Beaches, like many other ecosystems, whether it be forests, deserts, or oceans, etc. are a vital component of Earth’s Biodiversity and play a part in maintaining ecological balance that is necessary for sustaining all life on Earth, combating key issues such as climate change and depleting resources. Polluted beaches contaminate seawater that cause biodiversity loss and hamper the food chain that ultimately harms humans. While several initiatives have been taken to restore this balance, it was visible that Dumas beach, the local beach in my city Surat, was polluted with all kinds of waste due in part to lax government protocols but also largely because of public (our) behavior. Beach cleaning drives were such an initiative to encourage students from many schools to collect waste present on the beach and depositing it into trucks that could responsibly dispose of the garbage. I, along with several of my friends and classmates were part of this drive.
LO4: Cleaning the beaches required commitment and perseverance. To begin, to arrive at the beach in the morning I had to wake up quite early in the morning, around 5:30 or 6:00 AM which was difficult to do. After reaching Dumas, I had to walk around the beach for 1-2 hours collecting waste that had accumulated and properly disposing it. This was a physically demanding task as I had to walk extensively and the weight of the bag was difficult to carry around, due to which I had to remind myself about the reason I joined this cause in order to be committed to cleaning the beach. The garbage too contained odorous waste and I had to go into unsanitary areas, which I found to be challenging because of which I initially retracted from participating, but through commitment I completed the task which gave me a sense of pride and accomplishment as I developed qualities of perseverance.
LO5: Single handedly this cleaning drive would have been extremely difficult and would provide with fruitless results in the time that I was present, but by working with my friends and classmates as a group who too participated in this event, the task became way easier to do and collaboration also made it fun for me. I was also able to improve upon my communication and social skills through this experience through collaboration.
LO6: As I said, beaches and oceans are part of our marine ecosystem that not only support humans with resources such as food and oxygen and provide livelihoods through the fishing sector, but it is also a key aspect of our biosphere in maintaining the climate conditions that support life. By cleaning the beaches we prevented the Dumas beach (part of the Arabian sea) from being contaminated with plastic and other pollutants that would harm the food chain. By cleaning the beach, oceans are better able to maintain their ecological balance and in turn continue to be a useful resource for all life.
LO7: I felt that it is our ethical responsibility to preserve and protect resources that we depend upon and other life depends upon, especially when we are also responsible for its deterioration. Hence, by cleaning the beach I was able to contribute to the effort against climate change among other environmental issues which would benefit the local and the global community.
After the drive, I felt a sense of accomplishment by seeing how together we could make a positive change. I also learnt by experience the severity of the situation regarding pollution which I feel has helped me better understand the need for a cleaner environment. Hence, I developed several learner profiles such as Caring, Responsible, and Reflection.
