I attended Ohio State University’s Spring into Service on March 23, 2019, from 7:45 AM to 1:15 PM. The university centralized the sustainability-based service event at the Ohio Union, where we were bused to the Olentangy River to help an environmentalist group remove invasive species from the banks of the river. Invasive species are non-native to the area, take over, and harm the existing ecosystem by depriving animals and plants of their required nutrients. The club intends to plant non-invasive species in their place eventually. I attended Ohio State University’s Spring into Service on March 23, 2019, from 7:45 AM to 1:15 PM. The university centralized the sustainability-based service event at the Ohio Union, where we were bused to the Olentangy River to help an environmentalist group remove invasive species from the banks of the river. Invasive species are non-native to the area, take over, and harm the existing ecosystem by depriving animals and plants of their required nutrients. The club intends to plant non-invasive species in their place eventually.
Our group had no idea what we were doing that day, not told until we were at the Union, preparing to board the luxury buses filled with kids headed to other parts of Columbus. However, our small group still had a great time, and we were proud that we could see our progress made in action. I did not previously know that invasive species plagued Ohio to such an extent and appreciate the opportunity to learn about my temporary home.
I have done similar service projects in southern California, where I am from. In both cases, the humans had actually brought the plants to the location, without realizing the harm they were inflicting on the environment. Current activists are attempting to correct the previous wrong and remove the plants and replace them with either native or non-invasive, non-native ones. The members of the organization were quite passionate about the subject and told us a variety of facts about the two species we were targeting, Honeysuckle and Callery Pear. Both plants are of Asian origin, and we used loppers and handsaws to cut down the trees. A professional used a chain saw for larger trees. The trees ranged in size from resprouting seedlings to ten feet tall. We, a motivated group of six, carried off the branches to overflowing piles and stuck a small red flag in the spot we chopped. The “non-lopping” members of the organization walked around with brushes and cans of herbicide to prevent regrowth, returning the flags to the bucket to be used again by the rest of us moments later.
The event relates to the topic of international affairs by emphasizing the effects of globalization and the impact of the actions of humans on the environment. As the world continues to “shrink” through the improvements of technology, such as the Internet and methods of travel, people need to realize the extent of their activities and fix the mistakes made. Humans have altered the environment more in the last 150 years than nature has in millions of years. The planet will soon be uninhabitable for all species unless we correct those wrongs, and quickly. Even something as seemingly small as removing some plants can make a difference.