REFLECTION 1 - VOLUNTEERS CLEANING THE BEACH

Nur Nabilah Bt Mohd Sanusi
2218676
Course title- Sustainable development: Issues, Principals and Practices
Course code- SCSH 1201
Instructor's name - Asst. Prof. Dr. Nilar Win @ Fahmida
University: International Islamic University Malaysia

For the first reflection entry, I'm going to write about a personal event that is directly relevant to SDG number 14, life underwater.

I took part in a Soul Day Trip event on Saturday of last week. They offer various amusing activities, such as beach cleanup and exploration. I took part in the volunteer initiative organized by the SOUL Day excursion. They offered beach cleaning and exploration as an activity. This program held in Pantai Pelindung. Since this was my first time participating in an outdoor activity, I am quite enthusiastic about the program. In addition, I had never participated in a beach clean-up before, so I was very eager to do this because I enjoy trying new things and doing unconventional things.

The pictures of all the members that join this volunteer program.

Upon arrival, I received gloves and a plastic bag to collect the trash around the beach. This program has come with the purpose to keep the beach clean as well as keep marine life healthy. I can say that this program is closely related to SDG number 14, i.e life underwater. When I looked around, I found out that the trash on the beach makes it unattractive and harms marine life through suffocation, ingestion, and entanglement. All these hazards make it impossible for marine life and people to enjoy the beach and needed action to be taken.  

My teammates took a picture before started collecting rubbish around the beach.

I discovered a lot of items that shouldn't have been at the beach when cleaning it. I picked a lot of rope, sticks, candy wrappers, straws, plastic cup fragments, cigarette butts, and plastic bottles. I am aware that fishermen used to collect their catch at the sea, but that does not excuse their poor maintenance of the beach. Knowing that makes me a little frustrated because it is our duty to care for our environment. Therefore, I believe that we need to raise greater awareness in order to ensure that all of us take care of our environment in a good condition.

However, I was quite thrilled when I picked up all of this rubbish because I felt like I was making a difference and assisting in keeping the beach clean, which is how it should be. I had a lot of fun because while doing this, I was also exercising which is something I truly enjoy doing.

Clearly, this program had positively impacted the participant. The students who contributed were able to instill cleanliness and a spirit of love for the environment in themselves. As we acknowledge that the beach is one of the attractions for tourists from outside the country, we must maintain the beaches' attractiveness since it will encourage more visitors and also boost the country's economic level.

Along this program, I personally realized that there were actually various platforms and alternatives to raise awareness in our community to join this volunteer together to clean the beach for good and it was not difficult to be executed. Furthermore, I also realized that it is such a great ni'mah to mesmerize the eyes to gaze at the beautiful creatures that hover all over the beach and on the deep-sea waters. It dawned on me that we should always be grateful for every single thing that we have and we can’t do damage with anything that Allah has given us because later we will be questioned why we didn't take good care of it.

I was glad to be part of this volunteerism because I learned a lot in this program as it really opened my eyes to new things I haven't known before and it was just great to help make the beach a little cleaner. I will definitely come again to participate in more beach cleans-up in the future and bring a lot of people along with me.