1.) Where are you with your action? (e.g. what involvement have you had so far? Describe with examples)
Throughout this class, I have completed two beach cleanups by myself or with my family members because I have not been available to meet with my group on the days they’ve scheduled it. With that being said, I am very happy to say I had my first clean-up with my whole group on Monday at Glen Park. It was great being with my whole group because it encouraged me to clean for longer. We also did more of a nature cleanup, which I enjoyed because the trees provided shade. We found there was a lot more garbage as we filled 3/4 of a large garbage bag full. Which was more than any of us had collected on our previous cleanups, so we assumed it was because it was warmer outside. I also found it’s been busier at later times at my work because of how it’s been brighter for longer and warmer. Some common garbage we found were candy wrappers, plastic utensils, and plastic water bottles. I also found a lot less glass compared to the amount I normally find near bodies of water.
2.) What are some successes that you have had? Provide specific examples.
In my opinion, our biggest success was how we got the whole group together. Being four different people with different schedules we have struggled since the beginning to find a time that works for everyone. This week we tried to plan it out more in advance and since it was a pro d day which means the cleanup was during school hours, everyone was available to participate. Working as one big group is very successful because all of us together get so much cleaning done. Secondly, another success was the weather and just Glen Park in general. Throughout my first two cleanups, it has always been too cold in the rain or too hot in Mexico, but it was great on Monday. It was not too sunny and there was a nice breeze, and we went at a great hour when it was still nice and bright out. I enjoyed Glen Park as it was my first time being there as well. Our final success was the amount of garbage we collected. Normally by myself, I generally just find less garbage, but the park was rather full of it. It was very nice seeing the visible difference we were making in the park. As I said before I found a lot less glass than usual, but I did find a lot more plastic bottles and cups.
3.) What are some challenges that you have faced? Have you been able to overcome them? If so, how? Provide specific examples. If not, can you problem-solve some ideas that might work for next time or if a similar situation arises? Again, provide specific examples.
A challenge our group runs into often is trying to choose a time and place that works for everyone. As I said before everyone has a different schedule so making plans can be tricky. We saw this week that planning more in advance tends to help so we plan to continue to plan in advance. It is also difficult to choose a location that works for everyone. Living in mission, I know that wherever we meet I will have to take transit wherever we go, so I like to plan that out ahead of time. A personal challenge I faced was having my Air Pods die in the middle of the cleanup. It was upsetting because I love listening to music in one ear while doing these cleanups. It was okay though because I just talked to my group instead.
4.) What are you doing next and why?
Our next plan is to do another cleanup in June. This will most likely be our final cleanup. As the end of the year approaches, it tends to be a busy time in everyone’s lives so that’s why we’re going to plan the one meeting. Our group plans on planning our final cleanup ahead of time so that we can all work together again. We look forward to cleaning more areas.