“Give A Hoot, Don’t Pollute”

Golf is a beautiful sport no matter where you go.  My travels have enabled me to uncover some of the sport’s hidden gems for sure.  The golf courses I have played range from windswept peninsulas off the coast of Ireland and Hawaii, to the sultry landscapes in Malaysia and Indonesia.  

The view of rolling, rumpled topography beneath gathering storm clouds has left my heart pounding.  

I have played in 3^rd world countries where I found myself wondering if there was any beauty in that country, only to step onto the local golf course and be awed by the sheer natural beauty surrounding me.  

It’s this beauty that I enjoy the most about golf, in all its color – not just green.  

     It’s no secret golf club owners spend lots of time, energy and money on keeping their course maintained.  And it’s no coincidence that golf courses offer spectacular scenery.  Course designers select a locale based in large part on its natural beauty.  Then they work with Mother Nature’s gifts…. enhancing, preserving, and showing them at their best.  

Even when my game may not be going my way, I still consider myself fortunate to be playing in some of the most beautiful places in the world.  

I have enjoyed landscapes and views that others may never even get to see.  

I realize it’s the beauty that keeps me coming back to this game.    

     Unfortunately, seeing beauty outside a golf course hasn’t been as easy.  I have noticed more and more litter along our highways and city streets.  

And it doesn’t stop there – once trash gets free, wind and weather move it from streets and highways to parks and waterways.  It appears that littering is a nasty side effect of our convenience-oriented disposable culture.  

The most frequent littered stuff includes:

• fast food packaging,
• cigarette butts,
• used drink bottles,
• and candy wrappers.  

I was shocked to learn that litter clean up costs the United States a total of more than $11.5 billon each year!  

What’s even crazier to me is the fact that we have been officially told not to litter for over half a century now.  The first public service announcement for litter prevention ran in 1956, and since then it’s been all pictures of ducks caught in plastic can rings.  

But still the message isn’t exactly ubiquitous.  

Just a couple of weeks ago I saw a woman throw trash out her car window as she was driving down the local highway.  The optimist in me wants to think that perhaps it just accidentally blew out her open window……But that doesn’t explain the litter situation in my neighborhood park or along just about any highway.  

Let’s face it: we still have a ways to go in litter prevention.  

Ok, ok, litter may not be the most dramatic or exciting of the many problems that threaten the quality of our environment…..but it is a problem that affects EVERYONE and I believe it is a problem that can be controlled.  

And it starts with each of us!    

     There are many ways each person can help make our communities cleaner.  Here are just a few suggestions:

• Set an example by not littering.
• See trash?  Pick it up!  Pick up one piece of litter every day.
• Every week, pick up all the litter in front of your house, including the street.
• Make sure your trashcans have lids that can be securely attached.
• Carry a litterbag in your car.
• Clean up one public area where litter has accumulated.

     Education is key!  

When I was growing up I remember seeing TV commercials of Woodsy Owl.  Woodsy Owl is an owl icon for the United States Forest Service who is most famous for the motto “Give a hoot – don’t pollute!”  Woodsy Owl first appeared as a public service announcement in September of 1977, with the goal of helping children appreciate nature. Education has positive effects on changing people’s attitudes and behaviors toward littering. Woodsy was part of a successful campaign that went on for years and is still remembered today, so obviously it was effective and lasting.  

     Every day, we can all do something to prevent litter and make our community safer, cleaner and more livable.  

My Reads from the Reds….“Give a Hoot – Don’t Pollute!  

Fairways and Greens Everyone! We are 18 Holes and Counting!

Written by Kathy Festa