We live in a very beautiful area. When returning from trips in this country or abroad, my husband and I often look at each other and say, “Let’s not forget how beautiful it is right here.”
I have always been an outdoor person and during the pandemic hiking all the local trails became an almost daily event. I discovered so many lovely nooks in the valley. So it saddens and angers me to see how much trash is being discarded everywhere. It seems that just rolling down the window of the car and heaving your can, bottle, fast food container, cigarette and a multitude of other things, has become OK.
Likewise, if you can’t get rid of your junk at the dump (in other words has to pay), some find it OK to just drop it along the road outside. This time of year when not covered by tall grass and leaves or in winter snow, the trash is of course much more visible.
The other day hiking along a trail, I saw (and I wasn’t really looking) no less than seven black, blue and green dog bags. What motivates somebody to bring a bag, take the time to bend down and pick up the poop, neatly tie a knot and then drop it. Wouldn’t it be better to just let your dog do its business and be done with it? The end result is ultimately the same, minus the plastic bag.
How are we ever going to solve the global environmental crisis if we have so little respect for our local environment?
Kirsten Einhorn
Amherst