Why I Bother

Last week was Operation Brightside in our area of the city. A day for armies of volunteers to clean up, spruce up, and flower up our urban landscape. Because it also coincided with the University of Michigan Alumni Association's Community Day of Service, we "volunteered" the St. Louis Chapter to be our clean-up crew. With 16 hardy souls, we picked up trash from blocks and blocks of our neighborhood. The next day, when we walked to the park along one of our routes, it was all back. Trash sprouts like grass in our corner of the world.

The St. Louis County Executive says he spends $5 million a year on crews and equipment to pick up roadside trash. What's wrong with this picture? Why are so many people so oblivious of the environmental and emotional harm they cause by trashing our neighborhoods? It's hard to feel at home or in love with a place when you are skirting plastic bags, MacDonald's wrappers, and dirty diapers.

And so we clean, day in and day out, to do something for the home we have adopted in the city. It matters to me. It should matter to every individual who calls this city home. We should all fiercely defend it and take care of it. So far, it's the only planet we have.