Help Keep Our Community Clean
Help Keep Our Community Clean
To the Editor:
Clean air is everyoneâs responsibility. Each day we must all do our part to ensure we have clean fresh air not only today but in the near future. Closely related to air pollution is littering. What can we do to help stop it? By being proactive we can help to ensure fresh air and a clean planet to enjoy.
The first topic I would like to address is littering, and what we as a society can do about it. Examples of litter are cigarette butts, soda cans, coffee cups, beer bottles, and any items you may see alongside a road. You may see litter in a park where people have been recently picnicking or at the beach after a busy day. When litter is on sidewalks or along curbs, it may get washed down into storm drains during a heavy rain. Eventually this water leads to the nearest river or ocean. We all need this water either for drinking or recreation. If the water becomes polluted from litter it is no longer useful. The first action to stop littering is to always make sure you properly dispose of your garbage. Recycle all that can be recycled and put all other trash in the proper containers. If you see a portion of litter, pick it up and throw it away. But remember, never to touch anything that youâre not sure of; it may not be safe to handle.
There are many groups and activities you can join to help your community. Groups get cash for completing a cleanup. These groups may include school clubs, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, and church organizations. Join one of the many groups who run cleanups of their local area. For example in New Jersey, a program called Clean Communities will give money.
Groups can also Adopt-A-Spot. This means they decide on a spot to maintain and work to make sure it is cleaned frequently. Such organizations would be very effective in our community.
Clean air is equally important to our planet. Smog is a type of major outdoor pollution. It is caused by chemical reactions between pollutants resulting from different sources, mainly automobile exhaust and industrial emissions.
Long-term health effects can include chronic respiratory disease, lung cancer, heart disease, and even damage to the brain, nerves, liver, or kidneys. We need to change our habits and develop safe alternatives to improve the quality of our air. Examples of short-term effects include irritation to the eyes, nose, and throat, and upper respiratory infections. Other symptoms can include headaches and allergic reactions. Tobacco smoke, cooking and heating appliances, and vapors from building materials, paints, furniture, etc cause toxic waste inside buildings. Radon is a natural radioactive gas released from the earth, and it can be found concentrated in basements in some parts of the United States.
If we work as one, our society will eventually succeed. It is up to us to keep our planet clean.
Joe Cappiello
3 Leopard Drive, Sandy Hook                                       June 1, 2004