By Shannon Gentry
When I walk anywhere—around downtown, Forsyth Park, or to class—I have a habit of picking up trash and throwing it away. I’m not self-righteous or trying to brag about being environmentally conscious. I just got into the habit of picking up trash when I can.
Often, I’m not even thinking about it, I just do it. I’m not thinking about how it got there usually, because whether by accident or simply inconsideration, the trash is there and needs to be picked up.
But I do start to think about what I’m doing and why I’m doing it when one of three things happens:
1) Someone sees me and they say “thank you.” When this happens, I feel pretty good about what I’m doing but then I wonder why they aren’t doing it too if they are appreciative of a clean environment.
2) I see someone throw trash on the ground because they can’t seem to hold out until they reach one of a thousand trash containers and recycle bins placed around Savannah. This is aggravating because at this point in American history the only people who still litter are either children who haven’t been taught yet, adults with child-like mentality who haven’t been taught yet, or jerks who can’t throw away trash in appropriate places.
3) And the worst is seeing someone throw trash on the ground, you pick it up after them, and they turn around and say “thank you.” I am not your personal trash slave, so you need to pick up after yourself.
Regardless of how aggravated I get, I still feel gratification knowing that it counts and it comforts me to think that maybe the people who say “thanks” may pay it forward.
Some people are “grossed out” or don’t think they have the time to pick up random garbage, or simply don’t want to. But seriously, many of you reading this probably follow your dog around and pick up feces.
Grab a bottle of anti-bacterial soap, suck it up and pick up one piece of trash a day. If you regularly throw trash on the ground, simply stop. Have respect for yourself and others by not being an uneducated child—you know better.
It’s not about what I want or what other hippies or bleeding hearts want. The fact is, if all of us acted in accordance with some people, we would live knee-deep in coke cans and fast food wrappers. But there wouldn’t be dog poop. Ironically we are more disgusted by having a natural fertilizer on the ground than all the other trash everywhere.
You may laugh at the thought, but it’s only funny until it’s true.
