The author volunteered in the Galápagos Islands, traveling there independently for the first time. They faced challenges like taking the wrong transportation and thinking they were pickpocketed. However, their faith in humanity was restored when their wallet was returned. The volunteer work involved hiking long distances, clearing invasive species using a machete, and carrying heavy loads of food uphill in the mud with help from friends. The author believes small efforts can have a big impact and further the goal of environmental peace.

1. Symposium Abstract<br />Ecuador. The Galápagos Islands. Volunteering. Reforestation. New people. New places. New ideas. All were part of my summer experience. It was the first time I had ever traveled internationally completely on my own, and that in and of itself was quite the learning opportunity. I traveled to the wrong airport and had to take a bus to a ferry to another bus to a speedboat to the right island. I thought I was pick-pocketed by the person from whom I was renting a hostel room. I was angry, scared, and alone. The next day my wallet was returned to me with everything in it, and not to be too dramatic, but my faith in humanity was quickly restored.<br />I had a forty-five minute conversation in Spanish on a bus with a mother who was breastfeeding her daughter. I hiked for three and a half hours in the dark to the biological reserve following my luggage that was being carried by a mule. I wore a mosquito face net while using a machete to clear mora, an invasive species on San Cristóbal. I carried forty pounds of bananas on a twenty-five minute hike in the mud, and it was all uphill. This speaks by no means to any physical strength I have but instead to the value of support from friends and how important the influence of others can be.<br />I worked to accomplish tiny goals in isolated areas in order to further the vision of environmental peace in our world. Small steps. Big impact. Our chance to change the world for the better.<br />