mebpanda
Registered: December 2015
City/Town/Province: Jacksonville
Posts: 1
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World-renowned architect Richard Rogers once said, “The only way forward, if we are going to improve the quality of the environment, is to get everybody involved.” Every person in the world leaves an influence on the environment’s condition by their physical efforts and their educating words. We can cut down forests, or we can plant trees. We can discuss how useless parks are, or we can speak up on the importance of protecting our environment. The only part we are able to choose is whether to make a beneficial or negative impact on this world that we live in.
As an active member of Florida 4-H, the Civil Air Patrol, and my church’s youth group, I have had numerous chances to participate in community service projects. In fact, I have even organized and led a few. All of those projects have benefitted a charity, supported a purpose, or helped my community in another way, and they have all had incredible effects on everyone involved. One of my favorite parts of service projects is the chance to inspire more people to fight for a cause that they believe in. When we do, we are creating advocates for the cause and making a greater impression on our environment than a single project could ever have.
Our environment is extremely fragile. Regrettably, humans have been wrecking havoc on it for centuries, particularly these last few. With the invention of steam engines, factories, and machines, has come deforestation, pollution, and limitless other horrors. The saddest part is that most people do not realize how much damage factors like this can lead to. This lack of education is yet another reason that service projects and educational programs are necessary. Two areas that have been particularly affected by these terrors are the beach and the ocean.
As a Florida native, I visit the beach often. In both the summer and the winter, the crashing waves and soft sand never fail to relieve my stress and make me feel at peace with the world. With shallow ocean water covering my feet, birds soaring overhead, fish swimming around my toes, and the sun warming my skin, I cannot think of a better way to spend a beautiful summer day. In addition to their natural beauty and healing properties, the beach and ocean are home to various animals. Each species of marine life is important to our ecosystem, no matter how insignificant it may seem. Millions of people feel the same way I do about the beach and ocean. So why are they not taken better care of?
A multitude of wretched corruptions are happening on the beach and in the ocean that we are miserably unaware of. For example, pollution in water and air infects animals, with the potential to cause horrifying mutations or death if it does. In addition to this, trash is piling up on the sea floor, choking, slicing, and suffocating turtles, dolphins, and other marine life. To add to that, poachers are illegally killing sharks and other sea animals just for profit. These shocking sorrows are leading to the extinctions of several species, disfiguration for a myriad of helpless creatures, and the deaths of countless animals. It is vital that we eliminate these sickening problems now so they do not become any worse.
For my Apprentice Ecologist Initiative Project, I took a group of concerned 4-H members from the Hoofbeats 4-H Club to Mickler’s beach. Mickler’s beach is a gorgeous beach full of soft sand, colorful shells, and plenty of sharks’ teeth. Residents of the area and tourists alike enjoy stopping there for a chance to view the stunning landscape and abundant wildlife. However, this splendor attracts thousands of visitors and, unfortunately, further damage that is in need of repairing.
At Mickler’s, the club members and I removed trash for about an hour. During this time, we found various items that could have been easily tossed into the nearby trashcans, but were instead left on the sand for some animal to choke on. There were also dozens of items that had washed up from the sea, either tossed in or forgotten on another beach. I will never be able to identify where these items came from, but I can wonder as to the damage they have already created and could have led to if left there any longer.
Eradicating trash not only protects wildlife, but also makes the beach more beautiful and safe for everyone. Plus, it is something that everyone can do easily. If every person on earth put forth a little effort, this huge problem would be solved almost instantly. No more animals would die because they suffocated, choked, or injured themselves on trash. In addition to this, the beaches would be clean and safe for children, animals, and adults to enjoy without fear of injury. All it takes is that tiny bit of extra effort to throw away some garbage and protect our beaches.
While we were cleaning, the club members and I were encouraged when several other visitors thanked us for what we were doing. This tiny show of consideration and appreciation motivated us significantly. Learning that these people understood how important our beaches are and how dangerous even the most trivial bit of trash can be revealed to me that there is still hope for this world. People are often ready and willing to make a difference, they just need a slight nudge in the correct direction to get them started.
If we can gather more people to participate in environmental service projects, then we will be making an enormous difference in our quest for a better world. Our environment needs to be protected and preserved. It is vital that people understand that. This opportunity to help has certainly inspired me to organize and participate in more environmental service projects. I will also spend time teaching about the importance of protecting our environment to other youth. As Richard Rogers explained, together we can make this planet a better home for everyone and everything living in it.
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