By Tim Murphy, Potomac River Watershed Cleanup Coordinator
I recently had the privilege of addressing a communications class at the College of Southern Maryland (CSM) taught by Assistant Professor Michelle Brosco Christian. This class is part of CSM’s service learning curriculum, and one assignment in the course is to choose an organization for which you can lead a service project.
I was invited to the class to discuss the Annual Potomac River Watershed Cleanup and demonstrate how the students could use this event for their assignment. Most of the students in this class understood that recycling is important and that they should not litter; but my conversation with the students deepened their understanding of the pervasive problems of trash. Thanks to Prof. Christian for sharing student feedback!
A number of students were very motivated by your talk to our class! Look what one student wrote:
“When the representative from the [Alice] Ferguson Foundation presented in class last week, I was very inspired by the work they did, how easy it was to get involved, and how large of a scale the problem was. Even if I don’t use [The Potomac River Watershed Cleanup] for service learning, I realize I was motivated to volunteer and help, to actually align my actions with my environmentally-conscious viewpoints. The representative mentioned that [Frances ‘Frankie’ Sherman, Recycling Superintendent] is really trying to spearhead recycling in Charles County, and has already made headway. And all I could think about was that in my neighborhood, as long as I have known, there has been no recycling program – and how appalling that is. Sometime this semester, I would like to not only organize a cleanup (for the place dearly needs one), but perhaps talk to the homeowners’ association about why a recycling program hasn’t been implemented, and what steps could be taken to change that.”
Trash makes the places we live and work unsafe and unhealthy, and students are shaping our future laws and policies. I’m glad I had a chance to talk in-depth with them about our region’s trash problems and solutions. Here are some ways we can all help:
- Encourage your family and friends not to litter.
- Make sure your trash and recycling bins have lids to keep wind and critters from creating litter.
- Join us on Saturday, April 11 for the 27th Annual Potomac River Watershed Cleanup.
Want to know more about recycling in your town? Here are some local recycling resources. Know of others? Add them in the comments.
- Charles County, MD recycling program
- Recycling in Prince George’s County, MD
- Trash and Recycling in Arlington County, VA
- Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments Go Recycle program.