My name is Shazia and I volunteered at Scamp this last year. It was my first time ever experiencing a music festie and let me tell you, IT WAS AWESOME! I hadn’t volunteered since I was a sophomore in high school so I was a little weary about doing it again. I won’t lie; I was super lazy and never thought to do it. My friend Caitlin got an email about volunteering at the festie and we thought, why not? I have to admit that I learned a lot! Before I volunteered I never really cared about trash on the ground, I did try to recycle but never made a huge effort with it. After seeing all the trash and waste that people had thrown on the ground, I was VERY disappointed. I realized that this is the earth I live on, and these people are using it as a wastebasket. It takes more time than anyone thinks to actually pick up everything on the ground after a show. Not only that, but sorting it all out isn’t the most pleasant thing to do. I couldn’t believe how many people threw their cigarette butts on the ground! I felt as if I was picking up thousands of them! Me being a smoker I came to my senses. I have yet to throw a butt on the ground since I volunteered at scamp. If I can’t find a trashcan, I stuff them away (no matter how BAD it smells by the end of the day). Not only do I take care of my butts, I also try to take the butts of my friends (hehe) as well and express how bad it really is to litter. I also purchased an ash cup for my car on the way back to Colorado. I make a HUGE effort to recycle now and sort through my trash now. I am a teacher at a childcare center in Fort Collins…you can only imagine the amount of paper we throw away. Since I get recycling at my house, I have now started to collect the paper scraps and cans/bottles from work. After the bags are filled, I throw them in my little car and drive home for the bags to be recycled. I may not get everything I can, and some of the other teachers may not care but I think I am still helping a little bit.
Regardless of whoever wins this contest, I would REALLY like to thank Brad for arranging Scamp to have a street team. It was an awesome time and I really hope other people get to experience what I did. I also really appreciate my Scamp water bottle, it kicks ass! I was sad to loose my volunteer bracelet, I was able to get the latch thing off and tie it around my wrist. I wore it for about four months until it finally fell off while I was out and about. That was my only disappointment. You guys are all awesome, I made a few new friends while volunteering, I plan to continue to volunteer at least twice a year at festies, keep up the great work!
Thanks,
Shazia
