Go Ahead...Toss It

Obviously that was the message on the minds of car occupants travelling near my home over the winter.

Each spring, when the snow melts, I walk a 3/10-mile stretch and pick up four months of accumulated litter. This year, it was 65 separate pieces in that short stretch: pop and beer cans, beer and whiskey bottles, empty cigarette packs, fast food sacks, six-pack cartons, paper napkins, paper towels, just plain junk etc. etc.

And that's one brief stretch, in one small township, in a tiny corner of northern Wisconsin and ignores a similar stretch on nearby--very busy--State Highway 13.

So, as we mark the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, let's bear in mind that its creator, Gaylord Nelson, characterized the task of restoring and preserving our earth as "...the toughest challenge man has ever faced..."

And how about taking a small first step by keeping a litter bag as permanent equipment in our car?