On October 12, 2019, I volunteered with my fellow classmates and professor to help expand more green space in the Gowanus watershed area. In order to fulfill this task, my classmates and I decided to plant new flowers and remove weeds in the garden using gloves and shovels. Initially, when I tried to remove the weeds from the soil, I found this process to be very long and tedious because I had to be careful of not removing the healthy plants. However, after many attempts, I was able to remove weeds at a quicker pace as I became more knowledgeable in distinguishing different kinds of plants from each other. After I finished removing the majority of the weeds, I was also tasked to dig up space in the garden to plant new flowers. Although the shoveling proved to be a tedious process too, I was very interested in the way the flowers had to be planted. In fact, since the garden was slanted downwards, I had to carefully plant the flower with layers of soil surrounding it, so that it will not fall. 

 

            After volunteering for several hours, I was able to gain more insight about the importance of taking care of our environment and protecting the plants around us. In today’s world, I noticed that many trees have been cut down and pollution is increasing at a fast rate. Moreover, I understood that if we did not take action, then everyone would suffer heavy consequences in the near future from devastations, such as rising temperatures and higher chances of natural disasters. By collaborating with many people in the Gowanus volunteering work, my awareness of these problems increased. For example, when I entered the garden, I noticed that there were many weeds around the plants. If the weeds were left unattended, the other crops would not prosper and could possibly die. This helped me realize that is is very important for people to take care of the earth and communities since plants play a vital importance in our lives. 

 

            Not only did this volunteer work increased my awareness towards global issues, but it also helped me rethink my actions in keeping the environment safer and cleaner for the future. In fact, after learning about how heavily polluted the water canal is, I decided to always recycle plastics and reuse the same water bottle in order to reduce the amount of waste entering into the ocean and rivers. By doing this, I would be contributing to a healthier environment since plastics are hard to decompose and can hurt animals too. Therefore, I am motivated to spread awareness towards my nearby communities about this global crisis by giving brochures. After seeing many protests where people are demanding the city officials to take action, I also realized that I can make an impact by informing more people globally. With the use of social media, I am able to help others realize the consequences and how badly it will affect us all. 

 

            Overall, I was very intrigued and pleased with our performance and progress at the Gowanus Conservancy project. At first, there were many weeds surrounding the plants. However, within several hours, we were able to develop a garden with a numerous amount of new plants that were growing and thriving. It was a great experience to see how our involvement could make a great impact on our environment. As a result, I hope that everyone else can also see the beauty of protecting our surroundings and the earth. Although people have different perspectives on the way we see the earth and surroundings, I learned that we can all agree on the great importance of protecting and taking care of nature, so that we may all thrive in a cleaner and healthier place.