1. Cleaning Up The Environment Critical Reading 101 Nicole Isbell

2. Introduction The issue I chose is cleaning up the environment which can entail quite a few things, but my main focus is picking up trash and helping rebuilding neighborhoods. During my research I learned things about the environment I never knew and it makes me wonder if others are clueless on the subject as well. It was a great issue to research and do a service project on!

3. How trash effects our environment ● Trash can attract vermin and bacteria, which can result in a health hazard (Grace.) ● Broken glass gets thrown on the ground all the time and it can be very dangerous. ● Litter makes a neighborhood feel run down and unclean. ● Trash is in a lot of public places ruining the environment such as parks where kids play, grocery stores, and on the streets and highways. ● Landfills are getting out of hand and polluting the soil because people are neglecting to recycle.

4. Continued ● An over flowing landfill (left hand side pic.) ● Broken bottle littered (right hand side pic.) ● Trash all over a park (left hand side pic.) ● Littered and run down house (right hand side pic.)

5. Things that can be done to keep trash off the streets ● Recycle ● Throw garbage away ● Pick up garbage- when you see it ● Volunteer ● More garbage cans and recycling cans

6. Facts ● Recycling is the process of making waste into reusable material (Andrew.) ● Approximately 60% of our rubbish thrown away today could be recycled (Recycling Facts and the Benefits of Recycling.) ● 94% of people say litter is a major environmental problem but yet continue to add to the problem (Litter.) ● Increasing the amount of garbage and recycling cans making them more accessible would help reduce the amount of trash thrown on the ground.

7. Continued ● According to the Environmental Protection Agency the average American produces about 4.4 pounds of garbage a day, which is 29 pounds a week and 1,600 pounds of garbage per year (Bocco.) ● In July 2009 the U.S. Census Bureau claimed there was a population of 6,595,778 in Arizona (U.S. Census Bureau.) ● So if one person per year produces 1,600 pounds of garbage per year, how much does 6,595,778 people in Arizona produce all together? ● 6,595,778 people in Arizona times 1,600 pounds of garbage per year = 10,553,244,800 pounds which is around the weight of 11,000 Titanic ships.

8. Volunteering In Arizona ● There are several organizations that go around and pick up trash and would be happy to have more volunteers to help. ● I volunteered at the The Grove church they believe in helping to rebuild communities and pick up trash where ever that is needed. ● Adopt a Highway Volunteer Program is a group of people that remove litter from Arizona highways (Adopt a Highway Program). ● Code Cares Program provides home owners or occupants who are unable to up keep their landscape and exterior building with the material and help they need(CCP.)

9. Continued ● Tuscon Clean and Beautiful Organization have several volunteer opportunities for litter cleanups, weed removal, planting trees, and recycling events (Environmental Volunteer Opportunities.) ● You don't need an organization to keep things clean, by doing your part in picking up trash it will encourage others to do the same.

10. Analysis The pictures and cartoons I picked best represent my issue of cleaning of the environment. The pictures symbolize the good that comes from picking up trash, and the other pictures show what happens or the out come of littering. Seeing the picture of the landfill was shocking, mostly everyone has their trash picked up so you never think how much trash there is, but in reality there is. Pictures and cartoons can say and mean so much and that is something I wanted to help me get the point a crossed on how much trash there is in the world.

11. Conclusion We only have one environment and we all need to take better care of it. It is important to keep the world we live in clean. Volunteering your time to an organization or just doing it on your own are both good ways to do your part, and your actions not only clean up the streets but also encourage other to get involved in making our world a better place to live. Hopefully, the actions of our generation will not only make a positive impact now but set an example for future generations to follow.

12. References ● “Adopt a Highway Volunteer Program.” Arizona Department of Transportation. Web. 29 July 2011. ● Http://www.azdot.gov/highways/adoptahwy/volunteer.asp ● Andrew. “Recycling to Keep Our Planet Clean.” Sustainable Planet. 12 Dec. 2010. Web. 30 July 2011. ● Http://www.sustainableplanet.yolasite.com/blog/recycling-tokeep-our-planet-healthy> Http://www.sustainableplanet.yolasite.com/blog/recycling-tokeep-our-planet-healthy ● Bocco, Diana. “How Much Garbage Does One Person Create in a Year?” Wise Greek. 25 May 2011. Web. 30 July 2011. ● Http://www.wisegeek.com/how-much-garbage-does-a-person-create-in-one-year.htm ● “Codes Care Program.” Scottsdale AZ Gov. 2011. Web. 29 July 2011. ● Http://www.scottsdaleaz.gov/volunteer

13. Continued ● “Environmental Volunteer Opportunities- one-time and on going.” Volunteer Match. 2011. Web. 30 July 2011. ● Http://www.volunteermatch.org/search/opp250025.jsp ● Google Images-all the images/pictures from here. ● Grace. “Littering and the Environment.” Living Clean for a Better Future.” 27 Mar. 2009. Web. 30 July 2011. ● Http://livingclean.com/littering-and-the-environment/ ● “Litter.” Kamenny Kruh Stone Circle. 19 Feb. 2003. Web. 30 July 2011. ● Http://www.praguepost.cz/PPEF/09SC030219.pdf

14. Continued ● “Recycling Facts and the Benefits of Recycling.” Environment Green. 2008. Web. 29 July 2011. ● Http://www.environment-green.com/ ● “U.S. Census Bureau.” Google Public Data Explorer. July 2009. Web. 29 July 2011. ● Http://www.google.com/publicdata/explore