"Small acts can lead to big changes", cleaning up Albro lake

One of the main goals of our organization Impacting lives through opportunities (ILO) is to create a cleaner Earth by working to reduce plastic pollution, climate change, deforestation, and other environmental issues. We do this by conducting freshwater and marine water ecosystem's clean-ups, tree planting and making people more aware of these issues. This August we were fortunate enough to be accepted into the Great Nova Scotia Pick-Me-Up program, a program that provides volunteer groups all around Nova Scotia with the necessary equipment to be able to do a beach clean-up.

On August 27th, 2020 we had the opportunity to clean up Albro lake, a lake that stretches 740 m, not including the surrounding trails. Albro lake is located in the city of Dartmouth, NS, Canada and supports an environment ideal for many outdoor activities such as swimming, hiking and bird watching.

"It was a great chance not only to partake in a meaningful endeavor, but to take in the sun and beautiful wildlife." Grace Kirk, ILO's team member.

As soon as we arrived, it was very clear that Albro lake and it’s surrounding area desperately needed some TLC. There was trash and plastic all over.

We cleaned the shoreline, trails and all areas around the lake and our team collected approximately 28 lbs of litter (=12,70 kg) in total.

The most common type of litter that our team found were cigarette butts, plastic grocery bags, food wrappers, plastic beverage bottles and cans. The strangest items we found were a metal pipe and clothing, we all wondered about the story that these objects had to tell. 

"Overall the lake clean-up was a very rewarding experience and something that everyone should take part in for the future. The fact that we were actively making a difference made us all very proud. ILO plans many beach clean-ups to come, please stay tuned for upcoming dates.” Grace Kirk

"I am really proud of my team and we hope you will join us next time! I greatly appreciate your enthusiasm, hard work, and support wonderful people. Many thanks for making that day incredibly enjoyable, rewarding and memorable. And I trust the best is yet to come." Sariaka Rakotondrazafy