User talk:Isabel.miriam

Litter in New Zealand
Kia ora Marshelec, I am new to editing Wikipedia and am currently working on expanding Litter in New Zealand and would appreciate help. I noticed on your user page that you have recently enhanced Water supply and sanitation in New Zealand and that you created an article on water supply and sanitation in the Wellington region. While these articles may not directly relate to Litter in New Zealand, they all deal with sanitation. Given your editing experience, I would greatly appreciate it if you were to review my stub article and leave feedback. While the article is not yet finished, my particular concerns are its readability and neutrality. Thank you.Isabel.miriam (talk) 04:27, 21 December 2021 (UTC)
 * Great work ! On a first scan, this article is already close to C grade.  I will put some time into coming up with suggestions for further development, and may make some direct contributions myself.Marshelec (talk) 06:44, 21 December 2021 (UTC)
 * You will see that the article classification has been upgraded to C class.:) I have done some initial copy editing in parts of the article and added a couple of graphs based on the data and images in the Audit report.  I have also added a suggestion for additional content on the talk page. There is scope for improving the lead, but I usually find it is best to leave that to the last stage. As time permits, I will try to do a bit more on the detailed content. Are you working to any time-based target ??  I hope you are happy with what I have done.  If not, feel free to revert :). Marshelec (talk) 04:02, 22 December 2021 (UTC)
 * Hi Marshelec, thank you for your contributions! I especially appreciate the graphs you added to the statistics section. I will definitely try and incorporate the information you have suggested on the talk page. I also plan on improving the statistics section and agree that the lead section can also be improved. My course allows students to edit their articles up until January 11. Since this is an assignment, I trust that your contributions won't be too substantial but your additions or revisions to detailed content will be of great help and very much valued. Isabel.miriam (talk) 04:37, 22 December 2021 (UTC)
 * That's great. Here are my suggestions for the lead:  (1) leave it to last, (2) ensure that all the content in the lead is a summary or copy of detailed content, then (3) remove all citations from the lead (they interrupt the flow for the reader, and are not required in the lead if they are present in the body), (4) review the lead repeatedly for readability, flow and balanced coverage of the overall content, (5) be willing to scrap existing content in the lead and start fresh if required (even though I know that deleting what you have done previously can be difficult :). I will continue with small improvements to existing content, between now and your deadline date, and may also provide some further suggestions.Marshelec (talk) 05:04, 22 December 2021 (UTC)
 * Thank you. I will improve my lead in accordance with your suggestions. But as you have recommended, I will only do so once I am confident that the body of the article has all the information necessary. Isabel.miriam (talk) 05:20, 22 December 2021 (UTC)
 * After making quite a few changes this morning, I will hold off on further editing. You might be able to tighten up the section on Litter behaviour research. I have also provided several suggestions for additional content on the talk page, along with possible citations. An image of litter in New Zealand is desirable.  I will see if I can take a suitable photo myself.Marshelec (talk) 00:15, 23 December 2021 (UTC)
 * Perfect. I have struggled to find a suitable image of litter in New Zealand that isn't restricted. Thank you also for your suggestions on the talk page. I'm currently typing up content in a separate document so my additions to the article may take some time. Isabel.miriam (talk) 03:37, 23 December 2021 (UTC)
 * I have added a couple of my own photos. They are not great, but it is a start - someone can improve on them, or I might get some better ones myself. Marshelec (talk) 08:34, 23 December 2021 (UTC)
 * I have added a further suggestion on the talk page for a new section about environmental impact of litter, and provided some possible sources. I think this topic is needed in the article. Marshelec (talk) 02:54, 24 December 2021 (UTC)
 * Best wishes for the holiday season. :) I have added more on the Talk page about impact of litter. My suggestion is to significantly expand content about environmental impact, and place this as the first topic heading in the article. Legislation is a response to a problem. The article needs to first state and explain the consequences of the problem of litter, before going on to legislation, research and audits etc Marshelec (talk) 20:03, 24 December 2021 (UTC)
 * Thank you very much, best wishes to you too! I will definitely do as you suggest. Isabel.miriam (talk) 03:51, 26 December 2021 (UTC)
 * I haven't had a chance to edit the article recently but I will hopefully have time to do so later this week. In that time I hope to: (1) expand the sections on environmental impact and cigarette butt littering, (2) clean up the section on litter behaviour, (3) ensure equal coverage of topics, (4) and revise the lead section in accordance with these changes. Thank you again for your suggestions, I will be consulting them as I add new content.Isabel.miriam (talk) 22:58, 27 December 2021 (UTC)
 * You have made some great additions to the article today. Looking further into the topic of plastics, I have found an additional source with excellent content: "Plastics and the environment". This is another major publication on this topic from the Office of the Prime Minister’s Chief Science Advisor.  One frustration is that this publication seems to be undated.  However, it contains a link to their report: "Rethinking plastics in Aotearoa New Zealand" (of 2019), so we can assume "Plastics and the environment" is a more recent publication.  The "Plastics and the environment" source appears to be worth including.  I particularly liked this quote: "we are home to one-third of all species of seabird and the breeding ground for the highest number of seabird species worldwide. Because of this, plastic debris in our seas poses a higher risk to seabird populations and efforts to protect these species and their ecosystems by preventing plastic in the environment are crucial." Marshelec (talk)

