明日之光First Step團隊洽塔庫琪河的大清掃
美中下一代明日之光的1st Step團隊以保護環境聞名亞特蘭大。這篇文章是團隊的胡慕雪同學寫的有關自己作為領隊帶領小朋友們一起清潔洽河的經歷。從她的詳細描述中，我們不光看到了孩子們在環保上做出的傑出貢獻，也看到這位10年級的高中生如何通過這樣的活動鍛煉自己各方面的能力。希望他們的事迹可以給大家一些啟發。
Sweep the Hooch
By Michelle Hu/胡慕雪(英文和中文翻譯)
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 團隊參加了由洽塔庫琪河守衛者 Chattahoochee Riverkeeper 組織的第13屆年度洽塔庫琪河的大清掃活動。 First Step團隊有31個同學和家長分別在四個地區參加了今天的年度洽塔庫琪河大掃除。最小的兩名隊員才5歲。
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.
洽塔庫琪河的大清掃是一項一年一度的全流域垃圾清理活動, 每年都會有數百、千名志願者聚集在數十個公園, 洽塔庫琪河沿岸的支流和接入點一起清理垃圾。對於像 First Step 團隊這樣的志願者來說，這是一個幫助保護環境同時培養社區精神的絕好機會。
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.
志願者可以選擇步行、涉水或划槳的形式來清理垃圾。步行者是陸上志願者，他們會在河流或支流中和周圍撿拾垃圾。今年所有的 First Step 志願者都是步行者。涉水者是配備涉水鞋或涉水靴並駐紮在選定地點的志願者。這些志願者將從淺水區以及從河流和溪邊小徑最容易到達的河岸地區收集垃圾。划槳者將使用獨木舟、皮划艇和站立式槳板，在撿垃圾時，每段路程要行駛三到五英里。步行者和涉水者必須至少十歲。如果獨自划槳，槳手必須年滿 15 歲。如果是雙人划槳，少年人必須至少十歲，並由至少21歲的成年人陪同。
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.
作為First Step環境清潔活動的組織者，我一直忙於為我們的團隊策劃和推廣活動。今年洽塔庫琪河的大清掃的參與由我負責組織和宣傳。雖然在過去的一年裡, 我已經組織過多次的團隊活動，例如2022拉尼爾湖岸邊清掃行動、地球日挑戰活動、食物銀行活動, 清掃你的學校、等等活動。 然而, 洽塔庫琪河的大清掃活動帶來了一些獨特的挑戰,因為這次參加活動的隊員比較多，而且參與的隊員比較小，所以一切都要提前準備。首先明確溝通時間。由於活動是在周六早上，一般團隊的隊員周六都比較繁忙，所以需要提前提醒大家把時間空出來。我從二月初開始提醒大家活動的時間。並在2月14日，開放註冊當天告訴大家團隊活動的地點和提醒並鼓勵他們及時註冊。我還每周提醒團隊一次，讓團隊保持對活動的期待並了解活動日期。
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.
其次準備應急計劃。這次參加活動的隊員有30%左右是小於10歲，所以要提前找好附近的公園和聯繫帶小朋友的父母，如果主辦方不能讓他們參加活動的話，需要大人、父母幫忙帶小隊員去指定公園裡面撿垃圾。這樣，即使10歲以下的孩子不能參與，也可以在附近撿垃圾，繼續學習環保知識。
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!
最後是天氣問題。主辦方要求是風雨無阻，除非打雷才會取消活動。我一直在關注天氣預報，為活動前幾天的任何潛在變化或中斷做好準備。主辦方會在3月25號,早上7:30左右通知活動是否如期舉行。我一直在關注天氣預報，為活動前幾天的任何潛在變化或中斷做好準備。儘管面臨挑戰，但我還是很高興看到我們的團隊參與了這個有意義的活動！
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號凌晨四點左右，我被打雷聲吵醒了。心裡就一直擔心活動會被取消。幸虧大雨一直下到早上7點左右停了。雖然天還是灰濛濛的，但是活動並沒有被取消。我們一家四口興沖沖地趕到了活動負責人Dutch Earle 的家集合地簽到。活動開始時，天已經放晴了。真是天公作美，更高興的是我們的活動負責人Earle 先生看見我們團隊從5歲到16歲的隊員時非常振奮並給我們分配到 Old Riverside Road 拾取垃圾。 大家一邊拾取垃圾，一邊談笑風生, 小朋友更是爭先恐後地去搶垃圾，場面像是一場尋寶比賽。短短一個小時不到大家就結束了在 Old Riverside Road 的”戰鬥”，轉到 Riverside Park 繼續”戰鬥”一直到十二點結束。大家在繁忙的生活中抽出時間一起清潔環境，為社區服務, 並在這個過程中互相了解，增進友誼，享受大自然的美好。團隊同學們紛紛表示他們非常期待以後可以參加更多的志願者活動。
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.
今年的大清掃又破紀錄了。取得了一個巨大的成功! 這次活動有大約1400志願者參加, 志願者們在河流上、下游的 62 個清理點步行、涉水和划船，撿拾了60 噸垃圾。我們Riverside 活動負責人Earle 先生 發郵件表示:」謝謝大家積极參与昨天的清掃活動,這次是我領隊有史以來最好、最鼓舞人心的團隊!」 First Step團隊明年還會繼續參加這個活動。 如果您也想加入我們，請發郵件到：firststepteam2020@gmail.com
