Small Acts Transform the World

I've often felt that I would be a really good trash picker on the side of the highways... that I could be really happy if someone paid me to walk around and tidy up all day long. There's always been something deeply satisfying about cleaning and tidying to me... that I can make something more beautiful or better than I found it.

Today I volunteered at a beach clean up put on by Surfrider Foundation Vancouver (an all-volunteer chapter of the Surfrider Foundation whose mission is to protect and enjoy our oceans, waves and beaches). For two hours I contentedly combed the beach for trash, grabbing it with my nifty trash picker and depositing it in the 5 gallon bucket provided. We started out in a predetermined area, gathering all of the garbage we could find then spread it out on a beach blanket. Other volunteers sorted the items and cataloged the total amount collected. After that we did our best to clean up the remainder of the beach. 

The majority of the trash I found was no bigger than a dime. Cigarette butts outnumbered everything else, with the next most common item being pieces of Styrofoam. There were tiny pieces of plastic of all colors, straws, bottle caps, plastic utensils and some people even found hypodermic needles (we were warned about the possibility before we started, and asked to notify an event coordinator if we found one so they could safely dispose of them).

By the end we had collected a huge mound of trash. And after a group photo folks gathered for an après session at a local spot. I chatted with a few volunteers and offered to help out where I can. I left feeling energized and knowing that #smallactstransformtheworld.