I’m once again realizing just how far we have to go before people become more conscience of their actions. Especially, how their actions affect the natural environment. I’m not even talking about getting people to understand what their carbon footprint is, who Waxman and Markey are, or what the life cycle analysis of a plastic bottle is. I’m really just talking about trash. Litter. Waste. Garbage. Discards.
It was only several weeks ago when I was standing on my porch watching the sun set behind the western sky. The world was bursting with an array of colors. First orange, then pink, and finally purple. There was a nice cool onshore breeze that brought a sense of calm to the neighborhood. I closed my eyes, took a long deep breath, and listened to the sounds of rustling trees. It was a nice way to end a long day. However, as soon as I opened my eyes, the peaceful moment was quickly shattered by a guy chucking his fast food cup and wrappers out the window of his moving car.
“Seriously,” I thought, ” did that actually just happen?”
Yes. Yes it did.
I thought that kind of stuff only happens in movies or in third world countries. I didn’t think it happened in California where we are a supposed leader of all things green and environmentally cool. Could we not be as cool as I think (nah, we’re pretty cool)?
I’ve done a ton of litter pick-ups, beach clean-ups, and all the other kind of “-ups.” It never ceases to amaze me how much garbage I find. It makes me ask the question, “why?” Do people really think trash just “goes-away” and so they justify littering? Do they think the world is their trash can? Or is it accidental littering (i.e. wind blowing garbage cans, seagulls dumpster diving, ect.)? I’m sure it’s a combination, it’s just crazy to me that some people are apathetic to such a non-controversial issue. I think we can all agree that trash is unsightly, a nuisance, and not compatible with the environment. I don’t see that being controversial in any way. So what gives?
I don’t know all the psychology around littering but I think that out of all the issues related to it, cigarette butts are the most fascinating. Cigarette butts acount for roughly 25% of the nations litter. Think about that. 25%. If all the litter in the country was put on a huge scale, one quarter of the weight would be pure cigarette butts. That’s a ton of butts! Well, that’s more like thousands of tons of butts!
For some reason people think cigrettes are acceptable litter. The New York times did a recent article about this last May. In that article, it talks about how some people believe that cigrette butts are a “more natural” form of litter (Did they just say natural litter? Wow). I’ve seen this first hand as butts are the most common form of litter found in every clean-up I’ve participated in. The truth is butts are, for the most part, not natural or biodegradable . The filter is usually what is discarded and that is primarily made of plastic.
Check it out for yourself. Next time you’re at an intersection, on the beach or downtown, take a look around. 9 times of out 10 you’ll find a couple cigarette butts. You can also consider this – there are an estimated 1.2 billion regular smokers in the world. I’m hoping that there are more educated smokers than not, but even if each one of them threw only one butt out a day, we’re looking at 430 billion butts a year!
So if you’re a smoker, or have a friend that does, make sure to encourage them to throw their butts in the trash. If we only did that, 25 % of the nations litter would be gone. Amazing to ponder.
What’s even crazier is what this woman is doing down in Chile:
The U.S. continues to buzz over Obama’s proposed health care plan. It dominates the news headlines and will continue to do so for many more weeks to come. Depending on the source, you’ll find some eloquent, and some not so eloquent, discussion on why Americans should agree or disagree with the proposal, and although opinions change from article to article and source to source, reactions seem fairly consistent regardless of what side of the political spectrum you fall on – rumors persist, misunderstandings abound, anger grows, and fear spills over the hearts of the public.
it provides. It’s a great place to exercise whether I’m hiking, surfing or going on a walk. It’s also the perfect venue for clearing my head and/or hashing things out. Nature surrounds my daily distractions (i.e. iPhone, Computer, TV) with her cloak of dirt, sand and trees to the point where I can actually think straight. Some of my most enjoyable moments in life are simply walking the beach’s promenade with my wife. I get to enjoy the ocean, uninterrupted quality time with a loved one, meaningful conversation, and some exercise all in a single moment. It’s one of the most important components to my personal health care plan.
