Together We Can



Manisha Sharma

 
© Copyright 2025 by Manisha Sharma
Photo courtesy of the author.
Photo courtesy of the author.
 
The morning air carried a cool promise of spring as I joined a group of volunteers at the Meadoway for an Earth Day cleanup event organized by the TRCA (Toronto and Region Conservation Authority).  Meadoway is Toronto’s ambitious urban green corridor, a beautiful stretch of green space in the city where wildflowers grow, bees buzz, and you can hear birds sing instead of traffic. The Earth Day cleanup event had drawn a medley of volunteers: families with kids, students, seniors, and nature enthusiasts like myself, all armed with gloves, bags, and a shared intention, to give back to the land we often take for granted. We also carried our smiles, and collectivism, leaving our Saturday morning laziness behind. We stood there together as an army.

After the initial gathering, and information session, we all made our way to the different sections of the Meadoway looking for plastic bags, bottles, cans, old coffee cups, wafer wrappers and any non-biodegradable items lying on the ground.
There was a nice curvy trail, where I was picking up bits of trash with my 9 year old son, when something small caught my eye.
It was a snail.

At first, I almost didn’t see it. It was slowly making its way along the trail, carrying its little shell home on its back. I bent down and just watched it. It wasn’t doing anything exciting, but there was something peaceful about it. It wasn’t in a rush. It wasn’t trying to be noticed. It was just… being. 

It moved with deliberate grace, its fragile body trusting the surface beneath it and the silence around it. As people passed, none noticed the tiny creature below. But to me, in that moment, it felt profound, like a message whispered in stillness. I sat there for a moment, thinking about that snail. Snails aren’t fast, and they are mostly overlooked because they live in undergrowth, soil, or moist places and are well-camouflaged. But they play an important part in nature. They break down dead plants, help keep the soil healthy by supplying nutrients, and they’re food for birds and other animals. They have a role to play in the ecosystem. They may be small, but they matter.

This encounter  made me think about all of us. The people picking up garbage that day. We weren’t doing anything huge or world-changing. But we were helping in our own small ways. And just like the snail, our small actions had a purpose. Moreover, we were a collective. As they say, “Unity is strength”.

I gently moved a stick out of the snail’s way so it could keep going safely. Then I looked around. There was a little girl helping her mother pick up litter. A young adult was explaining to his co-worker why plastic is bad for birds. A family with two kids, a boy and a girl nearby were laughing as they pulled trash from a bush. Everyone was doing their part, and it was beautiful. All the kids, including my son, were happy and excited to use the picker to pick out trash into the garbage bags. Their faces showed a sense of accomplishment and of contributing to a bigger cause working hand in hand with people much older than them. Everyone seemed to be involved and doing their bit. Nature doesn’t ask us to be perfect. It just needs us to care.

While we were at the edge of the Meadoway closer to the roadside, a gentleman came up to us and thanked us for our efforts. He also brought us coffee and donuts, expressing his gratitude for the cleaning activities, and encouraging us in our work. To me, this was his contribution towards not only the Earth Day event, but also an expression of his love for Mother Earth and an act of stewardship and solidarity with fellow human beings to protect, conserve and take care of the place we call home. His contribution was like that of this snail, quiet but mighty, without the need for appreciation or acknowledgement. 

Even though I carried on with my clean-up and monitoring volunteers doing their part, I let the stillness settle into me. The world moved fast, and we humans seemed to pride ourselves on speed, fast food, fast travel, fast everything. But the snail? It reminded me that impact isn’t always about pace. Sometimes, it’s about persistence. Quiet, consistent acts. Like composting instead of trashing. Like coming out to a park on a Saturday morning to pick up someone else’s litter.

After we finished the cleanup, we ended up networking with each other, exchanging email IDs and LinkedIn profiles. We collected 115 kg of garbage that day and wrapped up by taking photos. In our hearts we carried a sense of fulfillment, and smiles.

Before I left the Meadoway, I went back to check on the snail. It had moved just a little, maybe a few feet, but it was still going. And that’s when I realized something really important, we don’t have to do everything fast or big to make a difference. We just have to keep moving forward, like the snail, slow but steady, gentle but purposeful.

That day reminded me why Earth Day matters. It’s not just about picking up garbage or planting flowers. It’s about remembering that we all have a role in caring for our planet, whether we’re people or snails.
As I think about the snail and me, we both were there sharing the same purpose. On the occasion of the Earth Day clean-up event, we both travelled the same path. While playing many roles, one of the crucial roles played by this snail is that of an environmental clean-up and recycler. 

As excited as I was to begin my day by cleaning-up the plastic we humans dispose of in nature, here it was this tiny creature silently making its way to fulfilling its natural purpose to contribute its part in the ecosystem. 

The snail made me realise that maybe, just maybe, our true purpose in life is to help take care of each other, of nature, and of the world we all share, quietly, not seeking validation, attention or any reward. Because true reward lies in the act itself, the opportunity to serve that too together, towards a pure cause. I took a picture of the snail, as a reminder to myself. “We are in this together”.


I am a Toronto based nature enthusiast, interested in environmental conservation, research and writing. Though I have a background in Architecture and Design,  I am currently associated with the Toronto Region and Conservation Authority (TRCA) as a Meadoway Ambassador with their Community Education and Outreach team. My dream is to establish myself as a writer, and be able to use the power of words to express what I feel, share with like-minded people, and make a positive impact where I can, in whatever capacity I can. No previous writing published. Even this is unique. I hope you like my story, for it  is real, recent and came straight from my heart.



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