Letter: We can all do a better job picking up trash
Did you know that most of the trash found in public spaces was left there by grownups? Did you also know that most neighborhood cleanups are conducted by kids? School groups, scout troops, summer camps and church groups frequently pick up litter as a service project.
Last month, the third and fourth-grade summer camp read “The Lorax” by Dr. Seuss. They were inspired to go out into nature and show how much they care for their beautiful Colorado backyard. The students chose to pick up trash by Eby Creek.
The children managed to pick up a whole bag of trash in an hour. They had to leave a lot of trash behind though for safety reasons. Some of what we left behind included beer bottles, cigarette butts, “balloons” (also known as condoms), and bullet cases. The kids were heartbroken to be told that they had to leave some of the garbage in nature.
One of the kids mentioned, “someone needs to tell the grown-ups to do a sweep”. You see, at summer camp we always “sweep” the area with our eyes before departing. The kids know that litter is not always intentional, but taking 30 seconds to look around before you depart your rest spot is a great way to ensure that nothing gets left behind.
Let us honor the children’s hard work and make sure we “sweep” the area when we are out recreating in nature.
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Katherine Trudeau and Grace Meinberg
Walking Mountains Science Center