Sky loved the harbor. She loved how she could gaze upon the water as the waves came in, then flowed out again. She loved the boardwalk along the harbor that she and her friends had walked along so many times together. Most of all, she loved the clean, salty smell of Boston Harbor. It provided a break from the bustle of the city.

One morning in early August, while swimming with her family in the Boston Harbor, she noticed a single piece of plastic rocking back and forth with the waves. This aggravated her; who would litter into the Boston Harbor? And why?

When she got back to her apartment, she googled “Boston Harbor pollution.” She saw the results and was shocked. She clicked on the result labeled “Boston Harbor Now.” She discovered that the Boston Harbor was not always as clean as it is now. In 1972, it was heavily polluted. Spectacle Island was a landfill and the water was not even safe to swim in!

Sky’s door creaked open. Her mom had told her that lunch would be ready in fifteen minutes. Sky said, “Mom, did you know that the Boston Harbor was heavily polluted a while ago?”
“Yes, it was quite literally a dump.” her mom responded, “It was considered the dirtiest harbor in America. Luckily for us, the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) and the MWRA (Massachusetts Water Resources Authority) worked together to clean up the harbor. Imagine if you could never swim in it or eat food from it.”

Sky imagined life without a clean Boston Harbor. She shuddered at the thought of it. She was astonished that the Boston Harbor was once stinky, polluted, and harmful. She had a newfound appreciation for the harbor and everybody that made the Boston Harbor cleanup possible. She vowed to herself that from now on she would try her best to pick up trash in the harbor to help keep it clean so she and millions of others could keep on enjoying a clean Boston Harbor.