Last weekend I stopped and met the man who I’ve seen picking up litter around our neighborhood. Most Saturdays, Steve Carron walks and jogs outside for exercise. He couldn’t help but notice the forgotten items thrown carelessly by his feet. Steve simply began picking the litter up and carrying it home for proper disposal.
He didn’t want to chat for long – said he wanted to keep his heart rate elevated. I think I surprised him by stopping and thanking him. Not too long after, I spotted another obvious marathon man jogging capably and smartly with a plastic bag. I wondered if he, too, was picking up litter. Sure enough, I watched him stop briefly to put a discarded item in his bag.
Then I remembered the fabulous internet! I’ve read the Adopt-a-Highway Program signs, but what can individuals do to make a fighting difference against litter? I began with Keep Charleston Beautiful, a division of the Parks and Recreations department composed of community leaders appointed by Mayor Joe. An annual clean sweep week seems to be their most hands-on offering.
I was impressed with Palmetto Pride site, especially their list of programs and contacts. They also list a lot of ways to become involved, and local contacts.
South Carolina Litter Control is a non profit association, currently and actively seeking sponsorship. They have a partnership with Palmetto Pride, and work with local officials and concerned citizens to fight the litter fight.
I will continue to check these sites, hopefully join in a beach sweep. If you know of other efforts, I would like to hear about them. My spare time is rather limited right now, so I will join Steve and marathon man in a personal mission to clean up our area. Every litter bit counts!
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Hello!
I’m Liz and I am a student at Trident Tech and I belong to a group called Roots and Shoots. We basically foster respect between humans, animals and the environment. We do a lot of community service projects and one that is related to this blog is a beach sweep we are doing.
It’s for Saturday 20th. I’m not really sure who is sponsoring the event but I do have email addresses.
Let me know if you are interested and I can email the info to you.
Liz Remus
Wow, what a great idea! I had no idea that some people picked up litter as they walked or jogged down the street. What good Samaritans. It seems that some cities have gotten so crowded that no one really cares about the litter anymore. It’s good to know that there are still people out there who want to treat the Earth with respect.
Liz, I would love more info on Sept 20 beach sweep, I read a blip in a mag about it, no listed info though. I would like to see if I could participate with a clean up team!
Thank you for the shout out! We at Keep Charleston Beautiful are always looking for volunteers! Our number one goal is community education. We feel that education is the first step to a cleaner and healthier community. A few of our programs are: Pick up after your pet, My city is not your ashtray, Clean Cities Sweep and my personal pride and joy Clean City Clara. If you want to help out or want more information our website is http://www.keepcharlestonbeautiful.org. Right now our number one need is for Clean City Clara volunteers. This is a free litter prevention program offered to all local schools K-2nd grade. “Educating today for a litter-free tomorrow” – Jenn