12/23/20: Summary of Our Silver Award (Colleen)

 Name: Colleen

Date: December 23st, 2020

Summary

Throughout all the cleanups, I have learned more about human tendencies: in myself and others. For some, if one way is easier but harmful and the other is difficult but helpful, they will choose the harmful. It is ingrained in society to take the easier path, despite the consequences. During this project, I discovered how much I want society to stop thinking about themselves and focus on the world before it’s too late. It is breaking down and no one has prevented it. There are groups that have gained traction and still are. It is like the snowball effect: it builds upon itself as more and more people join. For example, my partner for this, and I talked with Hillsborough Clean Communities and The Watershed about our project and the environment in general. We joined Hillsborough Clean Communities for their “Littercon” event across Hillsborough. Further, we contributed to a river clean up with fellow Girl Scouts for The Watershed. Later, we contacted someone from The Watershed via zoom to delve into the effects of pollution and the environment. From these encounters I have learned that because New Jersey is one of the most densely populated states, there is an overabundance of pollution/litter. From their point of view, they discovered ways to diminish the environment’s litter intake. It helped us have a deeper understanding of the environment and the effects of littering. In general, I gained skills such as public speaking, blogging, and building relationships. 

Our Take Action Project will shed light on the importance of cleaning up the environment. It demonstrates how magnanimous cleaning up the environment is, and it will show how much litter there actually is in the environment. Our Take Action project will, hopefully, encourage others to go outside for an hour or two and pick up garbage. Whether it is your neighborhood or a park, it will not go unnoticed and will have a positive impact on the world. 

Tips:

1. Don’t procrastinate - Some girls in my troop, including myself, waited until the last minute to finish our projects. To limit the stress from the project, I would suggest planning ahead and distributing your time wisely. The more time spent at the start diminishes the worries of not having enough hours completed at the end. 

2. Find something you are passionate about and branch out from it - For example, if you are a zealot in animals, you could do create an adoption website for a nearby animal shelter, etc. The more passionate you are about the project, the less it will feel like a job to accomplish. You shouldn’t feel forced into doing it: you have to want to complete the work. 

3. Reach out - Send emails to the people of the community, or just reach out to other people in general. Getting people involved in your project may spark something in others to continue living in a beneficial way.