Styrofoam
Styrofoam does not biodegrades, FYI - and is not compostable either
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www.earthday.org www.earthday.org
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EARTHDAY.ORG is bringing cleanups to underserved communities around the world—places often overlooked and overwhelmed by pollution. Your support helps us provide tools, mobilize volunteers, and create lasting change where it’s needed most.
I'm happy to learn about clean-ups like this! I'd definitely want to connect and perhaps bring them into my scope of work and/or academic services as a student leader. This is definitely what I'm bringing with me from this read!
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“It’s because housing is expensive. That’s it.”
I don't fully agree with this quote. Surely house pricing skyrocketing is a factor, but I think it's a generalization. There are many reasons why people are unhoused these days -- and yes, dealing with addiction is another factor that is massively important when discussing the issue. The problem is that more often than not people think about it as "oh, you got into drugs because you wanted to, people always have a choice" etc, when they do not consider facts such as the painkiller and fentanyl crisis, the systemic poverty inflicted by the healthcare system, and the rigged food system which traps certain pay brackets within an unhealthy cycle, which later on condemns them to crippling poverty, debt, and unaffordable medical expenses -- often without them having a support system or a safety net.
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And he meant it. Every nook, every cranny, every bottle cap in the dirt. These guys hit a level of detail most volunteer events never even come close to. At one point, we found an abandoned homeless camp deeper in the woods. We started cleaning it up until someone shouted, “Hey… that’s human sh*t.” Preston didn’t even flinch. “Alright, let nature take care of that. We’ll mark it and come back next year.”
Well I didn't even know about the Great Raleigh Cleanup, which is definitely something new I have learned about today and I'm excited for. I wish we had more organizations like this who take care of our communities. In a way, I wish we didn't need it, but who knows, maybe one day...
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But while I was trying to process the mess, Preston looked like a kid in a candy store. He was thrilled. He loves picking up trash, and this was his playground. He pointed out every can—because he collects them from cleanups, restaurants, and more, then takes them to the recycling center. The payout from that alone fuels his truck’s gas tank all year.
I found this really funny, in a way. I've met people like this in my life, people who sort of developed a sense of excitement for being a "green fiend", turning into "garbage goblins" as the thought of cleaning up and "doing good" by fixing other people's mess gives them a feeling of purpose. In this case, Preston profits from it - which helps. But it's sorta bittersweet to see how something so tragic can be someone's livelihood.
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