This past summer, I had the pleasure of leading an alternative break that was based around the issue of environmental conservation. Being an outdoorsy girl myself, I was 
over-the-moon to be assigned this topic, since it’s so close to my heart. I should have known what a great trip it would be, when I was also assigned a great co-site leader, whom I’ve known for a while now: John Apo. We geeked out together when we realized we’d be leading a group of people to York, Maine to volunteer with multiple local organizations there to help the environment.
Throughout the week, we cleaned up trails, cleared out invasive species, cleaned up trash, and so much more. It was a week filled with tough outdoor labor, but also a lot of education, laughs, and memories. I made a vlog about it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQLBWhvnDxU&t=13s. I’m so glad I filmed it because now I can look back and remember the whole trip and the wonderful people I got to share it with; like a home movie!
Speaking of spending the week with amazing people, this experience was another that really taught me even more about my leadership skills and how I can guide others.
Throughout the whole trip, it wasn’t about me being all-knowing about our issue or even about logistics, but that we, as a group, were learning and rolling with the punches together. Keeping that in mind really helped me to keep the pressure off and remember what leading is really about: making sure everyone is heard and feels valued, and learning as a unit. It’s not about who knows the most, but what you come to know, together and how that happens. I learned a lot from my co-site leader, John, too! Just working alongside him and observing, I found that we made a great team because John really liked handling the numbers and more logistical stuff, while I really like handling more of the activities and emotional team dynamic stuff. We helped make up for what the other lacked, and taught each other about our areas of expertise too. Simply observing John’s leadership style too, I was reminded to leave the space even better than I found it, and to really put 110% into everything you do.
Through a long 20 hours on the road to get there, toll money shortages, a ghost in our 
housing, rainy weather, too many ticks, and a lot of physical labor, we all managed to have the best alternative break I’ve ever been on. Everyone’s positive attitudes and fun approaches to the work, as well as great community partners, really made it a successful week. We all learned together, and from each other, and I learned from myself as well! I learned that I am way more capable of a leader than I thought, and that my leadership style can be beneficial to the group dynamic, too; not just the style of my co-site leader. I found a lot of worth in myself and my leadership, and I’ve really enjoyed carrying that beyond the alternative break. I plan to bring it along for years to come, too.
I’d like to leave you with a few things that we learned about environmental conservation, too! Here’s just a few things to keep in mind when you venture outdoors:
- Stay on the trail! When you go on a hike, be sure to stay on the main path. Venturing off leads to spider trails, which can damage the ecosystem and encourage others to go down those trails, causing further damage. You may see some “fallen trees” that seem to perfectly block the way off the path; whether those are intentionally placed there or not, honor it! That way, you’re respecting the nature and those that care for it.
- Don’t throw your “biodegradable” trash out the car window! I know it might seem like a simple solution, like if you’re eating a banana in the car. This is the same for if you’re out on a hike, too! Pack out your trash. It’s a naturallly occurring food, so it should be okay, right?? Wrong. Bananas aren’t native to most of the United States. So, when you throw that peel out onto the side of the road, not only will it encourage animals to look for food along the road and cause more accidents, but it can also harm the health of those animals (if they don’t get hit by a car first) because they weren’t meant to eat that food. They can get sick from food that isn’t native to their area. Also, no one wants to see your used banana peel or other food on the side of the road or the trail.
- Throw your natural decorations in the trash, not in your backyard. One invasive species that we had to pull was called Bittersweet. It’s that wooden-looking, thick vine that you see a lot climbing up the trees. This stuff is used to make things like cornucopia decorations for Thanksgiving, and though its a naturally occurring plant, it’s not always native to your area. People tend to think that they can just get rid of them by throwing them in the backyard when Thanksgiving is over, but they actually end up invading the environment and choking the trees and other plant life. That’s right: choking. You may like it, but trees don’t. Make sure you’re being conscious of what you’re tossing out in your backyard.
If you’d like to learn more, I would recommend going on an alternative break yourself and creating memories of your own! Or, read up on your local environment and see how you can volunteer with local parks to help the ecosystems and endangered species. There are a lot of simple things that you can do to help, so take a quick internet search and see what you can do in your everyday life to make the earth healthier!
