Service Learning Reflection Paper

For the service learning component, I did activities like ivy pulling (April 11 1-4 pm, April 30 10-2 pm), going door to door in my dorm with information about energy conservation (April 21 7-9 pm), and attending the March for Science (April 22 10-1 pm). These activities give me about 12 hours of volunteer service. I brought what we were learning in class to other aspects of my life, as well. For instance, I talk to my friends, in person and online, about the environment and the impact they have on it as often as possible. In fact, I talk about it so often that one of my friends stopped taking napkins at dinner just so I would stop commenting on how many they wasted. This might not be the best way to get someone to behave sustainably, but it
For instance, while pulling ivy, some passerby thanked us for the work we were doing. Also, while going door to door with information about dorm energy conservation, a few people told me that they were genuinely interested in what I was saying and said they would be more aware of their energy use. Whether they actually do change their behaviors or just said that to appease me, they were very reassuring. During the March for Science in particular, I learned that there are a lot more people in this community who care about and are fighting for the environment than I realized, so hopefully one good thing to come from these current, almost anti-science politics, will be more people becoming aware and coming together in this
The thing I found most interesting, though, was how much fun I had during this experience. Both of the ivy pull sessions, though tiring, were extremely fun and gave me a strong feeling of accomplishment. Seeing how much a group people can do for nature in just a few hours is quite empowering. I also had a tremendous amount of fun gathering with other members of the community for the March for Science and talking with my dorm mates about living more sustainably on campus. I think the fact that preserving the environment is something I’m passionate about definitely helped to make the work for this component even more