Introduction

We are Team Sustainable Smiles, and our team member are Tommy, Thomas, Alessandro and Becker.

Tommy – 3-year Management Major.

Thomas – 2-year Communications Major.

Alessandro – 3-year Accounting Major.

Becker – 2-year Risk Management Major.

Service

On Sunday March 24, 2024 we joined Berks Nature, and Hay Creek watershed to plant 100 trees on a local farm. This farm was facing severe bank erosion from the stream. By planting 100 trees we were able to create and riparian buffer. This will allow to banks to stabilize and prevent further erosion. The buffer will also help improve water quality by not allowing sediment, and other debris into the water.

Another component of our service was water testing. We tested water from a local stream at Bobs Woods at Earl Poole Sanctuary. By testing our local water we are able to see that the water in our area is in good standing. We tested Dissolved Oxygen, PH, Temperature, Nitrates, and the amount of Phosphates. The overall quality of the water was good, and it did not fail any of the tests.

Our final part of service involved picking up trash at the Berks Nature Center. This is located at Angelica Creek Park. Thankfully there was not too much trash to pick up, but there was still some very weird finds.

Our Service Video: Service Video

Research

We decided to conduct our research on how disposable vapes effect the environment. We found that not only the vapes harm the environment, but lithium mining as a whole adds to the harm. Lithium-ion batteries contain metals such as cobalt, nickel, and manganese, which are toxic and can contaminate water supplies and ecosystems if they leach out of landfills.

Lithium is the main component of vape batteries. This must be mined from brine or hard rock, and it often done unethically. This causes soil degradation, water shortages, and overall harm to our ecosystem. The production of vapes also adds to the greenhouse gasses.

The  main issue is the disposal of these vapes. Most are disposed of improperly which leads to heavy metals and acids leaching into soil, and waterways. This is not only harmful to us, but the wildlife as well. Vapes can often cause fires when chopped up by waste management companies. Vapes are not recycled as frequently as phones, laptops, etc. This leaves a total waste of materials, and hurts our environment. The plastic material that disposable vapes are made of is also a key component. Plastics can take hundreds of years to decompose when not disposed of properly.

To properly dispose of a vape, you should take it to your local hazardous waste collection site. To see the schedule for PA, visit this link https://www.dep.pa.gov/Business/Land/Waste/SolidWaste/HazardousWaste/Household/Pages/HHW-Collection-Programs.aspx. Another good avenue to recycle batteries would be Call2Recycle. To find one near you, click this link https://www.call2recycle.org/locator/.

Our Research Video: Research Video

Reflection

All four of us thoroughly enjoyed this project. The service component was a good way to be able to reach out and help local organizations in our community. Through our service we were able to learn how easy and crucial tree planting is. We learned how planting trees along a body of moving water can help strengthen banks, and also benefit the wildlife. Water testing also helped further our understanding of topics we learned in class. It was interesting to be able to apply things from the classroom to our real world.