Volunteer
Environmental and community sustainability are crucial to realizing a healthy living in a healthy environment. Natural resources such as water towers have been subjected to pollution in many parts of the world. Without proper environmental sustainability, such water sources may hardly support the beauty of nature or even supporting aquatic life as destined. In this regard, many organizations have come up with friendly ways to protect water bodies such as rivers. Such an organization is the Lower Cashmere Residents Association where I volunteered for a clean project of Heathcote River in a mother of all cleanups. Lower Cashmere Residents Association requested the community members to join in the experience and help clean the river. The exercise took place on 11th May 2019 at 10.12am. Heatchcote River. The area demarcated for the exercise was between Barrington Street and Colombo Street. Due to the length of the designated clean up area of the river, and the nature of the river pollution, the activity took two days to completion. Nevertheless, for the first day of the experience, the activity took eight hours.
Setting and Experience
Heathcote River is also known as the “Maori Opwaho.” The river lies within the boundaries of New Zealand and Christchurch. The springs near Templeton Road feed the river with its waters. The wet weather flows from the Pound Road to the west also feeds the river. The river meanders around the foot of Port Hills from west to south-east. The catchment of the river extends to the suburb areas of Yaldhurst. The river drains an area of approximately 100 square kilometres equivalent to 39 square miles, with the largest tributary being the Cashmere Stream. The river flows from the location of the main springs at Wigram Hamilton, Hoon Hay around the base of the hill and Ferrymead before draining its waters in Avon Heathcote Estuary.
Picture 1: A section of Heathcote River
Every time the river gets polluted, the Lower Cashmere Residents Association organizes for cleanup exercises; an experience which comprises of volunteers, and members of the community around the river. This year, the Mother of All Clean Ups was set to take place again on the mentioned date. This is an environmental protection initiative, which is focused on ensuring clean water reservoirs for the community members. The experience was an awesome experience for me as an environmentalist. We gathered at exactly 10 with a few guys arriving ten minutes past ten. The community members who volunteered for the exercise arrived on time as this was the point of worry for the Lower Cashmere Residents Association organizers. The organizers wanted the experience to kick off in unison and at the designated time so that there would repetition of the cleanup exercises. Before the exercise kicked off, we put on our protective clothing including gloves and sturdy shoes for protection against diseases. Some people who could not access the trench coats and overalls were encouraged not to engage much with the waters.
The cleanup exercise started by removing the plastic deposits on the river water at Wigram Hamilton spring. This is the point where all the cleanup began. Because the volunteers were many, we were assigned different areas on both sides of the banks. Those who needed to cross to other side crossed over the bridges while preferred canoes. The cleanup exercise commenced at around 10.25 am. During the cleanup process, we slashed the bushy areas around the bank. All plastic waste, and any other waste products around and in the river were collected. The organization availed the rubbish bags for garbage collection. One important aspect of the exercise was tree planting. Environmental sustainability practice such as tree planting is very crucial for natural resources such as rivers. Trees help in holding the soil particles, thus preventing erosion.
Consequently, the siltation of the river would be prevented. Several factors can pollute a river. They include discharge of industrial effluents, disposal of human wastes and other wastes such as plastics and papers, and siltation. Therefore, when conducting a cleanup process for a river, all the sources of pollution must be taken into consideration just as the Lower Cashmere Residents Association.
The volunteers and the group members were assigned interchangeable roles regarding tree planting and the actual cleanup. The members of the association availed hoes for digging holes. We planted tree ferns, and sedges suitable for a river environment. As the collection of the garbage continued, the full garbage bags were collected by tractors and transported to a collection point near Ferrymead. The ability of the wastes to get back to the river channel was a factor considered, and after the collection, al the garbage was burnt in incinerators at Ferrymead. The exercise comprised of spontaneous breaks. However, frequent breaks were not encouraged because environmental sustainability approaches mean business. The other wastes that were meant for recycling were collected and not burnt. Though this approach, the members of the community also learned the importance of recycling waste products rather than disposing of them in the water bodies. Recycling and reusing is a very important aspect of waste management. The authorities in New Zealand are advocating for reuse or recycling of non-biodegradable wastes. The experience offered a learning platform for many of us who attended, and we also learned waste disposal in the water bodies also endanger the aquatic lives.
Areas of sustainability
The areas of sustainability embodied in this experience are the environmental and community sustainability. A sustainable environment is that which can support life, both aquatic and terrestrial life (Winterbourn, 2016). Water reservoirs are essential when it comes to environmental sustainability. The ecosystem is made in such a way that when one aspect of the ecosystem is affected, the cycle continues to affect the other members of the ecosystem. The maintenance of natural resources is a core mandate for community members. If the rivers get polluted, the members of the community are to blame.
In some cases, such pollution may originate for the catchment areas, and this requires environmental sustainability approaches based on educating the whole society on the benefits of environmental conservation (Agyeman, 2016). The contamination of the Heathcote River is a cumulative practice from those living along the river, and the types of practices they do to encourage its safety. A sustainable community promotes sustainable living. But sustainable living cannot be achieved by polluting the environment. Therefore, the environment must be sustainable as well.
A sustainable community will work towards achieving a sustainable environment, which focuses on river restoration in cases of polluted rivers like Heathcote River. In most cases, the problem, which causes the accelerating widespread destruction and the degeneration of the natural resources are undervaluing the protection and restoration of these resources (Wynne, 2018). One of the challenges this experience address is the problem of environmental pollution and associated economic threats. This is because the major pollutants of the Heathcote River are plastics, which can be recycled or reused due to their economic significance. Nevertheless, the fact that the community may need to get this awareness might have informed the decision to include the volunteers from the society around the river (Winterbourn, 2016). In this regard, the exercise did not include the only purpose to clean the river, but also to educate the community on the importance of achieving environmental sustainability via reusing or recycling of waste products.
