JOYS OF VOLUNTEERING!

Yesterday was International Coastal Clean Up Day!  International!  This was the 33rd annual coordinated effort world wide to get dreaded garbage off the shorelines.

I made good on another promise - that I would volunteer, and so I did.  First, the approach to Oleta River State Park was amazing. There was a long line of cars ahead of me, and the line kept getting longer behind me.  I don't even know how many different groups of volunteers there were.  Groups were there from hotels like Newport Beachside Resort of Sunny Isles Beach, and schools, and friends of the park.

An organizer assigned me to group Friends One, and we set out with our garbage bag and recycling bag.  Maybe I've seen too many movies, but I was expecting mounds of easy-to-find trash that we'd just bag up and haul off.  But no.  In reality, the shore looks pretty clean.  Deceptively clean.  Finding people's trash takes time because sometimes the plastic is small, or partially hidden under rocks.  Or it's even become inseparably part of the rock.  The mission was to find recyclable plastic and cans (clear bag), trash (black bag) and cigarette butts (green bag).

Oleta River State Park shoreline 9/15/18
International Coastal Clean Up Day!
Photo: Mackenzie Littledale

 

Next time, I'll be more prepared.  You've never seen a less prepared volunteer.  No backpack (not even an unattractive fanny pack), no water, no bug spray, no gloves - just an attitude of total willingness to help out.  I literally carried my keys and my phone in my bra.  Next time, I'll know better!  Luckily, water, bags and gloves were provided.

Within less than an hour, our Friends One team had halfway filled up 2 garbage bags and 1 recycling bag. 

Some members of Friends ONE - volunteer group at Oleta River State Park 9/15/18

We kept going for a little longer and then took a break. Omg, some of us needed water quite badly.  It was super exciting to see so many young people caring enough about the environment to SHOW UP and DO SOMETHING!  I'm wondering what sort of earth-friendly inventions they'll come up with to replace plastic.  I'm wondering what's already available right now on the market.

It gives me hope.

Make someone else's day magical!
Mackenzie

#volunteer
#InternationalCoastalCleanUp
#OletaRiverStatePark