One Small Walk for Man, One Giant Impact on the Environment
By Guest Writer Francia Choto, Junior at Petaluma High School
As a high school student, there is a lot that runs through my mind. Especially as a Junior going to college in almost a year, the idea of having to choose what I want to do with my life is terrifying. Yet, one of the things that I have realized is that no matter what I decide to do, I want to be able to make a positive impact. Ever since I was young, I have always been passionate about the environment and have always felt a deep connection with the world around me. I love being outdoors. My early childhood consisted of many little outdoor adventures with my mother, forming my empathy and compassion for the environment and all its beings. My academics have always been of utmost importance to me and as the deadline for college quickly approaches, I’ve realized that I want to pursue my passion combined with my academic strengths by hopefully majoring in environmental engineering in college. High School has opened up new opportunities for me to become actively involved in community events involving the environment. As a result, I stumbled upon the Deviled Eggery. There is a sense of pride and fulfillment that arises whenever I can assist my community and the environment through trash cleanups, tree planting, etc. I experienced that same sense of gratification during the trash cleanup at the Deviled Eggery on April 14th.
Motivated by the desire to clean the local ecosystem as well as the impending community service hour deadline for National Honors Society members, I arrived at the Deviled Eggery early in the morning. To my surprise, out of the few volunteers who assisted, I was the only high school student participating in the cleanup. After getting to know each other and establishing our plan, we geared up and began our walk down Bodega. We planned to walk down one side of the street until we hit the little market along Bodega. The weather that day was cloudy, slightly cold, and muddy. As we ventured down the busy street, we discussed certain aspects of the environment and created hilarious stories about our interesting trash finds. Despite being covered in mud, leaves, and having my shoes soaked in muddy water, the overall experience was extremely enjoyable. Perhaps the best part for me was being able to dive into the muddy bushes to dig up trash. I had initially thought that there would be very little trash along the street considering that Bodega Avenue is not as popular as certain streets in downtown Petaluma. Our results, however, proved surprising. Along a half-mile stretch of just one side of the street, we collected 75 pounds of trash. A large percentage of that trash consisted of soda and beer cans. It is disappointing to realize that the large amount of alcohol cans and bottles indicate that many people are driving irresponsibly. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, about 37 people in the United States die in drunk driving crashes per day. With so much evidence regarding such reckless driving, I ask for all Petaluma community members to please drive safely and responsibly. I hope that no one ever ends up as part of that disheartening statistic.
In terms of the environmental impact, our cleanup, while small compared to what other groups may have completed, removed a large amount of plastics that would have ended up in the Petaluma and Russian River watersheds. We found plastic bags, bottles, and containers along the small stretch of road. Plastics are one of the most harmful materials to end up in the environment as they can take hundreds of years to decompose. Unlike organic material, which decomposes into organic waste, plastic waste never fully disappears, it only breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces. These minuscule plastic particles are called microplastics. The issue with microplastics is that if they end up in waterways, they are ingested by other organisms such as fish, birds, and other mammals, including humans. When living organisms consume microplastics, they can experience severe health issues such as endocrine disruption, insulin resistance, decreased reproductive health, and even cancer. By removing these larger pieces of plastic from the environment and recycling certain qualifying plastics, we can greatly improve the health of our environment as well as the health of our communities.
The experience of participating in the trash cleanup was truly eye-opening and inspiring. It allowed me to realize that there is much to be done regarding pollution not only in the community of Petaluma, but in the world as a whole. It was rewarding to know that we were not only improving the environment, but also providing an example of the type of environmental stewardship that anyone and everyone can be a part of. There is value in all of our actions. No matter how big or how small of an impact we can make, the need for positive change will always exist, and anyone who desires to change the world for a better place can play a part in shaping a cleaner, greener future.