India generates nearly 26,000 tonnes of plastic waste every day, and from it so much of is thrown in public places like side walks, roads, beaches and etc. Plastic has a very negative effect on our ecosystem, it degrades our soil, if consumed by animals it can severely affect their health, and if ended up in water it can also affect the health of marine life.

Through one of my friends, I came across a club called Rotary Club, for which me and my group of friends decided to clean public places to help our planet. We joined the club on 5th July till 27th July. Where we went individually on weekdays and as a group on weekends. We went to clean public places when we had free time, no particular schedule.

Learning Outcomes Achieved: 4, 5, 6, 7

LO4: Show commitment to and perseverance in CAS experiences

The thing which made this activity difficult and then commitment was required was when the group were deciding to go to clean on weekend but you have some other plans or you are left with some work, then I had to show commitment to the activity and go to clean on my own at a suitable time to cover up for what I missed. Showing commitment was important as I am doing my part for the community and I would not like to missing out on these opportunities.

LO5: Demonstrate the skills and recognize the benefits of working collaboratively

Usually working in group can be chaotic and difficult but I didn’t face any difficulties during this experience as everyone were cooperative, this is because everyone were committed to their tasks. Working in a group was better than going alone to clean as if we have a partner it is easy to throw the garbage in the bag. As one person will hold the bag and one will pick up the trash and throw. Also in a group you can cover a larger area to clean.

LO6: Demonstrate engagement with issues of global significance

This issue of land pollution is very important globally as every human contributes to it and it severely affects our environment. And the solution to this problem is keeping the Earth clean for which we need to clean the existing trash and prevent throwing garbage in public places in future. So me and my friends did exactly that, we cleaned various public places behalf of Rotary Club. If other people like us clean public places, it would be very helpful for the welfare of our planet.

LO7: Recognize and consider the ethics of choices and actions

There was one ethical issue which was cleaning public places during covid times, at start I was a bit hesitant to clean but then I realised this is for the welfare of our planet.

To conclude, I developed the learner profile caring and communicator during this activity. Caring as we cared for our planet cleaned the public places and I also developed the learner profile communicator as I had to communicate with my group to work effectively. Working on behalf of Rotary Club was a great success, and the highlight of this experience for me was the self satisfaction you get after cleaning the public places as you know you have contributed to the society. Even though the CAS experience is over, I will clean the public places when I get the opportunity.