Litter is everywhere.
Whether it be the driver in front of you tossing a cigarette out the window or your friend throwing a piece of gum on the street, litter is a part of our daily lives. But why does it have to be?
We are surrounded by high-tech waste disposal facilities and recycling bins, yet somehow our trash seems to make its way onto roads, parks and college campuses.
This past Sunday, Gators Going Green and UF students took to the University Gardens to clean up one of UF’s beautiful, little-known nature spots. Students and native Gainesvillians took time out of their weekend to collect and sort litter at a “Green and Clean” event.
Dakota Wöll, the director of Gators Going Green, applied to the program because he truly wanted to make a difference on campus, not just so he could have another organization on his resume. Although effecting change within a large college campus is hard, Gators Going Green’s members work hard to win small battles for sustainability.
“I decided to get involved with Gators Going Green because sustainability and meeting the needs of sustainability is a challenge facing not only our university but the community around us,” said Wöll. “I think it’s important to have events like these because it helps to show students that they can get involved in a variety of ways to help make the campus a more green place for everyone.”
To my shock, the lush greenery of the University Gardens was full of beer bottles, plastic coffee cups and other garbage. If visitors to the small trail cannot simply throw out or recycle waste in the convenient receptacles the university provides, what further steps can be taken to motivate them to do so?
“I think one easy thing that college campuses can do to be more sustainable is events like these, just cleaning up the area around them. A lot of students get public areas very dirty.” said Wöll. “Just simple Green and Cleans like these can really help make a tangible difference around campus.”
The small group of volunteers collected upwards of seven huge bags of trash and three of recycling, an astonishing number for such a small area. A few committed students and adults were able to make their local environment better, and it only took around one hour. It would not even have been necessary, however, if all the rusted beer cans and candy wrappers were disposed of properly.
After the event, I found myself noticing the litter surrounding me far more than normal. Plastic bags, napkins and cigarette butts moving with the wind caught my eye for the first time in a while. And maybe that’s part of the issue; litter has become so commonplace that we tune it out.
As an advanced society constantly innovating and developing new technology, it’s sad that many of us are guilty of not taking the time to simply find a trashcan.
Disposing of our trash properly is just one step we can take in the whole arsenal of sustainability. And if there is one thing that the University Gardens “Green and Clean” event signifies, it is that it’s never too late to open your eyes to your surroundings and effect a sustainable change.
Trending Now
You may also like
