Coastal Clean-up

     This Saturday I participated in a coastal clean-up along the Richmond shoreline. I was very much looking forward to making a difference, and being insired to continue the work that I do. One of these things happend. The trash was everywhere. There were about 200 of us at this one sit, we picked up more than 800 lbs of trash in a 3 hour period. That is all well and good, because that trash really needed to be taken out of the habitat. However, when I left there was still visible trash. The whole experiance sent/is still sending me trough a tug-of-war of emotions.

      Arriving at the site, seeing all the people I was just sure we were going to band together and clean up the wetland thoroughly. When I left the path and decended down the hill the garbage was in every direction in front of me. My reaction, "Whoa." I couldn't speak, I literally had to stop in my tracks to take in what I was about to walk into. Once I had regained my bearings I charged into the fray. I would say that waves of emtionent were passing over me, but it wasn't quite like that. It was feeling multipule things at one time. Angery at the people who were making the trash, mixed with emporwerment because I was picking it up. Guilt because I am sertain that some of what I have used has flown off a grabage truck, or out of my hands and ended up in a place like this.

       How can I stop this? How can I help? I decided that I would tell all of my friends about it. Particularly those he said they would be there, but negected to do so for whatever reason. Maybe if people knew the severity of the issue steps could be taken by all of us to prevent so much form ending up in the environment. Apart from telling my friends, I am taking some advice from Michael Jackson and stating with the man in the mirror. I am asking myself to change my ways.

 Steps to be taken:
Number one (and this is the biggest): Determine where my trash is coming from. Take mental notes whenever I throw something out. The more data i have, the more informed I am about my habits.
Number two: Try to buy product with very little rapping that will produce less waist.
Number three: Buy less. Do buy things I don't need, and try to buy used.
Number four: Reuse plastic bags. Number five: take the time to divide garbage, recycle, and compost.