As I walked to class today I became very annoyed with all the garbage, trash and litter lying around all over campus.

I picked up a plastic bag, paper and empty cigarette packs and threw them out. I passed up a lot of other litter. This is not an unusual experience for me, especially if I’m walking by the lagoon.

At first I cursed the grounds crew for not cleaning it up, but I know that it’s really the fault and responsibility of everyone who lives or works here.

There has been a rising consciousness in environmentalism. People are concerned about the air and are recycling, which is good. But littering is pollution!

It is ugly and has the potential to release chemicals into the ground or water. This letter does not just disappear. Plastic bags do not biodegrade, neither do styrofoam cups and straws.

It might be a little inconvenient but it is not that hard to hang on to your garbage until you reach a trash can.

It is everyone’s responsibility not to litter and even to pick up trash and throw it out if you see it on the ground along your walk.

Every single person can make a small contribution toward keeping our environment clean, and each small contribution counts a lot.

This world is all of ours to share, this campus is all of ours to share. Please don’t dirty it up by littering.

To go one step further, take a minute to help keep it clean. It’s up to each and every one of us.

Stacey L. Brown

Political Science

Senior