a. What challenges did you overcome throughout this action project? How did you go about
overcoming these challenges?
The main challenge I had throughout this project, which I mentioned before, was that when I sent out my email I did not get as many responses as I expected. I got many people saying they were excited to participate in the project. Because of this I thought a lot of people would participate. Unfortunately most people who said they were interested ended up never doing anything for the project. It is okay though because I understand that life gets in the way sometimes, and people are very busy. The only way to get past this challenge was to beg my cousins and my other close family to help me pick up trash. It worked and I did end up getting a bit more help with my project.
b. How did this action change the way you think?
This action changed the way I think because I realized how much litter can build up around small towns, and how this can affect the environment, animals, and communities. Before starting this project I never noticed how much litter was surrounding me, after participating in this clean up I became more aware of the importance of disposing of waste and keeping public spaces clean. It also showed me that small actions can make a positive difference when people are working together.
c. How did this investigation/action impact your future decisions?
I did a lot of research for this project and I found out that even though most people think larger pieces of trash are the most harmful, but it’s actually the opposite. The smaller trash pieces are worse because they have the potential to become micro plastics. This is important because sometimes when people are walking around they see larger pieces of trash and don’t pick them up because it will be an inconvenience to them. Most people do not pick up small pieces of litter as they do not think it will make a difference or be any kind of help to the environment. Learning about this will impact my future decisions when walking past smaller pieces of litter. From now on I will make sure to pick up the smaller pieces I see and try not to neglect them.
d. What impact will this investigation/action have on others locally and/or globally?
This action had a positive impact on others both locally and globally. Locally cleaning up litter helps make the community cleaner, safer, and more enjoyable for everyone. It also helps encourage other people to take care of public spaces and dispose of their waste properly. Globally, reducing litter will help to protect wildlife, stops pollution from reaching the ocean, and it supports a healthier environment. Even though my project was small, it showed that individual actions can help lead to environmental improvements.
