For my community service, I volunteered at the Gowanus Canal Conservancy in Brooklyn and aided the organization's effort of cleaning up the canal. Upon arriving at the volunteer site, the first thing I noticed was the greenish-blue waters of the canal. I heard that the Gowanus Canal was extremely unclean, toxic and that it was even known as the Lavender Lake at one point because it was a purple color. I was surprised to see that the canal was not purple or brown as I was expecting. I was impressed with the progress of the cleaning effort as the canal that once was purple transformed into a greenish-blue color. Aside from the canal, the volunteers were also taken to see the compost area and the salt lot. It was amazing to see people composting to try and make the soil more fertile and overall make planet Earth a better place. Also, the mountain of salt was incredible to see because of its great magnitude.  One of the first tasks we were given was to help pull out weeds in a certain section of land close by the canal. Before we started to pull weeds, the one the workers from the organization showed us what weeds to look out for. Some of the weeds we were instructed to pull out clovers or shamrocks, chickweeds, and bindvine. Pulling out the weeds was a bit confusing at first because we were unsure if we were pulling out the correct plants. However eventually, my friends and I decided that it would be more efficient if we all pick one weed to pull out. The clovers were easy for me to spot and therefore that was the weed I was responsible to pull out. After we weeded out all the weeds, we were instructed to next start planting. We got trowels and dug holes that were deep enough for the plants to go in. Over the course of the day, Cara, Luke and I planted over 20 plants!

       

        This experience has heightened my awareness of the environment. Before this service opportunity, I never knew that there was a canal in Brooklyn and certainly did not know that this canal, the Gowanus Canal, was so heavily polluted. Although I have done other environmental cleaning activities such as beach clean-ups back on Long Island and read about our ridiculous use of plastic, this experience has given me a firsthand view and really opened my eyes to the severity of how polluted planet Earth is. I have always tried to help out and make decisions that are best for the environment. For example, I always recycle water bottles and have even switched to a reusable water bottle to decrease my use of plastic. In addition, over the summer I also purchased metal straws to limit my use of plastic straws that are not only polluting the Earth but also killing turtles. I think we need to put out more laws that promote a clean enivironment starting with banning the use of styrofoam cups in restaurants and plastic straws. I think starting with everyday essentials will spread more awareness of our polluted our Earth and why such drastic measures have to be taken. I will try to continue making decisions that help the environment and also go on more volunteering opportunities that focus on cleaning the environment. With the way Earth is heavily polluted currently, it is pertinent that we as humankind act wisely and strive to clean up the Earth before it is too late. 

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