She Deserves So Much Better

Over the past few months, we have traveled the highways and secondary roads from New England to South Carolina and back, and much more. Our adventures have taken us over 3,000 miles, and one thing I have come to realize is that Mother Earth deserves better from humans.

Although there are billboards in some New England states, the further south you go they become even more prevalent. They may encourage people to stop at attractions along the way, or travel off the highway to buy souvenirs, but they detract from any beauty that Mother Earth is so willing to share with us. It is difficult to see wildflowers along the roadway, or family farms with livestock and fields of corn, with huge advertising signs blocking the view. Some states have banned them, and it would be great to see them disappear from the roadside throughout our country. With today's technology we can easily find the places we want or need to go without a big billboard blocking the views.

One of the most heartbreaking things to witness is the amount of trash littering the side of our roadways. I truly do not understand what would make anyone think it is acceptable to throw garbage out of a car. When I was growing up, we were taught not to litter, and I raised my children in the same way. Awareness about litter prevention is not new, however it is not practiced as it should be. 

The original campaign to stop littering in the US started in 1953 with the formation of Keep America Beautiful. The organization was formed by corporate leaders to promote cleanliness and to raise awareness about littering and to encourage civic engagement to combat waste. Its precursor was the Clean Community System. It has grown over the decades to include not only waste prevention, but also environmental issues. In 1971 one of the most successful public service announcement ad campaigns in history was the crying Native American, an iconic symbol of environmental responsibility. From 1953 to today, there have been other campaigns such as Take Pride in America, recycling campaigns such as For Future Generations and Close the Loop Buy Recycled, and the Back by Popular Demand campaign. In spite of all these efforts, it seems that the message is still not being heard.

Where is the pride that we should have as citizens and habitants of Earth? When did people become too lazy to deposit trash in a waste receptacle? Do they even think before they throw it out of a car window? Do they throw their trash in the back yard at home? With these campaigns running from 1953 to today, how is it that we still have litter along our highways?

We humans need to wake up and do better. We need to take pride in our communities and our roadways and ensure that we keep our environment clean and safe. We are temporary residents passing through, and Mother Earth deserves so much better from us.