As a part of my service, I did plantation of mint and coriander because trees and such help to purify the air and provide food for us, therefore, it is a service to the environment and people as well. I already had coriander seeds at home and used a tall cutting from a healthy mint plant to sow them.

LO2: Demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken, developing new skills in the process

The most challenging part was keeping intense care of the plants like watering, keeping or not keeping them under sunlight at different intervals of the day, maintaining their shape, etc. Taking care of the plants was challenging because I spent half of my day at school so it was nearly impossible for me to look after the plants except for watering which I did in the early morning before leaving for school. Moreover, this was my first ever plantation, that’s why I chose small plants like mint and coriander to firstly learn and apply basic knowledge about the same. I feel very content and fulfilled after growing something that I can call mine, hence, this service introduced me to the “caring” side of me.

LO3: Demonstrate how to initiate and plan a CAS experience

I planned this service keeping the number of days it takes for mint and coriander plants to grow and time left for CAS submission. I also kept a record of the days and the length of the plants to know their growth rate. The following plan helped me to see my plants grow substantially, thus, I developed to be a very patient individual through this service.

LO6: Demonstrate engagement with issues of global significance

The global issue prominent around the world is “global warming” which is caused by deforestation as trees and plants store carbon which can be released back into the atmosphere upon the removal of trees. Unfortunately, it was difficult for me to plant trees due to the tight study schedules as I would have to go out to buy the tree plant, then do the long, huge process of digging the soil and many other so I preferred to grow small plants first at home. Nonetheless, growing plants also add significance through the betterment of air quality and other positive implications on the environment and people.

Overall, planting mint and coriander was one of the most enriching and gratifying experiences because growing the plants brought a sense of calm and refreshment to my mind.

Evidence: