Everybody Clean Up
My kids have a hard time putting away their toys and cleaning their rooms, but when they heard about a special Clean-Up Day on our favorite hiking trail, they were eager to join in.
So we spent our Saturday morning picking up trash on Tubbs Hill, a beautiful nature area along the lake near downtown Coeur d'Alene. We hike the 3-mile loop trail at least once a month, sometimes carrying a picnic to one of the beaches along the way. It's only fair that we give back to the trail by helping to clean it up a little bit.
There were about a hundred volunteers that morning, ensuring that the hill would be well covered. The kids wanted to look for garbage on our favorite beach, which is just over a mile along the trail, so off we set with garbage bag in hand.
We picked up a few cans and candy wrappers, but mostly what the kids found were cigarette butts. Hundreds of them. No, I do believe they numbered in the thousands. After awhile my son said, "Daddy, there are more butts on this beach than rocks!"
Disgusting, right?. Not hardly. Not after what I found in a rock crevice ten yards up from the water.
It still makes my skin crawl just thinking about spotting it there on this beautiful stretch of beach. Makes me think twice about letting my kids run around in their bare feet. This was a reminder to me that there are people out there who do not have the slightest concern for anyone other than themselves. It pushes my cautiousness to the very brink of paranoia. That, however, is a state of being I cannot allow myself to enter.
I didn't make a big deal of the needle. I picked it up, made sure it was capped, and put it in the bag. My kids were more outraged by all the butts on the beach! They both just kept repeating, "People are so rude, throwing their garbage on the ground!" Judging by the amount of trash collected by all the volunteers that morning, there certainly are a lot of rude people around.
So we spent our Saturday morning picking up trash on Tubbs Hill, a beautiful nature area along the lake near downtown Coeur d'Alene. We hike the 3-mile loop trail at least once a month, sometimes carrying a picnic to one of the beaches along the way. It's only fair that we give back to the trail by helping to clean it up a little bit.
There were about a hundred volunteers that morning, ensuring that the hill would be well covered. The kids wanted to look for garbage on our favorite beach, which is just over a mile along the trail, so off we set with garbage bag in hand.
We picked up a few cans and candy wrappers, but mostly what the kids found were cigarette butts. Hundreds of them. No, I do believe they numbered in the thousands. After awhile my son said, "Daddy, there are more butts on this beach than rocks!"
Disgusting, right?. Not hardly. Not after what I found in a rock crevice ten yards up from the water.
It still makes my skin crawl just thinking about spotting it there on this beautiful stretch of beach. Makes me think twice about letting my kids run around in their bare feet. This was a reminder to me that there are people out there who do not have the slightest concern for anyone other than themselves. It pushes my cautiousness to the very brink of paranoia. That, however, is a state of being I cannot allow myself to enter.
I didn't make a big deal of the needle. I picked it up, made sure it was capped, and put it in the bag. My kids were more outraged by all the butts on the beach! They both just kept repeating, "People are so rude, throwing their garbage on the ground!" Judging by the amount of trash collected by all the volunteers that morning, there certainly are a lot of rude people around.
Permalink posted by Phil at 8:18 PM
10 Comments:
This might be a good start for your kids to value cleanliness. Actually, this is definitely a good exposure to them.
Good on them, you must be so proud.
I can't believe the amount of rubbish bags in your pic! Goodness me.
Here in Perth we have a 'Clean up Australia' day too but I have to say not alot of volunteers rock up. We also do then Clean up the River' and divers go down to get all rusted bikes, chairs, shopping trollies and what ever out of there. I haven't done one yet but my hubby thinks it's just great, as long as I keep reminding him nothing but nothing is allowed to come back home with him.
Did you get my e-mails?
Your kids are on their way to never wanting to take a puff from a nasty old cigarette from this little experience. Some people are just pigs. Remember the old saying, "take nothing but photographs, leave nothing but footprints?" Why aren't parents teaching that anymore? Oh, I forgot, we have a parent shortage in a large population of the country.
The other day Seth and I were looking at what floated into the marina. Included were bags of junk food, fishing line, plastic bottles, stryofoam and um, 2 condoms. I didn't explain that one to Seth.
I wish I had my camera though. It was amazingly disgusting.
Now that is some quality parenting Phil! I believe it is rather healthy to allow your kids to be outraged by the problems in the world, big and small, and the ignorant tendencies of their fellow men and women (or boys and girls). That outrage can have very positive effects on their future (and current) behavior. It is so important to expose and talk opening with our kids about stuff like this. But even more importantly to let them talk (asking them open questions like "how did that make you feel", etc) and share their feelings on what they are seeing without injecting our own disgust and anger.
Great stuff Phil!
without injecting our own disgust and anger.
Was that an intentional pun, Jeff?
Wow, what a lot of garbage. And what a great thing to do with the kids. I try to make a habit of picking up trash when I go walking around town with the kids, but since I don't carry gloves around with me, I'm a little wary of picking up some of the things I find.
That's a great thing you guys did and a tremendous value to pass on to your kids.
Regarding the needle, it could've just been used for insulin, huh? :) Probably not though.
Oh, things people throw on the ground! It's good you have a Clean-Up Day.. and I think it's an eye-opener for the kids. We don't have it here in a big way.. only when some political big names wish to get publicity and get attention..then only this thing will be organized, with cameras stuck behind them all the time.
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