When I was eleven years old, I moved to Tampa, Florida. My parents traveled for a living, so Aunt Emily took care of me while they were away. One rainy morning, there was an old lady who was dressed in a bright orange coat carrying a rubbish bag and a stick. “What’s that old lady doing?” I asked Emily, pointing out of the window to the street in front of the house.

Hearing my question, Emily answered, “She’s picking up rubbish around here for fun.” “Oh,” I answered. “Interesting... Why would someone think picking up rubbish is fun?” For a long time, I often saw that old lady—rain or shine—on my way to school. In the beginning, I thought she was crazy to pick up rubbish. However, I finally smiled and waved at her each time I saw her.

Later, when I moved to college, I’d see rubbish in the grass and feel really angry about it. I’d think, “Why isn’t anyone picking up rubbish? People are so unconcerned!” But shortly after that, I said to myself, “Why do I think picking up rubbish is someone else’s duty?” And I couldn’t walk past trash without feeling guilty (内疚的).

So while walking in the college, I began picking up rubbish and made sure the campus was in better shape than I previously found it. My behavior influenced some students. They started to help me out.

Like me, they also picked up rubbish whenever they noticed it. And our college became more beautiful. Seeing that, I began to think, “If I can pick up rubbish outside the college—in other places of the town, it may make a big difference to the town.”

But picking up rubbish in front of many people outside the college needs courage. It could be embarrassing. But it was the right thing to do. I decided to try it.

So one day I called up all my courage and collected rubbish on a nearby street.

I thought if more students took part in the voluntary activity, things would be much better.

In recent years, desertification has gone from bad to worse and threatened us in many ways.