On Saturday, October 22nd S.A.V.E. (Stockton Action Volunteers for the Environment) travelled off campus to the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge to volunteer in a litter cleanup event. Although the chilly weather and rain may have deterred some people, S.A.V.E. met in the Campus Center that morning at 7:45a.m. to drive to the refuge. When we arrived, there were little open parking spots showing that a whole community came together despite the fact that it was a rainy and dreary Saturday morning. Each group of people that arrived were given pickers, recycling and garbage bags/buckets, gloves, and a road to clean up and make beautiful again.

Although we were not given that much of an area to clean, (especially compared to other trash clean ups I have done in the past) we found a decent amount of items that belonged in a landfill or a recycling plant, rather than on the side of a road. S.A.V.E. did a very thorough job, cleaning up everything that they saw. Glass bottles, plastic, and paper trash were more of the common litter gathered. Among these common trash items, S.A.V.E. collected more unusual items such as two full paint cans and a tire.

When we finished, we brought everything we found back to the Wildlife Refuge to be disposed of properly. After that, the men and women running the event offered us hot coffee and light refreshments, which was very kind of them to do. They also gave out free sweatshirts for those who participated in the event.

Overall, this event was very rewarding. It is very important for people to take pride in their communities and the planet to keep it clean. Making a difference and volunteering is so worthwhile, and being apart of events like these are what make my day!