And sometimes, pick one up…



Last weekend our family went for a quick overnight camping trip at one of our State Parks. The weather was just right, the mountain water was cool and clear, and the deer were abundant. Our seven year old packed bongos to pass around the campfire as we told stories, and we had a great time together. 

We tried to limit our waste by packing as much as we could in reusable containers and bringing any recyclables back home. We had very little trash and brought it back with us of course, as we wanted to keep the area as pristine as we found it.


robnixon

Then we stumbled upon two disposable diapers “left for dead” in the woods near the picnic area. My heart sank. I realize that there is still a lot of work to do to increase awareness even in the most basic sense, but it’s hard to believe there are others who are still at ground zero.

I was mad and I started looking for the culprit ready to confront them with their crime, but they were nowhere to be found. I began to wonder if they were truly blatant in their disrespect or simply ignorant.  Were they a Hummer driving, conspicuous consumer afraid to soil their designer baby bag or backpack?  Were they just downright oblivious to this and had absolutely no knowledge at all of the potential impact?  Were they the kind of person who just didn’t “give a crap” and littered regardless of location?  And worst, was there another child or two around to witness this behavior their “parents/relative/friend of” so inappropriately modeled?


vivalapooch

So as the ever-hopeful person that I am, as well as being far from perfectly green, I’m going with ignorant and following up with forgiveness.  Even though my kids were “grossed” out initially, they became more so when I informed them that it was up to us to do the dirty work and take the diapers with us to dispose of later.

The wailing began– “Why can’t we leave it here?”  “Won’t the park ranger pick it up?”  “I’m not touching it!” and so on. I firmly reminded them it was the right thing to do for the wildlife and woods. All the while I was thinking to myself, “because we do give a crap about our world, sometimes we have to provide the clean up and education for others until they realize they need to give one too”. In this case it’s better to take a little crap than to give it.



For more green living tips, info, reviews and giveaways, check out TheGreenSamaritan, and connect with Jeanne on Twitter and Facebook.