Column: Help us Clean up America this Earth Day

It is a crisp Friday morning. You wake up, fix yourself some breakfast, and pack lunch for the last day of what has been a strenuous week. After finding your keys, you’re on your way to the office. The morning’s mood is tranquil: windows down, radio humming, coffee in the cupholder. Place yourself in this, the best commute of the week. What do you see? The rising sun painting the sky? The morning fog swirling in the wake of passing cars? Countless pieces of trash littering the side of the road? Wait.

The image of beat-up plastic bottles and cardboard boxes lining the road does not exactly pair nicely with the rising sun, morning fog, and hot coffee, but it is the reality for millions of Americans. In 2020, Keep America Beautiful reported that over 50 billion pieces of litter line America’s roads, which is approximately 150 pieces of litter per person and an average of 12,225 pieces of litter per mile of road in the U.S.

While this issue may be worse in some places than in others, it affects us all, which is why, this Earth Day, the American Conservation Coalition (ACC) is taking action to Clean Up America. The Clean Up America initiative began as a play on the NCAA’s March Madness Basketball Tournament, and I am a sucker for the pomp and circumstance of a good competition.

TheOhio State University’s Branch Leader, Brenden Fowler, and I initially planned to spearhead a March Madness-esque cleanup competition between the Midwest ACC branches, and we created details like standardized cleanup equipment and a uniform registration procedure. At the time of its conception, we never considered that our Midwest competition may grow into something like the Clean Up America initiative.

Now, Clean Up America is a nationwide effort, between all ACC branches that wish to participate. Do not worry, it is still a competition! We hope that our young members’ passion for the environment, coupled with a little friendly competition, will make an impact this Earth Day. Brenden and I think this initiative provides a platform for a collaborative effort that will magnify our members’ individual passions and impact on a national scale. We believe that, together, we are more connected, more powerful, and better poised to make a significant difference.

ACC’s ethos is “leaving a legacy,” and we hope that this initiative will do just that. From the removal of litter from the environments across the U.S. to setting a precedent of national collaboration and teamwork, we believe Clean Up America has the potential for greatness. Too often, environmentalism is polarized, stalling action and progress. We believe that this initiative will unite young Americans under a common cause and leave no room for polarized disputes around environmental policy.

We all want that serene drive to work or school in the morning or a trash-free summer road trip, and it is entirely possible. It’s important to play your part in cleaning up America this Earth Day. Whether you skip the plastic straw at dinner or go outside and clean up your community with friends and family, every action is impactful. On behalf of ACC, Indiana University and The Ohio State University, and Earth, I invite you to help build the legacy this Earth Day. Help us Clean Up America.

Nadia Cain is the Branch Manager of ACC Hoosiers at Indiana University Bloomington. She is majoring in Environmental Management in the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs and minoring in Astronomy/Astrophysics. She enjoys hiking, reading, and playing electric guitar, and she hopes to beat both Purdue University and The Ohio State University during the 2024 Cleanup America initiative.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Column: Help us Clean up America this Earth Day