Great work and ka pai. :) If you still have time for a bit more work on this article, here are a few suggestions for improving the lead: Marshelec (talk) 02:55, 5 January 2022 (UTC)
 * rework the first paragraph to describe litter as a global environmental problem that also affects New Zealand
 * include a wikilink to the article: Litter
 * replace the first sentence so as to remove the words "a fairly prevalent" (see MOS:WEASEL )
 * expand the content in the lead about the effects of litter on the environment, animals and humans
 * reverse this sentence so that it is in chronological order: "The Litter Audit was released in 2019 and the National Litter Behaviour Study was released the year prior, in 2018. "
 * remove the words I have put in bold from the sentence: "These reports are considered to be of value because they have informed a response to litter in New Zealand. "
 * consider incorporating the quote I provided at the end of my previous response.
 * Thank you! I'm going to dedicate some time to editing the article tomorrow and will do as you have suggested. :) Isabel.miriam (talk) 04:03, 5 January 2022 (UTC)
 * Congratulations !! You will see that your work has been recognised by the article being re-assessed as B class, by one of New Zealand's most experienced editors (who is also an Admin). Well done :) Marshelec (talk) 18:21, 8 January 2022 (UTC)
 * Thankyou! And thank you for all your help, the assignment will be marked by my tutor after the 11th but of course this article can still be improved and expanded on so please feel free to make any revisions to what I have added in future. All the best! Isabel.miriam (talk) 22:24, 8 January 2022 (UTC)

Hi, I hope you're well. Just thought I would let you know that, thanks to your help and guidance, I received a high distinction for the assignment! Isabel.miriam (talk) 03:56, 9 February 2022 (UTC)
 * Congratulations ! Thoroughly well-deserved for all the hard work you put into making massive improvemente to the article. Marshelec (talk) 05:21, 9 February 2022 (UTC)

Invitation to an in-person meetup in Mohua / Golden Bay
Thinking about your summer break? Think about joining other Wikipedians and Wikimedians in Golden Bay / Mohua! Details are on the meetup page. There's heaps of interesting stuff to work on e.g. the oldest extant waka or New Zealand's oldest ongoing legal case. Or you may spend your time taking photos and then upload them.

Golden Bay is hard to get to and the airline flying into Tākaka uses small planes, so we are holding some seats from and to Wellington and we are offering attendees a $200 travel subsidy to help with costs.

Be in touch with Schwede66 if this event interests you and you'd like to discuss logistics.  Schwede 66  09:14, 13 November 2023 (UTC)