If you’re not prepared for a little preachin’ , just go ahead and delete this !
Because I’m talkin’ TRASH , serious trash, all over our community . And the key word here is OUR. Not your and not my, but OUR.
Byron and I had a delightful road trip up the East Coast, into New England, and on to Nova Scotia several years ago. Loved it all and every minute . But the real kicker was Nova Scotia and its lack of blemishes.
Indisputably the cleanest place we’ve ever seen. No litter, no junk, no mess——–because the people are proud and caring.
Byron is an early riser, and drinking his coffee at 5:00 am, he watched the street cleaners doing their thing. But the most interesting observation was that they had little to do——–because the people cared and took pride in a clean and wholesome environment. Go figure !
Street cleaners are taking on the symptoms. The citizens must attack the disease.
Indisputably, expecting to change the unconcerned and uninterested minds of adults is, for the most part , hopeless. And children, for the most part, follow suit.
So, what IS the answer ?
EDUCATION ! Teaching the value of a clean, ” trashless ” environment from pre-school through high school. Teaching the value of pride in our community. Teaching the value of service. Teaching the value of doing the right thing for the right reason. Teaching the value of caring : for others, for self-satisfaction, for the future.
And I am not just speaking of education in the school environment. We expect wa-a-a-y too much of our over-worked , under-paid teachers and staff anyway. Education must be generic, including all of us.
However, schools are the anchors for progress, and if we choose to take the route of eliminating trash in our community, schools will take the lead. Others , too , can be effective : Scouts, Sunday Schools, day cares, athletic teams, play groups , city councils, commissioners———–you get the gist.
Our schools offer what children need, and , in many instances, what they do not get at home. Our schools are security blankets, comfort zones, learning fields, stability, support, anchors, etc.
Our teachers are caring, supportive, smart, and realistic. They respond to the baggage too many kids bring.
But professional educators cannot ( and should not ) do it alone !
HOWEVER , WHAT IF:
………..pre-schools took a walking tour , picking up trash and then rewarded ? A cookie……..
…….. elementary schools had contests for the most trash brought in , thrown away and then rewarded ? An extra recess…….
……..middle schools had contests of some sort that rewarded realistic litter clean-ups? A pep rally …….
……….. service clubs in high schools focused on a pristine community ? A sense of satisfaction in a job well done ……
And the ultimate outcome in educating our children is NO MORE LITTERING. Cleaning up after others is the beginning. The prize lies in pride of ownership.
It does take a village and the very best villages are grounded in education. And I know that teachers are the best role models we have ——and the creative minds we need.
But I repeat : IT IS NOT THEIR JOB ALONE.
Take a ride in your neighborhood, your town, your countryside. Look closely at what could be, but isn’t , because of trash, everywhere and anywhere.
And, perhaps—– PERHAPS—- STOP TO PICK IT UP.
The toothpaste can never be put back in the tube. Forget the adults. Go with the kids !
Amen!
THANK YOU !
A lady in our community once presented me with a plaque for picking up the roadside trash. I then realized that people were taking note of what I did. I think that most people are less likely to toss trash if the grass is cut and the roadside well maintained. I still try to do my best to oversee our road frontage in cooperation with the highway department.
I have noted through the years that you have faithfully kept your part of the roadside clean and neat. If everyone followed your example, my blog would not have been necessary. Thank you for being the ultimate environmentalist………
Great ideas, Diane! I like living in Texas but we seem to have more than our share of slobs that feel free to litter. I try to pick up when I see it, but your ideas should be taught at every level. It takes a while to change attitudes, but it can be done.
Good to hear from you ! I know that , in our area , the good ole boys are flying their Confederate flags, chewing tobacco, and throwing beer cans out the windows of the pick–ups. But they’re not the only ones. It’s also an example of the culture of entitlement that has developed. Too many of us think only of ourselves. As you said, attitudes can be changed.
Well said!
Ruth
Thank you, BSS .
I’m so glad you wrote this. I hope this makes it to the Citizen. Daily I drive Tugaloo State Park Road & I just cringe at the litter. (Trash) that is on the shoulder of the road. I have participated in trash pick day but they can toss it faster than we can pick it up. Please folks let’s all take a little pride in our community & stop the littering.
Thank you ! I, too , cringe at what I see——-and the lack of pride and lack of any sense of ownership are so foreign to me. It’s been on my heart for a long time now———-and what comes up eventually comes out .
We are on the same page! Seeing the amount of trash alongside our roads and highways really bothers me. We have a beautiful country and it’s sad that some don’t take pride in caring for it. I walk in the area where we live and I consider myself the trash lady as I pick up trash probably every day. Guess I should add to my prayer time by praying for the person who threw it out.
Thank you, Joanie, for your ” to-the-point ” reply ! If you are picking up in your neighborhood, you should be the poster girl for our challenge. You go, Girl……………..
This is great!! When our kids were young we took them out on Sundays to clean up trash around Athens. They got to keep pop bottles and get the deposit. One time someone threw out a bag of trash and we opened and went through it. Then sent them a letter listing everything we now knew about them including bank account numbers. Of course never heard from them.
What a great testimony !!!! If we all did that, our community would be sparkling. Thank you and yours for your thoughtfulness and action. Perhaps we’ll get some traction out of this.