Describe an environmental or community event you attended.

You should say:

what the event was

where and when it took place

what happened at the event

and explain why it was important to you.

Introduction

I’d like to discuss a coastal restoration initiative I participated in recently, which was essentially a large-scale beach cleanup drive.

What it was

It was organized by a local NGO dedicated to marine conservation, aiming not just to clean the area but to audit the waste to trace its origins.

Where and when it took place:

This took place about six months ago, during the height of summer, at a popular shoreline roughly an hour’s drive from my city. It’s a stunning stretch of coast, but unfortunately, due to heavy tourism, it often bears the brunt of human negligence.

The event kicked off at the crack of dawn. Upon arrival, we were greeted by a surprisingly large crowd—there must have been over two hundred volunteers, ranging from school children to retirees, which created an immediate sense of solidarity. The organizers briefed us on safety protocols and distributed heavy-duty gloves and biodegradable bags.

What happened at the event

We were divided into teams, and my group was assigned the rocky outcrop area where debris tends to get trapped during high tide. For the next four hours, we meticulously scoured the sand and rocks.

We weren’t just picking up driftwood; we were extracting entangled fishing nets, discarded plastic bottles, and an alarming amount of microplastics.

By noon, we had collected over a ton of waste. The event concluded with a waste segregation workshop, where we learned how to properly categorize the refuse for recycling versus disposal.

Explain hy it was important to you

This event was profoundly important to me for two main reasons.Firstly, on a tangible level, it was incredibly satisfying to see the immediate transformation of the landscape.

Leaving the beach in a pristine condition compared to the state we found it in gave me a genuine sense of accomplishment.

Secondly, and perhaps more significantly, it served as a stark reminder of our ecological footprint. Seeing the sheer volume of single-use plastics up close really galvanized me to rethink my own consumption habits.

It shifted my perspective from passive concern to active engagement, reinforcing the idea that while individual actions might seem like a drop in the ocean, collective action can create a tidal wave of change.