Asheville GreenWorks Volunteering Service via Temple SIP
Over spring break, I, along with 10 other Temple students/staff, dedicated over 24 hours of volunteering to Asheville GreenWorks (North Carolina) through the Temple Service-Immersion program(SIP). The goal of this non-IT-related community service was to immerse myself in Asheville’s thriving culture along with tackling some of its largest environmental issues. These issues include pollution, and severe weather consequences from climate change in the Asheville area, such as increased floods and forest fires. To combat this, we did a series of different activities for the program over four days. On Monday and Tuesday, we collected trash and recyclables around on some of the local roads and rivers in Southern Asheville, which resulted in over 80 pounds of trash being collected. On Wednesday and Thursday, we planted a diverse array of trees, which totaled 1184 trees upon completion. From this non-IT volunteering experience, I learned a tremendous amount. I felt pride in actively helping the Asheville region (Buncombe County) to combat the environmental consequences of climate change by reducing over 80 pounds of waste and planting 1184 trees. I also acquired excellent teamwork and communication skills, as it was a great experience to learn more about my volunteering partners. Lastly, I developed knowledge on some ways we can combat environmental concerns with Asheville GreenWorks, which I can apply to Temple’s community (along with neighboring Philly communities!).