One Woman vs Litter Part 2
New city, new litter.
Our recent move to the American southwest has landed us in another beautiful area of the country to explore and it is truly beautiful. Mountains surround us, their rocky faces scattered with stubborn greenery and deserts lay out for miles of endless nothingness. Palm trees sway in the stunted breeze, saquaro spike elegantly into the air and determined desert flowers scatter the floor with spots of color.
We live in the heart of a hustling city. Fast food and chain restaurants, strip malls and all the conveniences of modern life line 6 lane boulevards that dead end when they encounter mountains. Two million people live here and two million people produce a lot of trash, a large portion of which they toss carelessly out their car windows and that is where I come in.
My husband thought that I had given up my one woman litter crusade but barely a month after we arrived, he knew that this was not the case.
Our block is a two mile rectangle, one of the longer sides is a boulevard the other is an access road, both are constantly strewn with all types of litter. There are three private lakes along the walk, one with a gurgling fountain, all home to a myriad of ducks and the occasional goose. The walk around the block would not only be a healthy way to get exercise, but would also be a beautiful walk if it weren’t for the litter.
So out I went with my little trash bag and water bottle (have to stay hydrated) in hand. Three weeks from the day I started, I only found a few pieces of litter along my walk. Progress had been made! But then the weather turned hot, too hot to exercise outside and I slacked off for two months, a huge mistake!
It has now been another three weeks since I picked back up again and progress is once again being made. Another good week or so and the walk should be completely enjoyable and litter free, but that is not why I write this today.
I write today because while I was out on my litter walk, I saw a woman picking up litter. She was older, maybe in her mid 60s, a flouncy hat blocked the sun from her face and a loose dress blew freely about her legs. A litter stick extended from her right hand, lengthening her reach and allowing her to avoid touching the trash that she carefully aimed into the bag she held in her left hand.
We exchanged smiles and nods, raised bags and went right on cleaning up the planet!
The actions of one, influence the actions of others or maybe she just got disgusted too.