Future Business Ideas
The idea of recycling or reusing waste products forms the framework for identifying future business opportunities while maintaining the environmental sustainability. The process of cleaning water catchment areas or reservoirs may remain a continuous process regarding the nature of human society (Wynne, 2018). Therefore, setting up factories for recycling the waste collected from the rivers may be a starting point for Lower Cashmere Residents Association. Such a company may be focused on turning plastic wastes into other forms or thoroughly cleaning the plastics and using them in packaging rather than manufacturing new plastics. The waste papers can be used in the paper manufacturing industries for manufacturing soft papers. These business ideas will ensure that waste collection also becomes an income source. The community thus will focus more on collecting the waste for industrial raw materials. Many business opportunities will open for such a community.
Lower Cashmere Residents Association is a nonprofit organization. The major problem they may face in pursuing such business ideas is the limited access to capital for investment. Putting up such factories is expensive. Heavy machines are required, and a comprehensive environmental manual management scheme. We have to bear in mind that some companies fail to have a comprehensive waste management system for industrial effluent due to its associated economic stretch. In this regard, Lower Cashmere Residents Association is an association for environmental conservationists will first consider managing its waste products. According to the proposal submitted to the house of Senate in Australia, waste management was to be the priority any factory was to consider before looking into other aspects (Fuchs, 2017). If this proposal is passed, all the company owners will be required to develop compressive plans about waste management before setting up the industries.
The other aspect of business ideas will regard the use of the river water itself. Most of the times, rivers get polluted because they are dormant and idle in terms of water activities. I will ensure the sections of Heathcote River from the catchment areas are turned into sporting spots such as canoeing. Such sports will be attached to the botanical gardens, and the arboretums to offer a variety of events promoting green culture. Additionally, such events will be held annually to campaign for promoting a green economy.
Towards the green job
As an environmentalist, I look forward to having one of the best green jobs. Whether through self-employment or getting employed by an organization such as Lower Cashmere Residents Association. During the volunteer period, I gathered a lot of experiences in achieving a sustainable community and environment. As a result, I can put into practice the experiences I gained into starting my own techno-green company so that I become part of the green economy. One of the ideas I gathered from the experience would be turning some of the sections of the Heathcote River into botanical gardens, or arboretum. Making some of the sections to be resting places will ensure the green job is knocking. Botanical gardens will harbor various plant species and promote research-based medicine using the available plants (Fuchs, 2017). Some of the plants along the river are unique such as the canary grass and giant sedge. Some of these plants may be of medicinal value. Once an area is turned into a botanical garden, it becomes a restricted place. This means that unauthorized human encroachment that may lead to waste disposal is minimized (Winterbourn, 2016). Besides, fencing the arboretum will ensure only limited access will granted to the riverside, thus reducing river pollution, and promoting a green economy via the revenues collected.
The experience I had changed my attitude towards a green environment and green jobs. I began developing a wider picture should self-employment not work for my dreams about a green job. I love the environment and would also like to focus my energy on the green work. Working for the government under the ministry of the environment may be the next step. I have gathered enough experiences and strategies, which will enable me to devise policies towards protecting the environment from unnecessary pollution. Virtually all forms of environmental pollution are humanly instigated, this means they can as well be controlled if proper mechanisms are in place (Winterbourn, 2016). Sometimes we fail to protect the environment because of the lack of ideas and strategies. The experience I had in the mega cleanup exercise will serve me right in getting employment in companies or government agencies. Achieving a green job encompasses converting wastes, which may seem impossible to convert before a neutral into infinite possibilities. Besides, I also look forward to having a green education setup to teach the community on the benefits of having a sustainable environment. This field of green job requires the green skill, which I have developed throughout my course, and ironed out by the experiences at Heathcote River.
Conclusion and Summary
Environmental and community sustainability are vital in any ecosystem. The survival of both aquatic and terrestrial life lies in a sustainable environment. Therefore, a community must first become sustainable before the environment becomes sustainable. One of the methods of teaching a community on the best ways of becoming sustainable is by engaging its members in cleaning exercise such as the Heathcote River cleaning project. The experiences at the Heathcote River will thus inform their decisions for developing a sustainable community. Also, from such experiences, they can develop various ideas of becoming self-employed in the green job sectors. Many rivers in New Zealand require such approaches. This is the reason why organizations such as the Lower Cashmere Residents Association are also many. They give room for volunteers who showcase their prowess in green knowledge and share ideas on how to match towards a greener economy. The world today is struggling to achieve a green economy. Many governments have invested in green energy, which has yielded results in some countries such as Norway. Nevertheless, some countries are still stuck in rampant environmental pollution and deforestation. Achieving a green economy in such countries is still a pipe dream.
References
Agyeman, J., Schlosberg, D., Craven, L., & Matthews, C. (2016). Trends and directions in environmental justice: from inequity to everyday life, community, and just sustainabilities. Annual Review of Environment and Resources, 41, 321-340.
Fuchs, Christian. “Sustainability and community networks.” Telematics and Informatics 34.2 (2017): 628-639.
Winterbourn, M. J. (2016). Polluted inheritance: New Zealand’s freshwater crisis.
Wynne, A. L., Nieves, P. M., Vulava, V. M., Qirko, H. N., & Callahan, T. J. (2018). A community- based approach to solid waste management for riverine and coastal resource sustainability in the Philippines. Ocean & coastal management, 151, 36-44.