Photographer : Wei-Sung Liao |
Let’s be honest about why I took my action. I wanted to see the Blue Mountains.
Call me selfish, but as an exchange student from the U.S., I had never been there before. All of my other uni friends on exchange had. They said it was awesome, not to be missed. And I wanted to go.
I also had to take an action for my internship at ActNow. And I had no idea where to start. I usually volunteer with a lot of organisations back home, so I thought that looking for a volunteering organisation in Sydney would be a good place to start.
Interns in semesters past had volunteered with Conservation Volunteers Australia. It seemed as good a place to start as any. And hey, if I went through CVA, I’d get to see the Blue Mountains for a weekend for only $30. You can’t beat that price with a stick.
The Blue Mountains CVA trip to me to Jenolan Caves, an area of the Blue Mountains that I probably wouldn’t have been able to see otherwise. The actual volunteering part (which I seem to be writing very little about) lasted about four hours. We tore honeysuckle and ivy out of natural bush areas.
As we drove away from the area that we worked on, I realised how small the area that I had cleared was. Did it really make a difference, in the vast space of the Blue Mountains, how much honeysuckle I had picked?
Probably not. But just as this reflection started out selfishly, so will it conclude.
The Blue Mountains may have not gotten much out of my volunteer trip, but I gained a ton. My trip with CVA made me—someone who had not originally thought of herself as a tree hugger or environmentalist—appreciate just how beautiful natural environments are.
After being cooped up in Sydney for six weeks, you can start to forget what a tree looks like. On my CVA trip, I saw trees again, but with new eyes. Australia is so conscious of protecting the environment. Much better, I would say, than communities in the U.S. When I go home, I want to be able to preserve my environment just like you guys do.
Yes, my CVA trip turned me into a greenie. It inspired me look into recycling programs at my uni back home. I’m trying to convince my roommates to set up recycling bins in our apartment. I’m using the green cloth bags from Woolie’s. I’m loving the environment now, and there’s no end in sight.
Inspired? Check out CVA at
http://conservationvolunteers.com.au/.
