September and October are crab season in Taiwan. During this time, the crabs are at their freshest, so the markets near fishing ports are always packed with food lovers—and my family is always among them. Because my dad has a love for the sea, we make a tradition of visiting a nearby beach whenever we go to the port, strolling along the shore and listening to the waves crash into the land.
Last September, we drove to the northernmost port of Taiwan, where the land meets the sea at the island’s edge. The restaurant was already crowded, so my mom suggested we wait at a nearby beach café. We walked along the seaside trail for about half an hour, enjoying the salty scent of the ocean and the scenery. But as we passed a pile of tetrapods, a terrible smell hit me, and I instinctively held my breath. My dad pointed to the waves—and there it was: a mass of trash floating and sinking in the water.
I was shocked. Suddenly, I lost all my appetite. I realized that the seafood we loved came from an environment now polluted by human waste. It hit me that nature—especially marine life—was paying the price for our habits. This moment opened my eyes to what I later learned as SDG 14: Life Below Water. I told myself: even if I can’t change the world, I can at least try not to make it worse.
Back at school, I joined an environmental club that organizes regular beach clean-ups. Each time I pick up a plastic bottle or Styrofoam box, I feel like I’m giving a tiny piece of the ocean back to itself. Senior students helped me understand that recycling isn’t enough anymore—there’s simply too much waste. What we need is to reduce what we produce, aligning with SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production.
Together, we came up with simple but impactful changes: bringing our own reusable utensils and bags, refusing excessive packaging, and choosing to dine in instead of ordering takeout. I practiced all of these during my trip to Korea this June.
Korea uses a lot of single-use packaging for food, so bringing my own utensils made a real difference. Apart from that, I used public transportation or walked to get from place to place instead of taking taxis, which not only reduced carbon emissions (SDG 13: Climate Action) but also allowed me to explore each neighborhood more intimately.
Though it wasn’t a formal international placement, that trip became a personal experiment in sustainable travel. I believe that to travel is to appreciate the beauty of another part of the world—and to respect it by leaving as little harm behind as possible.
Small actions matter. Whether it’s picking up a bottle on the beach or walking instead of driving, I want to keep making choices that help—not hurt—the places I’m lucky enough to visit.
