One Woman vs A Street of Litter
Just a few years ago I lived in Philadelphia on a block filled with row homes built in the early 1900s. Stone facades soared 3 stories high and large windows fronted the sidewalks. As is the practice in many communities, Wednesday was circular day and on Thursday city garbage and recycling trucks rumbled down the street to pick up trash.
Every Wednesday morning circulars for local markets and discount stores were tossed loosely on doorsteps and left to either be picked up by residents or to blow haphazardly down the block. Sadly, the second option was far more likely so by Thursday the street was filled with bagged garbage and recyclables that acted like dams for billowing newsprint. Understandably, city workers would only pick up trash that had been bagged or boxed, not loose trash which left the circulars to continue tumbleweeding down the sidewalks. Compounding the issue was the typical litter; empty soda bottles, fast food wrappers and cigarette butts and empty packs.
For one month I complained about the state of the street ever time I stepped out my front door. Personally, I don’t like to live surrounded by garbage but my neighbors seemed oblivious. Then, I finally reached my endpoint and much to my husband’s embarrassment I grabbed a pair of gloves and a black trash bag and headed out to the street. It took me about an hour to walk the length of the block on both sides picking up and bagging all the litter I could find. I ended with a good sweeping of my own stoop (for those of you from the east coast, you’ll know what a stoop is) and finally went inside.
The following week, I repeated the actions. With the weather growing warmer people were beginning to venture outside. I waved and smiled to my neighbors who looked quizzically from me to the trash bag and back to me again. I could just hear them wondering "What is this nut doing?" Barely did I speak to them, except to say hello, but went quietly about my business. For almost a month, this procedure of bending, picking up, waving and smiling continued and then the greatest thing happened...
Round about the fifth or sixth week into my one woman crusade against litter, I again exited my building with trash bag in gloved hand and was thrilled to the core to notice my next door neighbor with his own trash bag! I nodded, he nodded and we went about our business. He picked up in front of his house, I did my usual routine.
A few weeks later, I noticed a significant decrease in the amount of litter I was collecting. Could it be that other neighbors were joining in? Indeed that was the case! When summer came around, our downstairs neighbor planted towering sunflowers in the small plot in front of our house. By the end of summer, all save three plots on the block had been planted with something and the street was virtually litter free.
Barely a word was spoken, no leaflets advertising “Block Clean Up Day” were released to litter the street but the actions of one influenced the actions of many. Never doubt that one person can make a difference – find your cause and be that One!