Day Three - Picking Up the Pace (and Trash)

PICKING UP TRASH IN PUBLIC PLACES

This one was totally unplanned, but sometimes that's where the best ideas come from. I've been reading a lot about how trash impacts wild animals and really messes up their habitats. We live in a suburban development situated on a large reservoir with lots of "common areas" that are park-like. There are lots of ducks, geese, turtles and fish that hang out in these areas and it was most likely their home long before our house was built.

So today the kids and I went to the park for playgroup -- a club where about a dozen or so moms and their kids get together once a week to play. While we were playing, I couldn't help notice the litter there - not so much that you would be grossed out - just the average amount you usually see at any American park. There were two plastic bottles, a sweettarts wrapper, an empty chip bag, some plastic of some sort, hershey kiss wrappers and cigarette butts. As the kids were feeding the ducks their goldfish and raisins, I couldn't help but think what nasty creatures they must think we are, to leave all this trash on the ground -- especially when there is a trash receptacle right there.

Now, in the past I would have admonished my children for touching any of this garbage -- "It's yucky! Don't touch it!" but today I didn't. Today, in fact, I went around and picked up all this trash and told each of my children to go FIND a piece of trash to pick up and put in the garbage can. They looked at me like I was a martian! I was a little embarrassed to be playing janitor right there in front of the other moms, but no one seemed to notice, or if they did, they were kind enough not to laugh at me!

SAVINGS:

None for me, personally, but I think the ducks appreciated it.

DIFFICUTLY LEVEL: 1 out of 5

It was a little embarrassing, but it certainly wasn't back-breaking labor. I think from now on, I'll take a bag with me (reusable, of course) when we go on walks to pick up what others either dropped or were rude enough to leave behind. If nothing else, it will make our corner of the world a little nicer to live in.