I live in Olympia, WA, close to the downtown core. My partner, Larry and I chose the location for its walk-able proximity to all the services in and around the downtown Olympia. We can walk wherever we need to go and walking enables us to see our neighborhood close-up and at a more human pace. We can take in the expansive orange sunsets and smell the blossoms on the trees in spring time without the frame of an automobile at 30 miles per hour. Being close to the ground and having the opportunity to look around, not only reveals pleasant surprises but also the litter scattered in the bushes and along the edges of the sidewalks.

It’s easy to complain about the visual effects when we see litter on our walks around town; we ponder the reasons why it’s there in a seemingly conscious and progressive town like Olympia. Last week, Larry was walking errands when he decided that solely complaining wasn’t going to get the trash picked up. So this past Sunday, we brought a big cardboard box (for the recyclables) and trash bags down to the area between 7th and 8th on Jefferson Street and picked up trash. In an hour we filled 3 bags with all sorts of garbage - black plastic grocery bags, bottles, empty cans of the commercialized caffeinated sugar water, cigarette boxes, paper coffee cups, shoes, and lots of random plastic packaging.

This type of community service isn’t for everyone, but I think it’s a good example that doing something about the problem can be just as effortless as complaining about it. Trash is my passion, so for me to spend an hour cleaning up Olympia is how I can participate in my community. What’s your passion?

Photos by Larry: his website and blog