup of the Elizabeth River at the east campus of Kean University.
The
aim of the river cleanup campaign is to get more people involved in protecting
the environment and to develop a perspective on ecological sustainability. In addition,
the event would clean up the Elizabeth River and improve the environment and
appearance of our East Campus. The reason I chose this activity is that
cleaning up the river is not only a conservation activity, but also a fun
adventure. I can learn about the natural environment of our university through
this activity and also deepen my understanding of sustainable development.
We
met at the soccer field on the East Campus at 10:30 am. Some of the
participants were Kean University students and some were environmentalists from
off-campus. There was even a child who participated in our activities. Dr.
Daniela Shebitz gave a speech first. She further explained the purpose and
significance of this event and encouraged us all to actively participate in
garbage cleanup. After that we picked out rain boots, garbage tongs, gloves and
garbage bags. We were divided into different groups and were in charge of
different areas. The water level of the river that day was not high enough for
us to easily see the trash at the bottom of the river. The most garbage in the
Elizabeth River is cans, plastic bags and bowl debris. Some of the plastic bags
were trapped under the stones in the river, so unless we moved the stones, it
was difficult for us to clear the whole bag. Many of the cans looked like they
had been left in the river for a long time, and they had changed color and even
grown moss. I cleaned out over a dozen cans in an hour! Some pieces of bowls
and plates were discarded in the river, and the corners of these pieces were
unusually sharp. They cut through my garbage bag. Some of the plastic bags got
trapped in the branches along the river, so we had to clean them by hand. We
finished the trash cleanup by 1:00 pm. The whole Elizabeth River became more
beautiful!
Through this activity, I realized that some inadvertent actions in our lives can have a huge impact on the environment. When we throw our cans into the river, we may not realize that they will remain at the bottom of the river for a long time. When we protect the environment, we must not only focus on some theories, sustainable companies, global agreements, etc., but also on our personal behavior. Through the act of protecting the environment, I became deeply aware of the fragility of the environment and the urgency and necessity of protecting it. Through the river cleanup, the Elizabeth River has become clearer and our East Campus has become more beautiful. But it's clear that we're not paying enough attention to environmental protection. There are still more rivers in the world that need to be cleaned up. When people ignore the small acts in their lives, we may be destroying our homes! Take action from now!
