by Kathryn Strobel
Nyack is an eclectic, small community tucked away in a mountainous crevasse along the Hudson River. Locals walk with stories draped across their shoulders down streets speckled with small coffee shops, unique stores, and dimly lit pubs.
People here are diverse, intelligent, and have an appreciation for art and music. This is a beautiful place to live, work, grow, and learn. We just need to keep it that way.
Lately, I have noticed a significant amount of litter decorating our streets. One day, I bent down, picked up a piece of trash, and threw it away. It was a simple, but effective, gesture.
I realized that if I had not picked up that piece of trash and thrown it away – either someone else would have had to, or no one would, and if no one did, it would inevitably infect our earth.
Picking up that piece of trash wasn’t difficult or time consuming. Then I started thinking, if I picked up 1 piece of litter a day – that’s approximately seven pieces a week, 28 pieces a month, and 336 a year that I either prevented someone else from having to pick up, or, prevented from damaging our community. Although that may not be a significant difference, it’s a small step in a positive direction.
Imagine if this message reached just 10 people who decided to pick up litter when they came across it. Imagine if those 10 people each threw away three pieces of litter a week. That’s 30 pieces of litter a week, 120 pieces a month, and 1,440 a year that they either prevented someone else from having to pick up, or, prevented from damaging our community. Over the course of 1 year, Nyack would have 1,440 less pieces of litter scattering our streets from just 10 people picking up 3 pieces a week.
Our beautiful community doesn’t deserve to be covered in litter. We, as citizens of Nyack, and our children, and their children, do not deserve to be exposed to so much litter.
All I ask of you is to do your part. Next time you’re walking outside and notice an ice cream wrapper stuck against the leg of a bench, don’t just look at it. Don’t just walk by and assume someone else will throw that away. Simply stop, pick it up, and throw it in the nearest trash can. There are several trash cans located conveniently around Nyack which make it very easy to do your part.
This town is filled with intelligent and genuine people who care about our earth. We are all capable of taking 10 seconds from our day to pick up a piece of litter on the ground and throw it in the trash.
Do your small part to make a big difference, just #APieceADay.