My Why, Richmond, Why?!? column for the Richmond Times-Dispatch this past week was one of those that I have to revisit now and then. This is the beauty of having a column and a platform to express myself and my feelings toward something that I wish people considered to be more important than they apparently do.
As much as I dislike litter and the fact that many human beings are not attentive enough to prevent it, I do get some pleasure out of hiking, biking, walking and even paddling during trash cleanups.
Yes, I probably sound like a broken record when it comes to litter. Good. I’m not the only person who is disturbed by the way so many people mistreat Mother Nature. We share this environment. We share it with other people as well as wildlife. It is irresponsible to trash the Earth and almost every time I participate in a cleanup or pick up litter on my own, it is hard to ignore how easy it would be for people to avoid littering.
The cleanup was held Sept. 12, 2015, and was organized by the James River Advisory Council. I have been getting more involved with JRAC and other volunteer organizations over the past few years and if I am lucky, I will continue to be involved as I transition from my career in media and journalism into my next career.
Please read the column, but more importantly, take 10 minutes each day to pick up litter somewhere. Around your place of work. At your school. Where you walk in your neighborhood. In a park. Along a roadway. In the woods. From a waterway. Anywhere. Even as little as seven pieces of trash will make a huge different.
Thank you in advance.
Phil Riggan 