Hello, 

My name is Carlie Lopez. I am part of Ms. Hernandez's English 101 class. On May 18, 2013 a couple of students and I took part in cleaning up the LA River. As I walked on the river bed and into the LA River I felt a bit of anxiety, not knowing what to expect down there; I was amazed to find little much trash. It is a beautiful place that often times get dirty, it was nice to see the other volunteers picking up trash from different organizations.  I took a lot of excitement out of getting the opportunity to be part of something like this. I just hope I can be part of it again someday. Giving back and serving our community showed us how we can change the way things are in our environment.

Shopping Cart Stuck in the Ground

As I was cleaning I picked up a lot of interesting things. As I looked everywhere around my surroundings there was trash everywhere, little and big. I found a two shopping carts that where stuck in a tree and one that was buried to the top in sand. I noticed that there were a lot of plastic bags and water bottles everywhere. All of these things can be recycled, but we all need to contribute to the change. Seeing the trash in the LA River made me realize that not many people care for the environment. After my day cleaning the river, it got me thinking not to litter. So now I'm going to think twice when I don't throw away my trash in its rightful place, the trash can.