In a small community located at a suburb of Exeter, a disheartening issue had been troubling the neighborhood for years. The once pleasant surroundings were ruined by piles of waste that seemed to multiply with each passing day. Residents were growing tired of the worsening environment, leading many to abandon their homes in search of cleaner neighborhoods. It was in this terrible situation that two young students, Emma and Mia, decided to take matters into their own hands.

Emma and Mia were classmates and best friends from Phillips Exeter Academy, both passionate about environmental preservation and deeply concerned about the pollution crisis their community was facing. Witnessing more and more neighbors’ leaving, they knew they couldn’t stand by any longer. Determined to bring about a change, they undertook a mission that would soon catch the attention of the entire community.

Their journey began with thorough research and planning. The two girls searched carefully on the Internet for information on environmental initiatives and connected with local environmentalists. They organized meetings with residents to understand the issues at hand, collecting data on the types of waste, the sources, and the areas most affected. Armed with this knowledge, Emma and Mia worked out a comprehensive plan and announced it to ask for opinions from the residents. Surprisingly it was strongly supported.

Their strategy was twofold. First, they initiated a waste classification and recycling program. They distributed recycling bins(回收箱) to every household and educated the community about the importance of responsible waste management. Soon, the streets began to show signs of improvement as the volume of garbage inappropriately thrown away decreased gradually.

The second part of their plan was more ambitious. Emma and Mia gathered volunteers from their school and the neighborhood to take part in a massive clean-up campaign. Armed with gloves and trash(垃圾)bags, they began systematically clearing the waste from the streets, parks, and even the local bodies of water. Their firm commitment and hard work inspired others to join the cause.

Half a year later, the changes were significant.

Emma and Mia received recognition and honors for their work.

Every day after their classes, the children at Tom’s school rushed to the school playground to spend some time there before their parents picked them up. Eventually, everyone would be gone, except Tom. Every day, Tom waited until the playground was empty, after which he cleaned it by picking up trash, throwing it in trash cans, and sweeping the whole play area.

One day, Tom’s science teacher, Mrs. Peterson, happened to see the whole thing. She was confused as to why Tom was doing that as the school already had a cleaner who cleaned the playground in the evenings.

She decided to find out what was going on. “Hello, Tom, what are you doing here on your own at this hour?” she greeted him with a big smile on her face.

“Hello, Mrs. Peterson,” Tom replied. “I’m cleaning the playground because it’s dirty. The other kids litter everywhere, but they never clean it.” “Oh, how awful!”   Mrs. Peterson exclaimed (喊道).“I’ll make sure they don’t do that again, Tom,” she added gently. “You are not supposed to clean up after them. It’s late, so you should go home.”

“I can’t go home until I finish cleaning, Mrs. Peterson,” Tom said. “Your parents raised you very well,” she said, praising him.

“But I have a better idea of how we can help the cleaner!” Mrs. Peterson added.

Soon, with the headmaster’s support, the clean-up event was organized.

A Speech Contest of Environmental Protection