FACTS
- 250 million tons of trash is generated each year in the U.S.
- 4.6 pounds of waste is created every day by the average person.
- Common litter includes cigarette butts, plastic bags, paper, candy wrappers, fast-food packaging, bottle caps, 6-pack can holders, glass bottles, and plastic straws.
- Men and women are equally likely to litter.
- People under age 15 are least likely to litter; people under the age of 25 are most likely to litter when in a group; and, people over the age of 25 are most likely to litter when alone.
- In one single day, nearly 7 million pounds of litter were removed from beaches, lakes, and streams.
- Animals from nearly 443 species are entangled in or ingest marine debris annually. The majority of these die from starvation, exhaustion, or infection.
People litter because:
- there is a presence of other litter.
- it’s the easiest way to get rid of unwanted things.
- littering is acceptable by people who pay taxes to have someone else pick it up.
- dumping is a social activity we learned from our parents and passed on unconsciously to our children.
TAKE ACTION TODAY
+ Don't be a litter bug!!! And encourage others not to litter! (On campus, there are garbage cans in and around every building. So do your part to keep our campus beautiful!!!)
+ Spend one hour today picking up litter. Or decide that every time you see a piece of litter today, you’ll pick it up and throw it away.
+ If you see someone littering, politely ask them to pick it up. Or pick it up yourself and maybe the person who dropped it will see you and get the hint.
+ Organize a team of neighbors, friends, co-workers, or group members to pick up litter in a specific neighborhood (or on campus) for an hour. Make it more fun by turning the cleanup effort into a contest. (The Service-Learning Office can provide gloves and bags!)
+ Enjoy making a difference, getting exercise, getting to know people better, and having cleaner surroundings.
YOU MATTER
If every person picked up just one piece of litter today, there would be over 300 million fewer pieces of litter. If every person picked up 10 pieces of litter, there would be 3 billion fewer pieces damaging our environment. If you and your friends spend just one hour today picking up litter in your own neighborhood, you will not only pick up thousands of pieces of trash, you will also make a tremendous impact on your community!
What is the Every Monday Matters program?
Monday used to be the least favorite day of the week, but that is changing. EMM is based on the idea that every Monday people can make a difference in their life and the lives of those around them. No matter how big or small the actions, they matter. And not only do people have the power to make change, they have a social responsibility to do so. Not out of guilt, but out of an appreciation for every living thing in the world. Together, each person can make a difference in the world and raise the collective consciousness, thereby creating a legacy worth participating in…one Monday at a time.
For more information about the EMM movement visit: www.everymondaymatters.com
