Step 5 action post

1) So far, I have completed three nature clean-ups along with the other members of my group: Dorra J and Chantal M. We have cleaned up Mundy Park previously, however, we cleaned it up in a specific area. Since Mundy Park is a big park we decided to clean up a different area. So, we ended up cleaning up the other side of Mundy Park near the playground towards Hillcrest Middle School. Our clean-up lasted about an hour and a half and we managed to pick up 62 pieces of garbage. Now that we’ve done three clean-ups we found we are more efficient in our action and plan our locations ahead of time. I look forward to more nature clean-ups with my group and to helping make a difference within our community!

2) Our biggest success was finding trash underneath the snow. Although at the time we started some of the snow had already melted, it was still difficult. To make matters worse, it gets dark very quickly. We used our phones’ flashlights to spot the garbage in the snow, then we moved the snow away to pick it up, and put it in our trash bag. By doing so, we manage to pick up 62 pieces of garbage in varying sizes. Once again, we struggled because our parks and community areas seem to be picked up often. So there’s not as much trash as expected, however, we always manage to find some in hidden areas. These hidden areas include small trails, underneath or in bushes, trees, and rocks. An example of this would be when we found take-out boxes that were thrown away under a bush. Another success was finding a date when we could meet up due to our different and busy schedules.

3) Our biggest challenge during this action was the snow. Since we all have different schedules it’s very hard to find a day that works. Along with the weather being colder and wetter, it gets darker sooner, which makes it harder to choose the right day. Unfortunately, the day we were all able to get together and complete this action it snowed. Luckily, a lot of the snow had melted away after school, however, there was still a lot of snow. While picking up garbage, the snow became a challenge because we could not spot trash underneath it. It became even harder for us when it got dark quickly. Therefore, the darkness and the snow was our biggest challenge. So, to overcome this problem we used our flashlights from our phones which helped us spot the garbage faster. Our second biggest challenge was forgetting our gloves. Usually, when we pick up the garbage we each bring a pair of gloves, however this time two of us forgot. Since we only had one pair of gloves, we took shifts picking up the garbage and holding the garbage bag. That way, we would each divide the work equally and make sure none of us were working harder than the other.

4) Next in our plan will be to do a cleanup on our own time during winter break. Since we usually struggle to find a day that works, we know that during the break we will have fewer responsibilities and more free time. Therefore, our goal at the moment is to complete one clean-up, however, we hope to complete two. In our plan, we are trying to clean up different locations each time so we can make the biggest impact in our community. I’m excited to continue doing this action along with my group and make an impact on our environment!