This post has been sponsored by the Reverse Litter Campaign. All opinions are 100% our own!
A few weeks ago, I wrote about the Reverse Litter Campaign which encourages people to go online and make a pledge to pick up ten pieces of litter every Tuesday. With the catchy slogan, “Ten on Tuesday,” the Tarrant Regional Water District and the cities of Dallas, Denton, and Fort Worth are striving to encourage everyone to do a small part in cleaning up our cities.
So far over 20,000 people have taken the “Ten on Tuesday” pledge at the Reverse Litter website. I am one of those people! I’ve been surprised at how much this online pledge has impacted our family over the past few weeks. I didn’t think such a small goal of picking up 10 pieces of litter a week could have big results. Let me tell you what’s been going on around here…
We are more aware of litter. After seeing litter everywhere for so many years it sort of faded into the background. It was part of the landscape, and we didn’t notice it much. Now that we are committed to picking up litter, we actually see it more often. Picking up 10 pieces is a breeze. Even when an area looks clean on first glance, we have found there’s usually small pieces of trash scattered throughout the grass and plants.
We are having conversations about the environment. My family has always recycled and tried to do our part in keeping the earth healthy, but we didn’t talk about it. Now that we are picking up litter together as a family, we have more conversations about not only litter, but other important environmental issues as well. My 9 year old was shocked to learn how litter can travel from the streets to rivers and finally to the reservoirs where we get drinking water. Ok, so I had to talk him into drinking water again, but that information will shape his views and behaviors for the rest of his life.
Our habits are changing. I would have let a piece of litter flutter by me in a parking lot a few months ago, but now I pick it up. I even carry small plastic bags in my car just for impromptu litter-gathering. We usually pick up a few pieces of trash after weekend baseball games instead of rushing to the car. The kids are even likely to pick up trash without me telling them to do it.
We realize it’s easy! It has never taken more than 5 minutes to pick up ten pieces of litter. We often pick up more than ten. We don’t feel limited to Tuesdays…in fact, Tuesdays are kind of busy so we usually pick up trash on a different day. I don’t think the goal of this initiative was to tie people down to Tuesdays. I think the goal is to get people thinking about litter and how to be more active in cleaning it up. That has definitely happened for our family.
We feel good about our contribution. We feel like we are making a difference. Every piece of trash we pick up is one less piece that will damage our environment. I can especially see it in the kids’ faces as they help. They know that what they are doing matters. And we’re not alone! It feels really great to know 20,000 other people are stepping up and helping, too.
It’s not too late to make the “Ten on Tuesday” pledge. I know the problem of litter can feel overwhelming sometimes, but the more people who pledge to be part of the solution, the better! It has been a simple addition to my family’s routine, but the effects on both us and the planet will be long-lasting.
To find out more on Reverse Litter, visit their website or Facebook page!
Have you signed up to pledge your Ten on Tuesday? We’d love to know in the comments!
Make sure to share your photos with us by tagging #TenonTues on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram!
