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Jenny's Response: The Litter Dilemma
Honestly, when I saw all that litter in the park, I felt a surge of frustration — but not paralysis. I grew up in a small town where our parks and green spaces feel deeply personal to me. When something is damaged or dirty, it feels like it affects everyone. I did not hesitate: I took action immediately.
I started picking up litter right away, without waiting for my friends to agree first. I figured that if I started, they would join in — and most of them did. Within about 20 minutes, we had collected a significant amount of waste from around the picnic area.
I want to be honest though: I wrestled with the question of whether it was "fair." It is not. But fairness and responsibility are not always the same thing. Sometimes responsibility calls you to act even when the situation is not fair.
What Were the Consequences?
On the environment: The park is an ecosystem. Plastic and food waste harm the soil, can injure wildlife, and end up in waterways. By cleaning up, we prevented that harm — even if only in a small corner of a larger problem.
On the community: Parks belong to everyone. A dirty park sends a signal that people do not care about their shared spaces. A clean park sends the opposite message. I think small actions like ours — repeated enough times by enough people — can shift a community's culture.
On myself: I left feeling good. Not in a self-congratulatory way, but in a quiet way. Like I had done something that aligned with my values. That feeling matters. It reinforces the kind of person I want to be.
The Connection to Entrepreneurship
This scenario connects directly to something we talked about earlier in the course: culture of responsibility and respect.
When you build a project or a business, you set the tone. You decide what values your project will embody. If you are someone who walks past a problem, your project will reflect that. If you are someone who steps up, your project will reflect that too.
In my t-shirt business, for example, I want to use eco-friendly materials and responsible sourcing — even if it costs a little more. Not because it is required, but because it aligns with what I believe. I want my business to be a reflection of my values, just like how I handled the litter in the park.
Entrepreneurship is not just about making something profitable or impactful. It is about who you are and the choices you make when no one is watching — or when it would be easy to look away.
I want to be someone who looks anyway, and acts.