As humans, we have created remarkable things while simultaneously manufacturing horrors that scar the land itself. Oceans and mountains of garbage will long outlive us. To combat the plastics that plague us, we must feel the connections between us and Earth and each other. Especially, in today’s world, with pandemics and polarization pulling us apart, we must hold on to our humanity.

My group’s action project dealt with the practical and political part of the plastics problem. Working with WashPIRG, we had a petition for people to sign, but my action project group decided that we wanted to get a little more hands-on with our work. To engage our community, we organized two plastics clean-ups around campus, taking paper bags and gloves to the streets for a couple hours at a time to pick up the plastics and other litter we found. By also including people outside of our class on these clean-ups, we were able to introduce the idea of contemplative practices and mindfulness to those who had not previously done it with a leader in a quiet classroom. Trading the hum of the air conditioning system for the breeze and glimpses into strangers’ conversations as we walked by, we reflected on our intentions for the clean-up that day.

Through my reflections, I thought about how in a pandemic, our collective fear has certainly been heightened – this is the largest and most communal death experience I have lived through. Though I have been beyond fortunate not to experience anyone very close to me passing away from Covid-19, the constant news of climbing death tolls has certainly been a weight on my mind. When confronted with the fear of death, people tend to become more insular, more tribal, and more isolated – and I felt those urges as the pandemic polarized public health. But our in-person meetings and connections have encouraged me to reach out more and soften my boundaries, accepting others’ limits and being more open with mine. The only way forwards is together, and my action project has shown me that it is possible to make progress when we connect with each other. Though the fear of disease and death remains a background noise to my daily life, neighborhood walks with bags of trash and sunshine help hold it at bay.

My action project group on one of our clean-ups!