Green Challenge

We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.

I really couldn’t have thought of a better way to spend Earth Day (Last Sunday…what…did I forget to mention that? Oops.) than teaching the kids about their responsibility to the planet. They got to go fishing with dad until we met for lunch at the campground of our local city park. Then we walked the mile trail back collecting garbage. Recyclables in one bag and the rest in another.

Starting out, Ninja Boy was irritated that my brother was telling him to go get things he spotted. But after a while, both the kids were on the lookout for litter and chasing into the woods to pick it up. They were saying “What rude people” “Why can’t they just take it to the garbage can!?” I was so proud. We ended up filling both bags. In fact, Sunshine didn’t want to stop! But…after I came to the condom (well, used, of course!), I decided to call it a day.

I still can’t get over how someone could go back into those beautiful nature trails and throw their garbage into the trees. Beautifying nature doesn’t always give me the great feeling that other charity work does. I end up bitter that there are so many selfish people in the world. So many people that think they are more important than the person who volunteers a year - or twenty - later to go through and pick up their garbage for them.

Even when I was picking up the property at work, I was resentful. It sucks that I need to be willing to go outside and pick up garbage off the ground because guy #1 wasn’t willing to hang on to it for a minute until he reached the garbage receptacle. But you know what? It sucks that other people blow up their food in the microwave and leave it for me to clean. No matter where you are in life, no matter what you’re doing, there is always going to be someone who takes advantage of something you are grateful for. I really wish I could change those people, but I can’t. All I can do is get out there and try to make a difference myself.

And that leads me to your challenge this week: Pick up a piece of trash. Really, just one. (Don’t you love how impossibly simple these are?) Make that one little difference in our world. Make up for someone else’s shortcoming so our world has a little more balance, a little more harmony.

And please, don’t litter.

More tips for the office next week!

For more on littering, check out the Ideal Bite.