Erasing footprints

It might not seem it today, but spring is upon us. Eventually all will be green. I suppose that is what has made me notice other subtle and progressive changes on our little island.
The emerald isle is becoming greener!
There is now a recycling drop-off point in the Flats, and I highly encourage my fellow ratters to use it. Just remember that the majority of the folks working for Threshold are already facing big enough challenges in life, so please don't add your trash to their efforts. Rinse, sort, and be nice, that's somebodies kid down there sorting your stuff after all.
Congrats to Rick Pillans and the crew for pursuing and receiving the grant& financing for the new facility. I can't think of a more deserving group. The more I think about that enterprise, and after talking with Rick about the future, the more I am awed. These folks are making our island a better place every day. The enterprise decreases the use of our inundated landfill and, not only provides employment for folks who might otherwise have difficulty getting a job, they give them a job with a mission. How many of us can say our job improves the planet every day? Pretty cool stuff.
Lets hear it for Boy Scout Troop 626!!
They went camping on Long Island and performed a massive beach clean-up. The 14 scouts and 11 adults that went collected over 2200 lbs. of trash off the beach in two days. When I was Scout I was taught that "leave no trace " was the most important part of camping. This troop exceeded that by far.
When talking with some of the scout leaders I learned that they were surprised by the amount of trash from other countries washed up on our shores. Just proves that pollution has no boundaries and should be a planetary concern.
In my past I have visited the Pelican recovery center in Florida and I have seen first hand the damage done by the irresponsible disposal of plastics in our oceans. Crippled and maimed birds whose only fault was doing what nature designed them to do. If you doubt that think about a certain gut truck and a flock of eagles not to long ago.
I have been to Midway and walked the plastic covered beaches there. I have walked with biologists and wept inside, as they showed me the dying young Albatrosses, the ones who would never fly, because they were starving. They were starving because a disposable lighter looks like the fish they normally eat. So; full of plastic instead of fish, they will slowly starve as their system shuts down. Until that day I had no idea how many disposable lighters were floating around the world. The dozens of young Albatross carcasses scattered on the sand opened my eyes and broke my heart.
This rant is getting long, so I will sum up.
Scout troop 626 and Threshold Recycling have raised the bar. Next time you go hiking, camping, walking, fishing, or whatever. Don't just bring your trash back, bring any other trash you find. Cut your fishing line, destroy your disposable lighters, take the extra time to rinse and recycle.
"Leave No Trace" is no longer enough folks. We must follow the example a group of Boy Scouts just set. We must begin erasing the footprints our ignorant past habits have left behind.
Do a good thing tomorrow ya'll, it ain't that hard.
Peace
Griff