Picking Up Litter - 25 Day Challenge

“There aren't many things that are universally cool, and it's cool not to litter. I'd never do it.” ― Matthew McConaughey

Each day leading up to Christmas, I will provide you with one or two things to do during the day. Call them acts of kindness or call them acts of just being nice. Each will only take a few minutes and are very easy to accomplish. Try them and then let me know what you did and how it went by leaving me a comment.

Day One - Hope On A Lamp Pole
Day Two - Allowing Others First
Day Three - Calming Automobile Rides

Day Four - Picking Up Litter

Just a few statistics that we can think about for a moment.

75% - Percent of people who have admitted to littering in the past 5 years

A simple candy wrapper, the empty water bottle and the ubiquitous cigarette butt. All of these things end up along our streets, sidewalks, highways and parks. Many of us are moving through life too fast to take notice, but it is there.

50% - Percent of all littered items that are cigarette butts

Look out your car window at most any street intersection. Would that person throw their cigarette butts out onto their own driveway or front sidewalk? Some yes, most others no. It is is easier to dirty the streets then dirty their own cars ash tray.

12 paces - Average steps a person will hold a piece of trash before littering

Some will argue it is too difficult to carry an empty soda can very far. The burden of finding a trash can becomes too much and thus is thrown to the side; left for someone else to pick up because we could not be bothered any longer.

$11.5 Billion - Total U.S. annual amount spent cleaning up litter yearly

My guess is the cost is much higher then this. Yet people continue to litter and this is a societal cost. But we can choose to have clean streets or live amid increasing filth.

So the challenge today is quite simple. If you see something on the floor at work, home, sidewalk, store; pick it up and throw it in a trash bin. Secondly, choose not to litter with your cigarette butts, candy wrappers or other trash.

I am not asking you to take on responsibility for the world. It is a simple task and if we each take a small amount of responsibility, things will be much better for all of us.

And doing so is doing something nice for others.

Let me know how it went and stay inspired my friends!