(A&S) Lurgaia Environment

BEFORE THE ACTIVITY:

PROJECT/ACTIVITY SHORT DESCRIPTION:  

Lurgaia is an association which supports the conservation and the management of our natural heritage. It is active in all of Spain but it primarily operates in the Basque Country. It tries to implicate itself in responsible management of terrains by donations and also has social awareness volunteering activities to educate people about the issue. They also support investigation projects that have to do with improving and creating a sustainable environment for all of us. I will volunteer one day with the association to clear an area by taking out weeds and unwanted plants to help local trees grow better.

My personal goal for this activity is to earn about the environment that surrounds us and to be able to positively contribute to its conservation. I am also eager to learn more about nature because I do consider myself to be quite ignorant actually about the different species of trees and being in a practical situation where I will have to identify the unwanted plants from the little buds of specific trees will help me apply this knowledge when I carry it out. Another goal of mine is to use this CAS activity to relax and disconnect a bit from schoolwork and spend time with some classmates in a different context. The outcome of our task will be quite visual because we are clearing up an area of a forest and we will be able to see if we have accomplished to create a better environment for the local trees (such as oaks) to grow.

Learning outcomes: 

4. Worked collaboratively with others The task at hand will be a large one and all the volunteers will have to collaborate together to accomplish it. We will have to coordinate ourselves so that we cover the entire area and work efficiently.

5. Shown perseverance and commitment in their activities This activity will take place quite far away from my house so I have to be committed to leave the house early on a Saturday morning. It will also a long, tiring day but in order to finish the task, I will have to keep going and not give up.

6. Engaged with issues of global importance Environmental sustainability is a very important issue, especially as global warming is evident and people don’t pay as much attention to nature as more and more people live in cities. I will help the environment by participating in this activity.

7. Considered the ethical implications of their actions I will be helping the environment with this activity as to fight unethical management of natural terrain and its exploitation.

DURING THE ACTIVITY:
Saturday, January 17th, 2015

Claudia and I working with other volunteers

This was the first time I did this activity so I didn't really know what to expect, but I was excited for the new experience as well as spending time with my friends Claudia, Ivan and Cesar outside of school. We had to wake up early and drive all the way to Amorebieta where we met the people organizing the activity. Then they took us to a piece of land that looked like a mess when we got there and learned about different local plants, what was being done to conserve the local environment and what our role was as volunteers. We would have to clean the place up, taking out weeds and unwanted plants that were preventing trees to grow. The activity made me more concious of the environment and plants because I learned how to recognize different species. When I got there, I could have sworn it was all just grass but I increased my awareness by listening to the instructions we were given attentively and following them closely. We had to crouch down, kneel or bend over to do the work and I thought it would be extremely tedious when they were explaining what we had to do. But once I started, the time flew faster than I expected it too. It served as a time for me to relax and talk to my friends in a place outside of school. I know them quite well, but there are always stories to tell and things to talk about so I feel that I got to know them even better. Also something that happened that I didn't expect was that I got to know other people other than my four classmated. As we were weeding, we would talk to each other and talked about why we were there. The interesting thing is that they said that this kind of volunteering was a way to disconnect from everyday life and feel like they were contributing to the environment. When we were finished with the job, the place looked completely different, there were small trees that actually stood out and the whole place was coverend in soil intead of grass, which will help the oaks and other trees that were growing there. It had taken a long time and we were exhausted by the end since it took a lot more physical effort than I imagined, but it felt good to walk away and know that a part of that improvement was because of me and that I contributed in some way to making our world a better place to live in.

Cesar and Ivan clearing up the place to let the trees grow.

This is the whole group who participated in the activity today. I am in the front row with Claudia, Ivan and Cesar.

.