As a group, we cleaned King’s Beach in Lynn Ma for our service learning project. We chose King’s Beach because Colleen is from Lynn, and she made us all aware of just how contaminated it was with garbage and debris. We were in shock of how much garbage there actually was. We spent 2 hours filling up trash bags. There were miscellaneous items like water bottles, needles, coffee cups, and beer cans. We realized just how little it takes to pick up and throw things away! There were trash cans literally five feet away. As this journey comes to an end, we wanted to share how much we learned form this experience we hope that this well help you all become more aware of he situation. We truly believe in cleaner and safer beaches.Just a little help can go a long way! Websites we used for research:
http://itemlive.com/articles/2010/07/29/news/news03.txt
Colleen:
Our service learning project was very successful. Although I lived in Lynn my whole life I never realized how bad the pollution actually was. There have been many times where the front page of the newspaper talked about King's Beach being closed. When I go to the beach I usually go to Nahant because Lynn is not known to be clean. Nahant is attached to Lynn Beach and it is extremely clean compared to Lynn. I really liked that we were able to clean up the beach for our service project. There were two things that I was most surprised about. I could not believe that there were so many needles on the beach and the area leading up to the beach. Although Lynn is known for its bad reputation it was shocking and gross. One of the other things that shocked me was that we saw so many cigarette butts. We found cigarette butts almost every foot. These different things that are left on beaches are contaminating our water and animals all over the world. We did one simple thing that made a major difference and I truly believe that each and every one of us can make a difference.
Lauren:
Our group went to King’s Beach to clean up for a couple hours. I found this experience to be very shocking and I learned a lot from just those few hours. I thought it was incredible that the second we got out of our car a trash bag flew past us. We weren’t even at the beach yet and trash was clearly present. As we started towards the beach I was a little skeptical as to how much trash we would actually find, but I was proven wrong the second we started down the ramp and couldn’t even take a clean step without walking over cigarettes and plastic bottles. The most shocking part of this experience was finding numerous needles right on the entry of the beach. Children and animals take that ramp down to the beach and it really saddens me to find those dirty, hazardous things out in the open. I learned a lot from this service learning project and I am so much more aware of pollution and the effects it has on our oceans and animals. I think that if people are more aware of the dangers trash has on pretty much everything then they will contribute a little time and effort towards keeping our beaches safe and clean.
Lauren:
Our group went to King’s Beach to clean up for a couple hours. I found this experience to be very shocking and I learned a lot from just those few hours. I thought it was incredible that the second we got out of our car a trash bag flew past us. We weren’t even at the beach yet and trash was clearly present. As we started towards the beach I was a little skeptical as to how much trash we would actually find, but I was proven wrong the second we started down the ramp and couldn’t even take a clean step without walking over cigarettes and plastic bottles. The most shocking part of this experience was finding numerous needles right on the entry of the beach. Children and animals take that ramp down to the beach and it really saddens me to find those dirty, hazardous things out in the open. I learned a lot from this service learning project and I am so much more aware of pollution and the effects it has on our oceans and animals. I think that if people are more aware of the dangers trash has on pretty much everything then they will contribute a little time and effort towards keeping our beaches safe and clean.
Maggie:
I learned so much through our service learning project. There is so much garbage not only on the beach but in the water! I think it made me realize how much of an issue this is all across our planet. So much pollution goes into the ocean from garbage, toxic wastes, oil pollution, and acid rain. This project made me much more aware of the issues. The statistics of sea life death rates are very alarming! This project had a huge impact on my group and I. We have discussed how doing so little in picking up plastic bottles and bags on the beach can do so much because it prevents it from going into the ocean.
A study from Penn States’ research of how long it takes waste to decompose:
Penn State University*: Paper-2-4 Weeks; Leaves-1-3 Months; Orange Peel- 6 Months; Milk Carton- 5 years; Plastic Bag- 10-20 Years; Plastic Container- 50-80 Years; Aluminum Can- 80 Years; Tin Can- 100 Years; Plastic Soda Bottle- 450 Years; Glass Bottle-500 Years; Styrofoam-Never.
It definitely had an impact on the greater good! It made us all so much more aware. I would do something like this again! I would do it again because it helped me realize the state of pollution in and on our oceans. It made me realize how we affect it and what we can do to prevent it. I would absolutely teach and have students create their own service learning project. It’s so important for students to be aware of what is going on in the world and what we can do to make a difference. I think being aware helps motivate students to make a difference. I also think that a little help goes a long way!
It definitely had an impact on the greater good! It made us all so much more aware. I would do something like this again! I would do it again because it helped me realize the state of pollution in and on our oceans. It made me realize how we affect it and what we can do to prevent it. I would absolutely teach and have students create their own service learning project. It’s so important for students to be aware of what is going on in the world and what we can do to make a difference. I think being aware helps motivate students to make a difference. I also think that a little help goes a long way!
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