Saving Our Earth

Last spring, I awoke to one of the most beautiful days I’d ever seen. The sun was shining, the birds were singing and the blackberries alongside the roads were beginning to ripen.

I had spent many of my childhood years picking berries for my grandmother, who baked them into pies and tarts. Those were some of my favorite memories and I wanted to experience them again.

I asked my mother if she would like to pick blackberries with me and she responded, “I would rather take a nap.”

“I want to be near nature,” I told her. “I want to reconnect with my childhood and I want you to help me.”

“Why don’t you just mow the yard?” she responded. “That’s nature and should help you connect with your childhood. Oh wait, you never mowed the yard during your childhood either.”

I took a deep breath and thought of another strategy to entice my mother. Then I remembered how much she enjoyed recycling aluminum cans and bragging about how much money she earned. So I told her that there would probably be tons of cans alongside the road.

“Let me grab a trash bag and I’ll be ready to go,” she answered.

We walked along the road and as I picked berries, my mother collected cans and told me how much money she’d made.

“This one is a twenty-four ounce,” she said. “I bet I can get at least ten cents for it.”

I laughed and felt happy that my mother was having a nice time. But then I noticed that in addition to the cans, she was picking up other things like plastic and glass bottles, paper cups and styrofoam plates. A few minutes later, a truck drove by us and a grocery bag filled with garbage flew from its bed and landed in the ditch about twenty feet from where we were standing.

I became furious because although we were on public property, I felt as if someone was destroying my own back yard. I realized shortly after that they were. But they weren’t only destroying my property, they were destroying the property of everyone who lives in Vermilion Parish; of everyone who lives in Louisiana; of everyone who lives on this earth.

Garbage alongside the road is not only unsightly, but puts our health in danger and destroys our environment. Chemicals from plastic bottles leak into the water we drink, and contaminate wildlife in our fields and canals. Aluminum and glass containers tossed on the ground puts our horses, livestock and us at risk of injury if stepped on.

I am asking you as someone who loves his community, to help me prevent littering. Please don’t throw garbage along our roads, and be careful when putting empty containers in the beds of trucks. When having a large function, consider setting up separate containers for plastic bottles and aluminum cans. Many local schools and churches recycle cans for money to pay for much needed programs.

Vermilion Parish is our community and part of our earth. I know that we can work together to maintain its natural beauty for us, and the many generations who follow.

Two recycling centers in Abbeville are RDS (Ph: 319-5875, Address: Located on Jacqulyn between South Hospital Drive and Airport Road), and Abbeville Scrap (Ph: 523-9322, Address: 723 AA Comeaux Memorial Drive). For more information on recycling, go to www.recycle.org or www.ourearth.org.