Carly Bergman went to Nicaragua to GIVE, but she also took something from the experience that she wants to share.
The environmental science major traveled to Central America over winter break with other members of FGCU’s Growth International Volunteer Excursions (GIVE) chapter to build houses and teach sustainability methods to impoverished communities. GIVE’s mission is to expose students to the importance of community engagement by fundraising for and/or participating in service-learning projects locally and abroad.
“During my time in Nicaragua, I was asked to minimize my waste by refusing, reducing and reusing,” she says. “Nicaragua, like many developing countries, does not have a proper waste disposal system. The country burns all of its waste, including recyclables and plastic. After my time spent in this country, I was able to fit all of my recyclables in a small plastic bag. I made this happen by simply thinking twice about buying a granola bar with a wrapper, refusing to use a plastic bag and not using a paper towel when unnecessary.”
Now she wants her FGCU peers to join her in doing the same for a month she has tagged #FuturisticFebruary. She’s encouraging eco-minded Eagles to save all the recyclable materials they use during the month and post a photograph of their collections on social media Feb. 28 with the #FuturisticFebruary hashtag. After posting, of course, recycle all those aluminum cans, plastic bottles and other items.
“The idea is to raise awareness of pollution and over-consumption,” Bergman says. “I was motivated to implement a change in my lifestyle considering I was living in a hostel that was starting to deteriorate due to rising sea levels. It made me upset thinking about how much we consume as Americans and do not even think about the detrimental effects it has on the environment. These small islands in Nicaragua experience climate change first hand, and their land is being destroyed by erosion and increasing sea-levels. If we do not change our ways, our future will be similar.”
After she shared her #FuturisticFebruary idea with a group of environmentalists, many individuals expressed interest in participating. So, Bergman decided to extend the idea to anyone who wants to pursue positive change for the environment. Groups in Ohio, Chicago, and California are launching similar monthlong challenges, she says.
- More information about GIVE
- More information about FGCU’s recycling and sustainability efforts