Passion Project Idea: Project Clean Up?

Blog numero dos!

In my Digital Multimedia and Global Citizenship class (or DigCit for short), we are in the process of creating a "Passion Project". Whatever we are passionate about, we bring awareness to it in the form of a project. I have decided to stick with my topic of the environment for the Passion Project. I plan to cleanup several local sites and video record the process. Through these videos, I plan to raise awareness to the effects of littering. I hope to also record hikes and camping trips to share the beauty of nature.

This topic is important to me because I have always loved the outdoors. I don't think I can state that much more. But I am very passionate about the environment, and sustaining it for future generations. I am taking an online college class called Introduction to Sustainability, or SST 110. The textbook I use defines sustainability as using and saving resources for the present and future generations with equity and justice. There has to be equity and justice in the definition because otherwise, the definition does not encompass everyone on Earth. The topic of cleaning up the environment and litter is important to a larger audience because so many people do not know the effects of their actions. By raising awareness to these topics, I hope to change the lifestyles of others to positively impact the environment.

For this project, I have several goals:
I hope to effectively clean up the local sites in my area.

When something is clean, it is more "homey." Would you rather live in a clean house or a dirty house? I hope your answer is a clean one. But it is the same way with parks and other outdoor areas. People are more willing to go to a clean park then a dirty park with trash and litter everywhere. If a park is dirty, people will not be as inclined to go there. I want to clean up the parks so that the public will want to go to parks.
How will I measure if I cleaned up a park? I will measure this goal by trash bags filled. Every park I visit, I hope to fill several trash bags with litter. I want to raise awareness to the effects of litter. I am going to clean up the local parks etc. and video the process. I can upload it to YouTube and try to obtain a certain amount of views. I don't have a YouTube account so I don't know what a reasonable amount of views is for a school project. 1000 views? Thats a lot of people... Comment a goal for me to reach with these Youtube videos. Maybe I can make it a video series!

I also want to share with others the beauty of nature. I might create videos of hiking and camping trips to share this, or create an Instagram account to share pictures. I'm not sure yet. Comment what I should do with this idea. Additional Youtube videos in addition to the cleanup videos, or Instagram account?.

"Iron sharpens iron". This is an line that I like from a bible verse. This means that sharing, comparing, and working together make people stronger. "As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another." So please give me feedback on what you think of my ideas for the Passion Project so far. Things that you liked about it, constructive criticism, anything. I want this project to be amazing!

I thank you in advance for the feedback.

Sincerely,

Nathan

What Breaks My Heart

Hi, I'm Nathan and am a high school senior. I am taking a Digital Multimedia and Global Citizenship class where I blog about certain topics. 

As a sophomore, I took AP Environmental Science, and absolutely loved the material we covered. I have always loved being outside. One of my earliest memories is going to a pier in Maryland to fish with my grandpa. Now, I love to fish, hike, and camp. I really like anything "outdoorsy".   

Yesterday in class, I was asked to create a Heartbreak Map. If you don't know what a Heartbreak Map is, let me explain. We picked a subject that we were very passionate about. Something that we loved. Can you guessed what I picked? There are three levels to the Map. The first level is what you love. The second level is what breaks your heart about it. The third level contains solutions to the heartbreak. 

We essentially mapped out what we love and how to fix the problems with it. I enjoyed this activity because it made me reflect on why I love the outdoors and what I can do to make it better. This activity was a "call to action". If you are passionate about something, of course you would be willing to fix the problems with it. If not, it is not your passion. 

Here is a picture of what my Heartbreak Map looks like. 

So let me explain what this means to me.

I am passionate about the outdoors, I always have been. This passion was strengthened when I took APES because it brought awareness to the problems in the environment and how we can fix them. 

What broke my heart about the outdoors and the environment is that it is slowly dying. Things like pollution, global warming, climate change, and even ignorance takes away from the beauty of the outdoors. 

Rainforests are being cut down. Habitats are being lost. Cities are filled with smog. The Arctic is melting. The weather is getting hotter. The oceans are getting dirtier. 

One thing I learned from APES is that most of these problems are caused by not knowing the consequence of your actions. For example, if you throw a piece of plastic out your car door, you think "It is not that big of a deal. It is only one piece of trash" But did you know that plastic does not degrade like natural products. In other words, that plastic will still be recognizable in a 100 years. And if everyone throws a piece of trash out of their car every day, let me tell you, that is a lot of trash. If we can bring awareness to these kinds of problems, we can change the environment to become cleaner and safer. 

If you throw trash out your car window often, use this easy solution: keep a grocery bag on the armrest of your seat. When you have trash, instead of tossing it outside, put it in the bag. When it gets full or too old, take it when you get home and throw it in the trash can. Simple solutions like this can have a big impact on the environment. Before you throw your plastic bag into the trash, look into the bag and pat yourself on the back. You just helped the environment become a cleaner place. 

Bring Awareness. Clean up after yourself. Set an example. That way, you can change your lifestyle as well as others to have a positive impact on the environment.