Nicodemus Wilderness Project -- Global Registry of Apprentice Ecologists

I traveled to Ghana, Africa this past summer with a group of students from the University of Michigan. While we were in Ghana for one month, our group implemented plastics recycling programs in two universities and a small village. We explored the economic, legal, and social impacts of recycling plastics in this country. I am minoring in Global Change, so I am aware that climate change is a very real and dramatic problem in the world today. Our program helped to address environmental issues specific to Ghana and we were able to further educate and raise awareness throughout the younger generation. The problem of climate change is exacerbated by lack of knowledge, especially in developing nations, such as Ghana. There is a lot of plastic waste generated in this country because the water is undrinkable so they must drink packaged water. I hope that we have made an impact on the people we met in Ghana, and that at least some part of our work gets carried on now that we are gone. Seeing more of the world has opened up my eyes to possibilities and adventures, as well as helped me to better realize my place in the world as a student, an American, a white person, and a human being.