This article is about a clean up drive I took part in as a student member of the Emirates Environmental Group.
As one of the things I really care about is the welfare of the environment and to see that it stays clean, preserved for everyone to explore, I looked for events where I could help keep our surroundings as pure as possible.
I came across an occasion which is sort of like a ritual for the EEG group as they have carried out the UAE Clean Up campaign every year since 2002. Intrigued, I decided to join the movement and participated in the drive at the Al Qudra area in Dubai. The whole event was well organized with various sites for several numbers of volunteers.
The moment I reached there our plan was to go to as many campsites there were as they would have the most amount of litter, due to people being there. We were able to locate the campsites using a simple mechanism of finding charcoal. Collecting litter in the trash bags was almost like treasure hunting as we found a diverse array of items from tongs, chargers, clips to cans and general trash.
The sites of the sand dunes, emerging from every possible direction, along with various breeds of birds and several tiny lakes made the whole experience pleasant to the eye. All the garbage left by us humans is what destroys this serenity and is such a selfish act defaming our elegant nature.
My personal findings at the end of the whole drive were astounding. Out of all the waste that I had cleared up, I found to have a huge amount of cigarette butts, which was almost 1/3rd of my waste pile. This goes on to show the vast quantity of people that smoke, harm the environment and their own health.
Not only was the drive astounding, but it was also filled with many exciting and interesting events such as the sightings of a magnificent, huge black swan amongst other tiny ducks. Moreover, the refreshments were a blissful feeling. Drinking cool milkshakes after a few hours of work under the hot sun was truly refreshing and gave us a boost of energy.
In the end, we got to keep our collected waste with all other volunteers, and it felt remarkable, seeing how we as a group had contributed towards the betterment of the environment and collected a lot of unwanted garbage.
Well done Toshith. Having associated with an Environmental cause is such a brilliant idea. And of course, as love to visit the beautiful deserts, we should also take the responsibility to give it back in our own ways. Happy to see you contributing towards that cause.