Helping Your Community

One way to help the environment is to volunteer to pick up trash.

You probably like playing outside, going to the beach, or hiking in the mountains, but you might think you can't do a lot to help protect these environments. Well, it turns out that you can help. Each person can take actions, whether big or small, to help protect nature. When members of a community come together to work for a cause, they can be very successful.

So, how can people work together in their communities? One example is community members in Michigan who volunteer their time to clean up trash and debris from local rivers, streams, and creeks. Many use a program called the “Michigan Volunteer River, Stream, and Creek Cleanup Program.” Cleaning up trash is important because litter can hurt animals and ecosystems.

For example, sea turtles and birds can easily choke on plastic bottle caps or balloons, and they can get stuck on the plastic wrapping that holds packs of soda cans together. Other pieces of trash that can pollute water, such as old bottles of shampoo and bug spray, are also cleaned up. This helps to stop the chemical balance of the marine ecosystem from being disturbed.

You can also get involved in maintenance of hiking trails, or collecting data for studies. Image by Bureau of Land Management.

Many states or communities have similar groups. In Arizona, the Arizona Wilderness Coalition is involved in trash clean ups, trail maintenance, and data collection in natural areas. 

Community involvement can also happen right in your neighborhood. Members of a community could create a rain garden with native plants or might work together to help pass or defend laws that protect local endangered animals. 

Additional images via Wikimedia Commons. Image of Arches National Park by Sanjay Archarya.