“My perspective on waste/plastic and its relation to humanities and the environment had changed. On all of the islands we visited to pick up trash, there were tens if not hundreds of bottles filled with fuel as well as well as make shift motors and children/adult apparel. I was informed by our trip leaders, Kaitlyn and Connor, that a lot of this waste actually comes from refugees/immigrants fleeing their countries, Cuba and Haiti specifically. So while the waste poses a huge threat to our environment, it stems from an equally important issue; a humanitarian crisis. If we can fix the humanitarian crisis then we can reduce the amount of waste showing up on these islands, effectively ending/improving the cycle of constant waste buildup. ”