People who change the world in Galway

This post is also available in: polski (Polish)

So here’s an idea for a more useful game. Next time you go for a walk, pick a bag and fill it with trash, post a picture of it and nominate other friends to do so. We all have gloves and masks, you’ll be isolated so no excuses, but please respect the quarantine restrictions. Please feel free to participate without being nominated

-so wrote Enrico Bagnoli on his Facebook profile and he has motivated others to clean up their nearest areas. He went for a walk and took a large bag full of plastic rubbish and fishing waste on the edge of the ocean.

I found out about this on the friend’s Facebook profile Ignacio Sallent Cucurella, who joined the effort and had also collected a bag of rubbish within a 50 metres area, already.

With the help of Rossella Giannoccari, literally within 50 metres at the Dangan fields, we filled a plastic bag with cans, plastic bottles and all sorts of rubbish. It is worrying how selfish and irresponsible some people can be. I also realised that if you don’t really pay attention you miss most of the rubbish there is along the way. We passed through that area before and never realised it was full of shit. So next time you go for a walk to your nearest park try to pay attention, I guarantee you it is not clean.

In the last month of quarantine, when I was doing exercises over at the river, I noticed more and more rubbish around me.

There were single plastic gloves, abandoned beer cans, and piles of candy wrappers under a bench, though the litter was quite nearby. I thought I could start to clean up the rubbish, but I didn’t find the courage, and my imagination gave me an excuse: germs on the trash.

But when I read about Enrico’s act I felt motivated, and all excuses disappeared, because the desire to do something for the local community and for nature was stronger. The same evening I went out by the river and collected a big bag of rubbish, as well. Unfortunately, I didn’t photograph it. However, I decided to continue cleaning up in this area every week.

Somebody else did a great and difficult job in Galway

Daniel Bubluski collected up to 50 cans in Corrib Middle river a favourite local canal for Galwegians in Galway’s West End. He goes into the water to collect the rubbish, even though the water is cold and 10 minutes in the water is extremely challenging. Daniel noticed that this canal is also full of bottles and other smaller trash. He wants to continue cleaning up. You can read about his great act on Galway’s West End page.  

Another time during my walk, I also saw one runner at the University Campus who picked up an abandoned glass bottle which he found along his way, and he threw it into the bin.

Let’s do something for our local world

Now, as we spend a lot of time at home, our attention has been sharpened outside, especially for the beautiful nature around us. We can do something for her. So, let’s remove the rubbish on our way. It will take a short time, but it offers something grand for our communities and for ourselves. I felt it already the next day when I was running by the river. I could enjoy the nice area without plastic gloves and beer cans. The fields smelled fresh.

Unfortunately, many people do not care about littering

Two days after my cleaning, when I went to the river again I saw some plastic bottles on a wooden bench and paper coffee cups around the picnic table. I do not understand such acts.

Do you know that a plastic bottle in the ocean can survive up to 400 years, and plastic does not disappear from the environment but becomes toxic and causes chaos in the food chain? It also contributes to climate change. Cleaning up rubbish can be our first big step in doing something good for the common environment, and maybe it will spread enthusiasm among others about how important it is to respect the environment. It will not be easy, but it is better to do something than to complain.

I would like to thank Enrico, Nacho, and Daniel for motivating me to do something important for our community. Dare yourself, too.

Keep the city clean!

What do you think about this post? I will appreciate your feedback!

Thank You!

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4 Comments People who change the world in Galway

  1. Alodia1949 30 April 2020 at 15:06

    A ja myslalam, ze tylko Polacy są tacy ….Umieść, proszę, taki apel na swoim FB profilu i nominuj różne osoby z Polski (mnie nie, bo nie mam aparatu fot. i smartfona ale i tak porządkuję z rozrzuconych śmieci nasze podwórko)

    Reply
  2. DIRNDL SKIRT 7 May 2020 at 03:09

    I also am a zealot when it comes to trash. This is a great idea, one I have dabbled in on my own, but now I intend to be more mindful about collecting on my walks. It’s nice that somehow you discovered my blogs. I enjoy seeing a kindred spirit in yours.

    Reply
    1. blue tram 7 May 2020 at 10:20

      Hi Sharon, thank you so much! To be honest I love to discover your blog and I feel a kindred spirit in your writing, too. I would like to write a letter to you 🙂 Warm wishes from Galway.

      Reply
      1. DIRNDL SKIRT 7 May 2020 at 14:23

        Please do! I also enjoy all kinds of creative outlets, which is partly why I seem to be scattered. The pandemic is causing me to reassess my perspective and priorities. But I am always doing something, even if it’s rearranging my objects that I surround myself with. That act calms me. My email address is sharon.watts2@verizon.net. Feel free to contact me 🙂

        Reply

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