An empty bottle of Smirnoff vodka, a broken desk lamp, a yellow backpack, and a 9-inch stapler. The list goes on and on, but these are just a few of the bizarre things we found while cleaning the White River. I remember watching a documentary about water pollution. I had done little to no research about the topic at that point, but the documentary emphasized how much waste littered the ocean and I was fascinated. I was offered an opportunity by my scholarship program where I could take part in cleaning some parts of the White River in downtown Indianapolis. I was ecstatic, I had done the research and I went into it expecting it to be great.

 

I met with the group on campus, and we all walked over to the canal near the area the organization told us to meet. Soon after, we were met with two members representing the organization. They gave us a quick history lesson about the particular area we were cleaning and how valued it was by the nearby community. People love to take morning jogs, have picnics, and play sports near the area. There is also a designated patch of grass for IUPUI students to study outside. They also mentioned how badly pollution was affecting ecosystems. I was still very excited; I was looking forward to possibly making an impact. We hiked down to the shore of the river, and it was like nothing I had seen before. It was completely littered with random waste all along the shore as far as the eye could see.

 

It felt a little discouraging. We each grabbed our buckets and gloves and split up. Once you fill your bucket with waste, you come back to the designated area where big trash bags were provided. It almost felt like the trash was infinite. No matter how many times I filled my bucket and dumped it, I would come back and find more and more trash. After about 2 hours of picking up trash, I believe I filled by bucket about 17 times. We filled up 4 large trash bags.

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One thing that was interesting to keep thinking about while cleaning was the history of the White River. I got to hear about how the river was healthy and abundant in fish. However, settlers came in and started cutting nearby trees to build their homes and settle in. Soon enough, towns began thriving around the White River and businesses and homes started being built. These cities along the river caused a lot of pollution. Recently, municipal facilities have worked on reducing and eventually eliminating the waste. 

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The Pacific Garbage Patch is composed of two large patches of garbage in the Northern Pacific Ocean. It is a visual example of the consequences of pollution. The patches are a result of waste being thrown into the ocean and gathering in one place depending on the nearby ocean gyres. These gyres push all the trash and waste into one place, creating large patches of garbage throughout the ocean. Some countries and corporations find these patches of garbage to be a solution to get rid of waste. However, this solution creates another problem. National Geographic mentions, "Marine debris can prevent algae and plankton, the photosynthetic producers in the marine food web, from receiving enough sunlight to create nutrients. When these tiny organisms are threatened, the entire food web is put at risk." These garbage patches harm marine life, but eventually, they also start to harm humans. The plastic that goes into the ocean doesn't just disappear, it disintegrates into tinier pieces. These microplastics can be found in some of the food we eat as well as some of the water we drink. The Marine Debris program says, "Because microplastics are smaller than a pencil eraser, they are not immediately noticeable to the naked eye. It’s more like pepper flakes swirling in a soup than something you can skim off the surface." The cons outweigh the pros. If there is no solution found to these garbage patches, it will continue to harm nearby marine life as well as humans. 

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I believe immersing myself in this experience was very beneficial. Although I was exhausted and dehydrated from the hot weather, I still felt satisfied. We all gathered to drink water and discuss the experience. The point of this experience was not just to simply clean up some trash, our main goal was to take initiative and do our part in hopes of motivating other people to also do their part. I could have just researched this topic and decided to spread awareness on social media or donate to organizations, but getting the hands-on experience gave me a whole new perspective.