SOUTH NEWFANE — We recently adopted a dog whose daily walks have resulted in my becoming something of an archeologist of the roadside.
What have I found? I have discovered continuing proof of a society in decline, in which some (fueled by despair or self-loathing) litter without a second thought.
The artifacts we find while sidestepping broken glass from beer bottles (not friendly to dog paws) are empty beer cans and fast-food packaging. The favored brands are Budweiser, Busch, McDonald's and Dunkin' Donuts, I can't help help but note the irony that the packaging that contains “food” most destructive to our bodies also makes up the bulk of the litter on our roads.
As Green Up Day approaches and we are picking up roadside litter, maybe we can try to come up with ways to reach the litterbugs, to help them out of their disenfranchisement, and to bring them into mainstream society, where we put our litter into garbage cans.
In the meantime, as we hear that Green Up Day funding is running low, perhaps the corporations whose products dominate the littered landscape could be required to send money to the state for the Green Up fund.