For Fairfield Seniors, a relaxing walk on the beach is a great way to start a weekend morning. From the sand under their feet to the miles of shimmering blue water on the horizon, to the piles of trash that litter their path. Wait, what?
Whether it’s discarded plastic bottles and containers or other garbage from recent college parties, the amount of trash swallowed by the waves of Long Island Sound is difficult to ignore, as noted by news outlets such as News12.
For years Fairfield Beach has been at the forefront of a debris disaster. With a lack of trash cans and an increase in University beach bashes, litter has become a progressively relevant and harmful problem within the community.
Not only have town halls given voice to residents’ concerns over litter as news outlets like Patch cover tense email exchanges between Fairfield residents and President Nemec, but the trash also creates irreversible damage to the environment. To combat this and many other environmental issues in and surrounding the town of Fairfield, students have created initiatives to take action.
Each Sunday the Leaders of Environmental Action of Fairfield, or L.E.A.F, don blue latex gloves and large garbage bags during low tide, collecting pieces of trash left behind by beachgoers.
Senior and L.E.A.F President Grace Brogioli speaks about how during these beach cleanups, you never know what you’re going to find. “I remember last year we did a cleanup in the fall and there were at least a hundred dead horseshoe crabs along the beach, it was insane,” Brogioli comments.
Since joining the club her first year, Brogioli explains that in participating in the beach clean up every Sunday morning she starts off her day by making the community a better place for everyone, an aspect she still enjoys to this day. She finds that the beach cleanups are not only a great way to help the environment but also a way to catch up with friends or debrief about the weekend.
While students are at the forefront of the litter issues dominating the beaches of Fairfield, they also work to combat the problems. In a statement from First Selectman Bill Gerber, as of Oct. 6, 342 students have participated in the weekly beach cleanups since they began on Sept. 15.
Not only do hundreds of students show up each weekend to the cleanups, but clubs like L.E.A.F are taking action to provide trash cans on the beaches, something that the town or the University has yet to do, Brogioli pointed out.
Senior and Public Relations Manager Laura DiMeo describes how at one of Fairfield University’s students’ beach parties, there was a large amount of trash floating into the Sound. With no one picking it up, Laura took action into her own hands, grabbing a few trash bags from a random house, other students soon following suit. “We’re not stupid, when we see trash bins we are going to throw away our trash, they are just not there in the first place,” DiMeo states.
Grace further emphasizes this point by explaining that providing trash cans for students and even the Fairfield community in general to use it benefits everyone, as long as students take responsibility for their own garbage.
Alongside keeping the beaches clean, one of L.E.A.F’s major goals is to reconnect the University’s relationship with the environment. Initiatives to make the dining hall more sustainable, to create pollinator pathways and to bring back community gardens are all ambitions the club is seeking to achieve.
L.E.A.F not only focuses on the surrounding community but dedicates time to blossoming their own group. Senior and Vice President Joey Nizzardo explains that the club is a great way to find like-minded people who are passionate about helping the environment. He encourages anyone who is interested to reach out, as they are there to help.
DiMeo reflects on her own first-year experience, and how the club acted as a way for her to make connections with upperclassmen. Explaining how being an underclassman can feel isolated and stressful, DiMeo is thankful that she had people she knew would support her and give her advice.
“Although science can be intimidating”, Laura states “I’ve learned so much just through the osmosis of the club.” Emphasizing that L.E.A.F is a legacy and that anyone can make an impact, no matter their background.
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