Hi! My inquiry question was: Why and how we should help restore coral reefs?
I’ve looked into: Why coral reefs are disappearing and why they are so important?
What are different actions we can take to help save coral reefs?
And what is the sustainability of different coral saving actions?
Honestly, a huge challenge for me was the fact that we had to stay home so much. As many of us, COVID 19 changed my life, and I fell out of my routine. It started getting hard for me to keep track off the work I had to do. Days seemed to blend together and I seemed to be spending less and less time on homework. In order to fight this, I made myself an adjusted “quarantine” schedule, so that I could stay organize. Using my designated hour for butterfly effect, I powered through the end of my Inquiry! I turned of all distractions (my phone, the tv, music), so that I could fully focus on completing the task at hand. It wasn’t a perfect process, but experiences like these help us grow and learn. I now understand that it is important to know your strengths and weaknesses, so that you can help yourself achieve your goals.
This inquiry project is something I’ve wanted to look into for a long time. Now that I know more about the severity of our impact on coral reefs, and how we can minimise that impact, my view on regular day to day actions has changed. I see different evidence of how we are connected to the ocean, through pipelines, drainage systems, and beaches. I now see this connection as fragile, and I understand that we have to be careful not to damage it. Our oceans are vital to our survival, and we should feel grateful to have them. We can’t take that for granted. Just the other day, I was cleaning, and when I dumped the dirty water down the drain, I remember thinking how I’m impacting the environment. How my one decision impacts a whole ecosystem. I always knew I had to change my ways to help protect not only coral reefs, but the whole ocean. Now, I finally understand how to do that, and I feel like I can make a difference.
With this new information, I am starting to make better decisions and to protect our oceans. As I previously stated, I am being conscious of how my decisions affect oceans and coral reefs, and I am trying my best to pick the option that has the least environmental impact. I’m not perfect, and I’m sure I’ll make mistakes along the way, but it’s important that I give it my all.
One of the biggest ways I am taking action is by sharing my findings with other people. I’m sure that by now, my parents have gotten tired of hearing about sedimentation and eco-friendly cleaning products, but I know that it’s important to help spread the word. I’ve even shared the message on social media, because I think it’s important that people understand that it’s up to them to make a change. I’m hoping that if more people understand how they can help save coral reefs by simply changing their habits, they will change their ways.
I have had so much fun in butterfly effect this year, and I wish you all the best!
Have a great summer,
-Jasmine Paduraru