Volunteering: it’s good for the Earth, good for the community, and good for the soul. About 62.8 million people in the U.S. volunteered at least once in the last year*, which is no small chunk, but it only correlates to something like 20% of the population. Basically, we could always do more. So more is what we did. Yesterday, the Gemba team braved stinging nettles, torrential downpour, and a Google Maps catastrophe so that we could rescue native plants and contribute to a future wetland ecosystem in honor of United Way’s Day of Caring.
First, we took a moment to appreciate the acres of land that would soon be caked under our fingernails.
Then we got to work diversifying the habitat and becoming master shovel wielders.
Fun fact: millennials are big on activism. They’re all about selfies, hashtags, and helping their fellow man. They tend to support causes rather than institutions, and 79% of them say their urge to volunteer is rooted in passion, according to Achieve Guidance. Even when it started raining—and I wouldn’t say it was “raining” so much as Mother Nature was trying to flood us out—we just remembered the millennial way and stuck it out for the cause. Cheerfully.
Well, mostly.
That said, we persevered. The next time you see a plant—any plant—think of us, because I’m pretty sure we handled approximately all the plants. We may never be dry again, but we helped out and made a difference, and that was worth having an entire thriving swampland in our rain boots.
* Stats courtesy of the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Thanks, Bureau of Labor Statistics.