Share & Voice: Highway Clean-up

Just recently I became a member of Eta Sigma Gamma, which is a national professional health education honorary.  By being a member I get to participate in events that are not only good for the community, but turn out to be good for the environment too!  On Monday after Environmental Health eleven Eta Sigma Gamma members, including myself drove a little way outside of Duluth (apparently near Dr. V.'s house)  where we picked up trash over a two mile stretch of road.

I really didn't know what to expect, I knew that I would come across cigarette butts, pop cans, and things like that, but I was surprised by the kind of crap people throw out of their vehicles onto the side of the road.  
Just to give you an idea of some of the things I found I have created a list:

• cigarette butts
• pop/beer cans
• plastic bottles
  
• toilet paper
• cardboard
• condom wrapper
• broken CD
• styrofoam
• little flag post (looked like something a road construction crew would use)
• McDonalds bags
• An empty salt bag (what you put in a water softener)

These are just some of the items that I found!
Throughout the whole experience I just felt crappy knowing that I have thrown things out my window before, either leaving them for someone else to throw away for me, or to be broken down and put into the earth.  It seems so stupid that people throw things out their windows when they could just wait to throw it away in their garbage/recycling bin when they get home!!!  
All in all I really enjoyed myself, and I swear that I will never throw anything out of my car window again!!!!  I think the best moment from the entire night would have to be when a couple who lives in that area were out for a walk and thanked us as they were passing by for taking the time to pick up all the trash.  It really made me feel good, and made it even more worth while!  If you ever get the chance to do a highway clean-up I definitely recommend you do, you may just surprise yourself!