Garbage In Its Place

There is nothing worse than seeing garbage blowing down the street of your neighborhood, or finding broken shards of glass at the local swimming hole where children play. Wildlife is just as vulnerable to garbage and many have lost their lives after becoming tangled in waste or mistaking garbage for food. It is up to each of us to make an effort to minimize this unsightly, and sometimes hazardous, problem.

Animals, wind and traffic breezes put legs to loose garbage and are able to distribute it great distances from the original source. The first thing that we can do to prevent this is to ensure trashcan and dumpster lids are secure. Metal and plastic trashcans are more preventative than bags - leaving a bag out over night or even for several hours, is an enticing invitation for stray animals to wreak havoc. When taking a load to the dump, be sure that it is securely covered by tightly tying a tarp over the load with some rope or bungee cords.

Carry plastic shopping bags on your walks to clean up litter that you find along the way. Often, people are rewarded for their efforts by the deposits returned from bottles and cans. Those who have noticed your efforts will begin taking up the same habit once they realize the impact it has.

Report any dumping you witness, whether it was done illegally or accidentally - just get the license number and leave the rest to the officials. Also, report any site where garbage has been left by others. These problems can be reported to the local city, highway, public works or conservation office. Ask them to arrange for it to be cleaned up.

By doing these relatively small actions, we prevent contamination and injuries to people or wildlife in the area. When separating recyclable items, we keep a valuable resource out of the landfill. In addition, we maintain a pristine environment for citizens, tourists and wildlife to enjoy. We can all take pride knowing that by keeping garbage in its place, we are making the world just a little better for everyone.

Written by Dave and Lillian Brummet based on the concept of their book, Trash Talk. The book offers useful solutions for the individual to reduce waste and better manage resources. A guide for anyone concerned about his or her impact on the environment. (http://www.sunshinecable.com/~drumit)

---

Good Morning... Please...Thank-you!!

When I was a child, I remember that my parents instilled these words into my brain. At first, it seemed difficult to remember these 3 little phrases and I had to be constantly... Read More

3 Big Fat Lies that Deserve to Die

Big Fat Lie 1: Your personality is formed and unchangeable by age 5 or 6Somehow we have accepted the idea that we are complete by age 5 or 6 because some "learned psychologist"... Read More

On Track

Direct Answers - Column for the week of January 27, 2003I have been involved with a married man for a little while. I am married myself, but it was an arranged marriage and... Read More

Top 10 Things That Make Life Worthwhile

Below are some of the things that, over the years, my clients have taught me about making life a wonderful adventure. You will, hopefully, have additions that uniquely enrich your life, and I... Read More

True Inner Guidance

It's easy to tell the difference between true inner guidance (spirit) and ego-driven guidance: the first is attended with Love and the second with Fear.True inner guidance will always draw you into something... Read More

Rocking The Boat

I work in a factory, and we have supervisors who play favorites. They have about six girls who can do no wrong, and they have easier jobs than the rest of us. These... Read More

Why Be Great?

Have you ever thought of what it would take to make you "truly great" at what you do?Look around you at your employees and co-workers and ask yourself whether or not any of... Read More

Principles That Govern My Life

The strength and durability of a building is found in its foundation. The same is true in a life. What we accomplish and the effect we have on those around us is not... Read More

Conspiracy of Silence

Direct Answers - Column for the week of January 12, 2004I'm hoping you can help me with a moral problem that crops up every now and then in my personal and professional life.... Read More

Selfish Beings

Trouble, trouble, trouble. Nothing but trouble. The night before, I was just talking to a friend-cum-feng-shui master about the direction of my life. The horrible things that are currently going in my life... Read More

Three Bricklayers

The story of the three bricklayers has been around for many years. The reason it continues to be told is the messages that the story tells. The following is the story of The... Read More

The Power of Inspiration

INSPIRATION can be a powerful thing. It can keep you going when all around you cries out "quit!" It is even more powerful than motivation,as motivation gives you your basic reasons to... Read More

The Angels on My Path

I'm leaving on a TV tour in a few weeks. I'm going to be on the road. This is my second one and I'll visit TV news stations all over the country talking... Read More

Garbage In Its Place

There is nothing worse than seeing garbage blowing down the street of your neighborhood, or finding broken shards of glass at the local swimming hole where children play. Wildlife is just as vulnerable... Read More

Problems Arent Bad After all!

At first glance, when tough times hit, it seems the world around you is crashing down. You're surrounded by a sea of problems, threatening to engulf you any minute from now. A second,... Read More

Go Between

Direct Answers - Column for the week of June 16, 2003I enjoy reading your column every week. I want to tell you about a family problem I am having at present. Recently our... Read More

I Believe in You!

Ally Becker came home from school after Varsity basketball practice and was extremely gleeful. She looked frantically for her Father and walked into the kitchen, the laundry room and finally the living room.... Read More

Is Transformation Worth the Effort?

Soaring 700 feet above the forest floor is a granite dome two miles long and a mile wide. Stone Mountain, 16 miles east of Atlanta, Georgia, was the ideal site for a memorial... Read More

A Word Fitly Spoken ~ Believe

A Word Fitly SpokenA word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver. Proverbs 25:11Under All that We Think, Lives All We Believe, Like the Ultimate Veil of Our Spirits.... Read More

A Resurrection Story

My mother often wound up in the hospital during the last decade of her life. She had good health insurance and a good many ailments, and she generally outstayed two or three hospital... Read More

The Best Gift to Give Yourself and Others

I'm often asked the question, "How can I best help my children, spouse, family member, staff member, friend etc. improve/change?" In fact that might be the most frequently asked question I receive, "How... Read More

Improving Your Self Esteem

Often in our society, we are bombarded with the lives of celebrities. We can end up feeling that if we are not part of the rich and famous, our lives are insignificant. Our... Read More

It Wont Happen Again

Have you or do you know someone who has been abused or been involved in an abusive relationship? What is your definition of abuse? All of us know that physical violence is abuse.... Read More

Realistic Living

" The fountain of content must spring up in the mind, and he who hath so little knowledge of human nature as to seek happiness by changing anything but his own disposition, will... Read More

Lifetime of Discoveries: Moments of Peace and Renewal

There are discoveries all around us—small gifts of joy that bring moments of peace and renewal.Yet it is easy to miss the small things of uncommon value and inspiration—the cycles of life in... Read More

The Dead

Direct Answers - Column for the week of February 9, 2004I love my wife with all my heart and soul. She is now and will ever be the other half of my heart.... Read More

Tending the Fire

In old buildings there was a boiler room where men stood shoveling coal or wood into a furnace to keep the whole building warm. If they didn't tend to the fire, the place... Read More

Abused as a Child

Child abuse is a much more common event, than is usually expressed in public. I recently attended an event, where people were asked to discuss their darkest secrets. Out of the thirty or... Read More

My Passion, My Life

Every morning I excitedly get out of bed. Just a few minutes of goals and visions for the day swirl in my head. No lingering for me, no alarm, no wishful notes too.... Read More