明日之光First Step团队洽塔库琪河的大清扫
美中下一代明日之光的1st Step团队以保护环境闻名亚特兰大。这篇文章是团队的胡慕雪同学写的有关自己作为领队带领小朋友们一起清洁洽河的经历。从她的详细描述中，我们不光看到了孩子们在环保上做出的杰出贡献，也看到这位10年级的高中生如何通过这样的活动锻炼自己各方面的能力。希望他们的事迹可以给大家一些启发。
Sweep the Hooch
By Michelle Hu/胡慕雪(英文和中文翻译)
Sophomore at Johns Creek High School
On March 25, 2023, First Step team participated in the 13th Annual Sweep the Hooch organized by Chattahoochee Riverkeeper. Thirty-one team members and parents from First Step team participated in today’s Sweep the Hooch at four different cleanup sites. The two youngest team members are only 5 years old.
2023年3月25日，First Step 团队参加了由洽塔库琪河守卫者 Chattahoochee Riverkeeper 组织的第13届年度洽塔库琪河的大清扫活动。 First Step团队有31个同学和家长分别在四个地区参加了今天的年度洽塔库琪河大扫除。最小的两名队员才5岁。
Sweep the Hooch is an annual watershed-wide trash cleanup that brings together hundreds of volunteers each year at dozens of parks, tributaries, and access points along the Chattahoochee River. It is a wonderful opportunity for volunteers like First Step team to help preserve the environment while also fostering community spirit.
洽塔库琪河的大清扫是一项一年一度的全流域垃圾清理活动, 每年都会有数百、千名志愿者聚集在数十个公园, 洽塔库琪河沿岸的支流和接入点一起清理垃圾。对于像 First Step 团队这样的志愿者来说，这是一个帮助保护环境同时培养社区精神的绝好机会。
Volunteers can choose to be walkers, waders, or paddlers. Walkers are land-based volunteers who will pick up trash in and around the river or tributaries. This year, all First Step volunteers are Walkers. Waders are volunteers equipped with waders or wading boots and are stationed at select sites. These volunteers will collect trash from the shallow water areas, and from areas on the riverbank that are accessed most easily from the river and streamside trails. Paddlers will use kayaks, canoes, and stand-up paddleboards and travel between three and five miles per segment while picking up litter. Walkers and waders must be at least ten years old. If paddling solo, the paddler must be at least 15 years old. If paddling tandem, youth must be at least ten years old and accompanied by an adult at least 21 years old.
志愿者可以选择步行、涉水或划桨的形式来清理垃圾。步行者是陆上志愿者，他们会在河流或支流中和周围捡拾垃圾。今年所有的 First Step 志愿者都是步行者。涉水者是配备涉水鞋或涉水靴并驻扎在选定地点的志愿者。这些志愿者将从浅水区以及从河流和溪边小径最容易到达的河岸地区收集垃圾。划桨者将使用独木舟、皮划艇和站立式桨板，在捡垃圾时，每段路程要行驶三到五英里。步行者和涉水者必须至少十岁。如果独自划桨，桨手必须年满 15 岁。如果是双人划桨，少年人必须至少十岁，并由至少21岁的成年人陪同。
As the organizer of environmental cleanups in First Step, I’ve been busy planning and promoting events to our team. Over the past year, I’ve organized team activities like the 2022 Lake Lanier Shore Sweep, Earth Day Challenge, Food Bank, and Cleanup Your School for New Year. However, the Chattahoochee Sweep the Hooch event has presented some unique challenges due to the larger number of team members and the younger demographic involved. To make sure everyone was aware of the event, I sent out reminders about the date and even set a calendar reminder for everyone in early February. Once registration opened on February 14th, I let everyone know which cleanup site we’d be attending and encouraged them to sign up. I also made sure to keep everyone excited and informed about the event by sending weekly reminders.
作为First Step环境清洁活动的组织者，我一直忙于为我们的团队策划和推广活动。今年洽塔库琪河的大清扫的参与由我负责组织和宣传。虽然在过去的一年里, 我已经组织过多次的团队活动，例如2022拉尼尔湖岸边清扫行动、地球日挑战活动、食物银行活动, 清扫你的学校、等等活动。 然而, 洽塔库琪河的大清扫活动带来了一些独特的挑战,因为这次参加活动的队员比较多，而且参与的队员比较小，所以一切都要提前准备。首先明确沟通时间。由于活动是在周六早上，一般团队的队员周六都比较繁忙，所以需要提前提醒大家把时间空出来。我从二月初开始提醒大家活动的时间。并在2月14日，开放注册当天告诉大家团队活动的地点和提醒并鼓励他们及时注册。我还每周提醒团队一次，让团队保持对活动的期待并了解活动日期。
As part of my contingency plans, I’ve made sure to have a backup plan in case the Chattahoochee Riverkeeper doesn’t allow kids under 10 to participate. About 30% of our team members fall into this age range, so it was important to have a Plan B. Thus, I selected a park near the Riverside cleanup site where parents can take their young children to pick up trash should they not be able to participate. This way, even if kids under 10 could not participate, they could still help by picking up trash nearby to continue learning about environmental conservation.
