Yesterday, my group member Juju came with me and my mom on an adventure to the Rockaways in an attempt to do our own beach cleanup. Armed with long metal grabbers, heavy-duty gloves, and garbage bags, we stepped onto the Rockaway Ferry at Pier 11 in Wall Street.

I have to say, the ferry ride may have been my favorite part of the trip. We had gorgeous conditions and the water was extremely calm. It was amazing to see so much of New York by ferry! We passed between the Statue of Liberty and Governors Island on the way out and spotted some oil tankers and a garbage barge that was loaded with trash. I could totally see how this is such a major cause of pollution: there was a lot of trash just barely hanging onto the boat and it seemed like plenty of garbage could fall into the water on a windy day.

We stopped briefly at Brooklyn Army Terminal to pick up more passengers and enjoyed amazing views as we passed under the Verrazano Bridge and, eventually, Coney Island. When we finally reached the Rockaways and got off the boat, we made our way to the beach and, along the way, walked right by a sewage treatment plant! It was so close to the water and it made me curious about how thoroughly the water was being cleaned and what was being done with the waste (and how that affects the community), especially since it was so close to the water’s edge. This is definitely something I’m interested in doing more research on (and possibly visiting a plant?).

When we reached the beach, it didn’t take us long to begin finding trash. The vast majority seemed to be plastic bags (many of which were shredded and appeared to have been in the ocean for an extremely long time) and smaller fragments, but we found a huge amount of variety as we went. We ended up walking along the wrack line of the beach, which seemed to have a lot of plastic, picking up garbage as we went. We didn’t cover too much territory (and I’m sure we only found a small amount of the total garbage in the area we covered), but we managed to completely fill two whole garbage bags (and part of a third) with trash in two hours. It was a great feeling to know that we were making a difference (and two people we ran into said we inspired them to come back and do their own beach cleanups), however small and insignificant it may seem.

This trip definitely made me think a lot about how worthwhile a beach cleanup is. The truth is that, however hard we try, our own individual actions will not make much of a difference, but they can inspire more people to do the same and our combined actions can make a greater difference. In any case, by picking up this trash, we probably saved at least a few animals and made a community’s space just a bit cleaner and safer. I was really surprised by how much I enjoyed the cleanup and how simple it was. I definitely want to do one again and it was empowering to know I can do something about pollution, even if the sheer amount of trash was depressing and heartbreaking.

After our cleanup, we properly disposed of the trash and enjoyed another lovely ferry ride home, spotting a variety of birds and a Harbor Seal (as well as a massive cruise ship).

Below is a (somewhat) complete list of the trash we found:
Bit of a sandcastle cup, Bottle caps, plastic bags, BIC lighters, ribbon (fabric), surgical masks, Welch’s candy, tampon applicators, straw, top of heroin syringe, snickers wrapper, napkins, wrappers, soda cans, aluminum foil, water bottles, towels, fishing line, water bottle with barnacles growing on it, winter hats, foam insulation, graham cracker wrapper, plastic syringe, bits of plastic fencing, McDonald’s cup, Payday wrapper, Gatorade bottles, inside of pen, Bakers Delight wrapper, heavy-duty plastic glove, Arizona iced tea wrapper, Lam’s Snacks plantain chips, Lean Body power drink, orange toy shovel head, plastic dolphin toy, plastic tube/hose with valve, hand warmer, Modelo beer can, Kinder Joy egg, Reese’s wrappers, Lay’s chip bag, sunglasses, Mini brand, Heineken bottles, lip balm, turd bags, Doritos wrapper, blue raspberry Jolly Rancher wrapper, tattered blue balloon, sunglasses without arms, plastic bullet casing (2 of them!), Ice Breakers cap, oversized plastic drill, mini-alcohol bottle—Pink Whitney, Bottle Pop, plastic sand bucket, tennis ball, part of a tire, plastic toilet, crab trap, tire, vitamin cap.

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On Friday, my group (along with the climate change group) got the opportunity to speak to Keanu, a high schooler at LREI who is heavily involved in climate activism. After meeting him in the lobby at the high school, we decided to do the interview in the library, where we took notes and recorded the conversation.

Keanu is involved with numerous organizations fighting climate change and has spoken at several events. In addition, he helped organize a major climate protest in New York City and visited the latest United Nations Climate Conference. During our conversation, he mentioned the extreme inaction of nations and corporations and how they’re employing any means necessary to avoid change. Given just how dire this issue is, it was really horrifying to hear how greedy humans can be.

Talking to Keanu was amazing and extremely informational. I was able to learn a lot about the close connections between the marine pollution crisis and the climate crisis (especially around plastic manufacturing because plastic is made from fossil fuels). It’s clear that both are pressing issues and need to be addressed, and he helped convey the urgency of the situation in a way I hadn’t heard before. In addition, he shared useful tips on how to get involved in activism and his own story, which were interesting and insightful.

One of the most important things I learned from our conversation was about which types of change are actually making the most difference and the importance of addressing issues at their root causes. For instance, while recycling can make a difference in plastic pollution, it can’t fully solve the problem. This plastic will still end up in the ocean eventually and new plastic is still being produced constantly. So, the root cause that needs addressing is the issue of plastic production. This helped me realize that even though the actions we as individual people are taking are important, the responsibility and the focus of our efforts should be on the companies that are creating the issues (especially because they are always trying to place the blame on the consumers. For example, BP, a major oil company, created the first carbon footprint calculator).

All in all, our interview was informational, insightful, and an amazing opportunity. I really felt like I now understand so much more about the climate crisis and climate activism after talking to Keanu.

