On September 16, 1995 I participated in an environmental coast sweep. I heard about this activity through school announcements. I feel that helping my community is a good deed. I enjoyed learning about the town's local beach and the marine animals that live there. Leaving trash on the beach can cause ocean life to die. The trash goes into the ocean when the tide comes ashore. Fish mistake plastic bags for jellyfish which, because they are not able to digest it, causes them to die.

One thing that amazed me was that you couldn't go five steps without coming across a piece of trash. The most unusual thing our group found on the beach was a pillow. The most popular piece of trash I found were cigarette butts. Hopefully after reading this piece, people will begin to understand the dangers of littering and its consequence. I would like to see other students get involved with their communities because if more people participate, more can get done. fl