其次准备应急计划。这次参加活动的队员有30%左右是小于10岁，所以要提前找好附近的公园和联系带小朋友的父母，如果主办方不能让他们参加活动的话，需要大人、父母帮忙带小队员去指定公园里面捡垃圾。这样，即使10岁以下的孩子不能参与，也可以在附近捡垃圾，继续学习环保知识。
Finally, with the event taking place outdoors, I had been keeping a close eye on the weather forecasts. While we won’t cancel the event unless there are thunderstorms, I was always on the watch for updates til 7:30 on March 25th in case of any quick changes. Despite the challenges, I was very excited to see our team come together for this important cause!
最后是天气问题。主办方要求是风雨无阻，除非打雷才会取消活动。我一直在关注天气预报，为活动前几天的任何潜在变化或中断做好准备。主办方会在3月25号,早上7:30左右通知活动是否如期举行。我一直在关注天气预报，为活动前几天的任何潜在变化或中断做好准备。尽管面临挑战，但我还是很高兴看到我们的团队参与了这个有意义的活动！
At around 4:00 am in the morning, I was jolted awake by a loud clap of thunder. Rain battered against my window, and I couldn’t help but worry that our plans would be ruined. But by 7:00 am, the skies cleared up and the rain had stopped. Even though the clouds lingered, the event was on! We headed over to our team leader, Mr. Dutch Earle’s house, where we checked in at 9:00 am, basking in the sunshine. Mr. Earle was thrilled with the enthusiasm and dedication of the First Step team, especially with such a wide range of ages, from 5 to 16 years old. Our team was assigned to Old Riverside Road, and we eagerly began the cleanup. As we worked, everyone was chatting and laughing, and the kids scurried around, picking up trash like they were on a treasure hunt. In just an hour, we finished our “battle” at Old Riverside Road and moved on to Riverside Park, where we continued the “battle” until noon. Amidst the hustle, it felt great to come together and serve our community, cleaning up the environment and taking in the beauty of nature. We got to know each other better, strengthened our friendships, and served the community while enjoying the beauty of nature. As the day ended, everyone was already looking forward to the next volunteer opportunity!
3月25号凌晨四点左右，我被打雷声吵醒了。心里就一直担心活动会被取消。幸亏大雨一直下到早上7点左右停了。虽然天还是灰蒙蒙的，但是活动并没有被取消。我们一家四口兴冲冲地赶到了活动负责人Dutch Earle 的家集合地签到。活动开始时，天已经放晴了。真是天公作美，更高兴的是我们的活动负责人Earle 先生看见我们团队从5岁到16岁的队员时非常振奋并给我们分配到 Old Riverside Road 拾取垃圾。 大家一边拾取垃圾，一边谈笑风生, 小朋友更是争先恐后地去抢垃圾，场面像是一场寻宝比赛。短短一个小时不到大家就结束了在 Old Riverside Road 的”战斗”，转到 Riverside Park 继续”战斗”一直到十二点结束。大家在繁忙的生活中抽出时间一起清洁环境，为社区服务, 并在这个过程中互相了解，增进友谊，享受大自然的美好。团队同学们纷纷表示他们非常期待以后可以参加更多的志愿者活动。
This year’s Sweep the Hooch was another record-breaking year. It was a huge success! There were more than 1,400 volunteers pulled 60 tons of trash from the watershed as they walked, waded, and paddled at 62 cleanup sites up and down the river. Our Riverside team lead Mr. Earle e-mailed us that: ”A big THANK YOU to all who participated in yesterday’s Sweep the Hooch Riverside Road clean up. For all the years I’ve been leading this effort, this was the best, most inspiring group ever! “ First Step will continue participate this event and many other events. Please contact us at: firststepteam2020@gamil.com.
今年的大清扫又破纪录了。取得了一个巨大的成功! 这次活动有大约1400志愿者参加, 志愿者们在河流上、下游的 62 个清理点步行、涉水和划船，捡拾了60 吨垃圾。我们Riverside 活动负责人Earle 先生 发邮件表示:”谢谢大家积极参与昨天的清扫活动,这次是我领队有史以来最好、最鼓舞人心的团队!” First Step团队明年还会继续参加这个活动。 如果您也想加入我们，请发邮件到：firststepteam2020@gmail.com
