ESS is one of my subjects and I have a lot of interest in it, alongside Biology. In ESS, we had also taken a field trip to a Water Treatment Plant in my city, where I learned about how water has to be treated to specially remove wet and dry garbage. This was notable for me and when we returned, I had an idea of trying and doing my part to help conserve the environment. I live in the colony of my dad’s company itself and I had talked to the Secretary of the colony to help set up segregated garbage chutes around the society. I felt very good after doing this as this was something good for not just me but also for the environment and the world, no matter how small the effort.
LO3- Demonstrate how to initiate and plan a CAS experience
Unlike other CAS experiences, this one was particularly harder to initiate due to the fact that everything, from the planning to the execution was up to me. The manner in which I plan the task would significantly alter the results. Therefore, I sat down with my father and the secretary to decide and think about possible remedies and solutions to improper garbage disposal. We had initially adopted different stances to the issue but managed to find common ground and come up with a proper solution to the issue. Thus, we came up with the idea of awareness by signboards, segregation of different garbage by the help of different garbage cans and requesting people to segregate waste at their own homes as well.
LO4- Show commitment to and perseverance in CAS experiences
This task was initially very difficult to both initiate and experience. This was because while we managed to come up with a rough plan about the concept, we also had to convince people to go out of their way to segregate and separate garbage based on whether it’s wet or dry. Thus, I had to ensure that I managed to convince people about the benefits of segregation of garbage while also not coming off as blunt or forceful. The secretary suggested that rather than going door-to-door and asking people personally, the colony should put up sign boards and posters.
LO6- Demonstrate engagement with issues of global significance.
Preserving the environment is a very important issue which affects everything living on Earth. This is not just relevant to us at our colony but also to communities around the world. While we are just one society trying our best, if everyone were to attempt this, we could certainly have an impact upon the world. An excess of garbage is an issue which has plagued many developing and developed nations and my nation is no different. After my work, I felt very satisfied with myself and our efforts which would, at least in the bare minimum, affect a major issue in the world.
LO7- Recognize and consider the ethics of choices and actions.
The actions undertaken by us was completely ethical and, on the contrary, something which I feel should be implemented by everyone. Something so simple can actually have a profound impact upon the amount of garbage we produce and its effects on organisms such as birds and fish. These issues, while seemingly indirect, actually have direct consequences upon us; we have to pay more for water to be treated, we have to bear the brunt of water pollution and all of these factors will eventually prove to be harmful for everything. My opinion before planning and executing this activity was that something which is considered ‘menial’ may have a greater impact. After the entire experience, this belief was only further cemented.
To conclude, I discovered that seemingly small tasks undertaken everyday can possibly have huge impacts later. ‘Knowledgeable’, ‘Principled’ and ‘Caring’ were the primary learner profile attributes which were present during the entire operation. I feel that this was a very valuable CAS experience and one which has imprinted itself in my mind for a long time to come.
