Address the following questions:
- What challenges did you overcome throughout this inquiry project? How did you go about overcoming these challenges?
During our action project, we faced several challenges, some more challenging than others. Some of the bigger ones we faced were the weather, finding locations where we would be successful, and planning within our group (availability). At first, it was very difficult for us to plan our cleanups based on our busy schedules. We were finally able to find a day and time that works for all of us. The weather, as mentioned earlier was also one of our bigger challenges. Since most of our cleanups were in the middle of the winter season, it was very difficult to do our cleanups. There was the incident with the flood caused by the rain, and the very heavy snow that made it very difficult for us to spot, and pick up the garbage in our community. Luckily, we knew what we were getting ourselves prior to the cleanups, therefore we always came prepared, In the end, we were always able to find solutions to our problems as a team.
2. How did this inquiry change the way you think?
This action project really opened my eyes to the ongoing issue of littering within our community, but also worldwide. Some areas in our community were cleaner than others. The reason for that is because some areas, most public parks, and whatnot are being better taken care of than others. I think a solution to this problem is getting people educated so that more and more people are willing to go out and help keep our community cleaner. Also, emphasizing on the importance of recycling and compost, because that is a great way to reduce the amount of littering while keeping the Earth clean. I also realized that we need to put more trash cans or places for people to put their garbage around the community. This will hopefully decrease the amount of litter. I believe that if more garbage cans are accessible to people whether it be in parks, or even on the sidewalks, they will most likely throw their trash in the bins rather than go out of their way to throw it on the floor.
3. How did this investigation impact your future decisions?
I have always been aware of my garbage and where I dispose of it properly. In the future, I think I’m going to plan more cleanups within my community, alone or in a group. I think it is very important to keep this going because it does make a long-term impact. This action project has really made me reflect on the issue of littering. My group and I have picked up so many pieces of garbage in such little time. We called it a success, but in reality, it is not. People litter everywhere they go. We found that the most common pieces of garbage being thrown on the ground are cigarette buds. They are very small but do not doubt them, because they are still very effective and can cause great damage to the Earth.
4. What impact will this investigation have on others locally and/or globally?
I’m hoping this action project will have an impact on a lot of people. For instance, the readers, and maybe even the people that saw us picking up garbage during our cleanups. We are hoping that they will realize that just a small thing can have a big impact on our community, and even globally, especially if more people participate. We are also hoping that this brought awareness to many people on the subject of climate change and the severity of littering within our community.