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While the ocean may seem like an inhospitable place for avian life, the truth is that over 300 species of birds call it home. For them, ending up on land is like a human getting stranded in the ocean. Therefore, the only time they visit terra firms is to breed.

So for birders, the best chance to find seabirds is to head offshore on ‘pelagic’ trips, which are targeted at birders but can be amazing opportunities to see a variety of marine life besides birds. And that’s how I found myself standing on a dock in Sheepshead Bay (in Brooklyn) at 5:30 am along with 30+ other birders, waiting to board the American Princess and head over 50 miles from shore to find what New York’s waters have to offer.

Once we were off, it took a little while to get light enough to spot birds. But once it was, we quickly spotted a pair of Dovekies two miles off of the Rockaways. These birds max out at just eight inches long and sit on the surface of the water, diving under in search of plankton. They nest in the Arctic on cliffs and spend the winter as far south as North Carolina. We were all shocked by this sighting because Dovekies are typically found in waters 25+ miles from shore and prefer water temperatures of 45-50 degrees Fahrenheit. We were 23 miles closer to shore than expected, and the water was just 42 degrees.

This trend continued throughout the day, as we kept spotting Dovekies from that moment onward. When we were 15 miles from shore, we spotted an Atlantic Puffin. This adorable seabird is related to Dovekies and is famous for its clownish looks and habits. However, few people know that they can be found in New York’s waters. But, like the Dovekies, something was wrong: puffins are only found more than 40 miles from shore and have similar temperature preferences to Dovekies. Once again, the water was too cold and we were too close to land. And this puffin wasn’t a one-off: we continued to see them for the rest of the trip up until we saw one 17 miles offshore on our way back.

Just moments after we saw our first puffin of the trip, we spotted a couple Common Murres. These are also related to puffins and Dovekies, but are more expected so close to shore (they’re most common 20-30 miles from and). However, on our way back to shore, we also spotted one just 10 miles off of Long Beach, which is closer than expected. Clearly, we were having an odd trip.

But things only got stranger when we made it to the area in which Dovekies are expected: 30+ miles from shore. While Dovekies had been common for most of the trip up until that point, they became quite scarce, despite the water temperature being perfect for them.

So the question is: why were all of the birds in the wrong places? And the truth is that we don’t know. While this could have something to do with a recent cold snap, seabirds are incredibly tough and this doesn’t seem to tell the full story (especially because a pelagic trip last year also encountered Dovekies and Atlantic Puffins closer to shore than normal). And while warming oceans is a possibility, the waters in which we encountered Dovekies and puffins were often too cold for them. It seems that they were being pushed into marginal habitat because of diminished food supply.

But that still leaves the question of why there was a shortage of food. And once again, we don’t really know why. This could relate to warming oceans or changing conditions, but it could also relate to marine pollution or another issue. It’s an interesting situation that requires much more research to fully understand.

By this point, you may be wondering why I am talking about birds for a project about social justice. Just like how marine pollution and climate change are linked, our fates are linked with those of animals. These seabirds eat some of the same foods as we do and we both rely on these ecosystems, for food and for our livelihoods. They can be indicators of collapsing ocean ecosystems that will also harm us. In addition, puffins and Dovekies are vital to certain communities as tourism attractions and food sources. What happens here will affect those communities, even if they are hundreds or thousands of miles north of here.

In addition to birds, I also took photos of any marine pollution we encountered, including plastic bags and even a balloon with lego patterning.

All in all, the trip was amazing: along with the birds I mentioned, we saw tons more ocean-dwelling avian life and even a couple Gray Seals, as well as a Humpback Whale. It was an eye-opening experience that taught me a lot about the importance of marine ecosystems and their plight.

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The United Nations is definitely an amazing place to visit: it’s crazy to know that just about every world leader we hear about in the news (as well as those who aren’t so often heard about) meet in this one place each year to make choices that affect our entire world.

When visiting, it was interesting to learn about just about every country takes place in this flawed but important system: whether it’s sending delegates to participate in the General Assembly or sitting on the Security Council, all countries have means of participating. However, what was alarming was the level of power given to certain countries and the Eurocentric perspective of the United Nations. For instance, while several seats on the Security Council rotate between countries, the United States, France, Russia, China, and the United Kingdom all get permanent seats and ‘veto power,’ giving any one of these mostly European countries the ability to stop any potential decisions.

Besides learning about the General Assembly and Security Council, I really enjoyed seeing the absolutely spectacular art pieces gifted to the United Nations by its member states. I especially loved seeing the Iranian rugs that depicted all of the United Nations’ secretary generals, as well as Thailand’s elaborate model of a canoe—beautiful! The international art and retro architecture were definitely among the highlights from the visit.

But while seeing art and the places where diplomacy happens were interesting and special, perhaps the most important part of the visit was seeing how the United Nations makes change. A common criticism of the United Nations (that has some truth) is that it’s ‘all talk and no action,’ so seeing how the United Nations helps out in critical situations by providing peacekeeping delegations, resources, and aid in dire scenarios helped me understand the value of having this global center for diplomacy. An example that relates to my topic of plastic pollution is how the United Nations partnered with Conceptos Plasticos, a Columbian organization, to reuse plastic in polluted communities in the Ivory Coast to build schools. They were able to crush the plastic into bricks, making a stable and long-lasting structure.

All in all, our visit to the United Nations was informative and eye-opening. Especially during this time of constant turmoil, seeing how countries are coming together was a timely and valuable experience.

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