Keeping oceans clean in Lebanon

By Brianna Metsger ’19, Staff Writer

Lebanon Valley College prides itself on its student involvement in community service.

Saturday was an example of LVC aiding the community in cleaning up the streets of Lebanon.

Saturday was International Coastal Cleanup Day: a day dedicated to cleaning up garbage to prevent it from eventually ending up in the ocean and polluting other water sources that sustain the earth with the basic elements of life. The Ocean Conservancy reported that more than 16 million pounds of trash were collected by almost 800,000 volunteers. In Lebanon, volunteers collected nearly 234 pounds of garbage from the streets of the Lebanon business district.

LVC students and community members gathered at the Lebanon YMCA to gear up with pickup tools, trash bags, gloves and bright orange vests. Lebanon City Mayor Sherry Capello provided the routes for volunteers to follow while Dr. Michael Schroeder, Associate Professor of History at LVC, gave a short speech highlighting the importance of trash cleanup and the vitality of preserving the environment.

A group of student volunteers stuck together throughout the cleanup. The group consisted of senior biology major Vidya Lala, Faith Viray, a senior health science major and sophomore exercise science and Spanish major Rachel Camaligan.

“Our cleanup crew was awesome,” Lala said. “I really wanted to volunteer now that I have some free time as a senior.”

Viray hopes to participate in the cleanup in the spring if she is still on campus.

“It’s important to take care of the community and be sustainable,” Viray said. “I like to volunteer when I can.”

For Camaligan, the cleanup is personal.  She urges community members to pick up trash every day.

“Seriously, just take care of the earth,” Camaligan said.

Paul Fullmer, Chaplain and Director of Service and Volunteerism, believes that LVC’s involvement in the Lebanon cleanup and International Coastal Cleanup Day shows the community that LVC is supportive of the cause and willing to help out.

“Service makes us feel good and gives meaning and joy, but there’s always the question, ‘Am I doing it for my own feeling good or am I doing it for someone in need,’” Fullmer said. “When someone in the city says, ‘These are the places we’d like you to clean,’ it feels like we’re meeting a need and not just doing something to make us feel good.”

There will be another Lebanon city cleanup in the spring around Earth Day. The amount of trash collected from the streets of Lebanon shrinks every year thanks to volunteers who have worked and continue to work to keep the city clean.