By Hyun Lee
Every Sunday morning, the University of Maryland’s Sustainable Ocean Alliance Organization holds a weekly cleanup along the Paint Branch Stream where volunteers pick up litter for one hour to keep it out of the stream. Their goal: to limit environmental harm, the possibility of health problems brought on by litter pollution and raise awareness of College Park’s ground pollution.
Known as SOA, the student-led club is dedicated to ocean advocacy and conservation. Their aim is to inform the public about environmental issues and work as a community to maintain a clean, healthy environment.
“UMD’s pollution situation is very dire and, quite honestly, also upsetting,” Allen Yuan, SOA’s social media and outreach chair and events planning and fundraising co-chair, said.
According to the SOA, there is a lot of ground pollution in College Park, which can have long-term negative impacts on students’ health. In addition, there is also a lot of pollution in the areas surrounding campus. SOA has assisted UMD on multiple occasions with matters pertaining to the environment and human health.
“We find an endless stream of waste on every clean-up, and the negative effects of trash impact us all. There are a myriad of health implications tied to the toxins which can leach out of litter,” Yuan said.
The weekly litter pick-ups are one of their main hands-on activities to preserve the environment while encouraging members, and even bystanders, to facilitate awareness of environmental issues.
“By cleaning up litter, we prevent negative downstream consequences on the local and global environment which then affect human health,” President Hayden Kessinger said.
SOA collects around four bags of trash, two to three bags of recyclables and one bag of compost each week along the Paint Branch Stream.
“This is concerning because trash persists in the environment. Things such as plastic, styrofoam, and cigarettes all remain in the environment. They can release microplastics in the stream and soils, harming wildlife and plants,” Vice President Emily McCoy said.
UMD students contribute considerably to the local pollution. Every day, student litter and major events generate a lot of waste that is left uncleaned.
“One example of this is the confetti that can be found all over Mckeldin mall nearing the end of every semester as students begin to take their graduation pictures,” Nuelle Johnson, student council representative for the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, said.
“While popping confetti is a fun and pretty way of celebrating in the moment, it is important for us to be mindful of what happens to the waste we produce after the fact. Most confetti consists of toxic microplastics that are really harmful to us and our environment.”
Raising awareness is therefore a crucial component for SOA members. Every Thursday, they hold meetings where they discuss information about environmental issues.
“We put a significant emphasis on education so that our members can learn more about the challenges facing environmental health as well as habits they can use to do their part in combating climate change. Subsequently, members can take what they learn and disseminate it through their own social circles, hopefully causing radiative change,” Yuan said.
In order to raise awareness and address concerns like litter pollution in College Park, SOA also partners with campus clubs and organizations, such as Civicus, Ballroom Dancing and the American Marketing Association. Their members also participate in the weekly cleanups.
“It is important for the community to be aware of the trash it generates and to take active steps to eliminate it. We need to consume less and thus produce less waste; the best solution to reducing pollution, be it air, ground or water, is to not create it in the first place,” Kessinger said.
They are currently organizing an upcycling event to create tote bags out of discarded dog food bags or rice sacks found.
“This fun community event is meant to keep usable materials from polluting landfills and reduce the need for plastic bags in stores,” Johnson said.
Featured Image: SOA members pose during one of their weekly clean-up sessions along Paint Branch Stream on Sunday Nov. 6th, 2022. Photo by Allen Yuan.