Andres's Story
The past ten days have been some of the most eye-opening experiences of my life. Earth Camp has taken me to a world of thought that I’ve never been in. The camp repeatedly made me think of how my actions are hurting this precious world and what I can do now to make a difference.
Throughout the course of learning and making new friends, I leave Earth Camp with an entirely different mindset of what I can do to help Mother Nature. Although I can’t make up for the mess I’ve already created, I know there is time for me to change my habits and ultimately make life better for the generations to come.
Studies show that fast-food packaging makes up about 20 percent of the world’s litter. My action plan will do its best to cut this number in half.
The City of Oakland, California created a law in February 2006 that taxes restaurants to pay for litter clean-up in areas near the business. Depending on the size of the business, each restaurant has to pay between $200 and $4,000 each year. These funds help hire small crews to pick up litter in surrounding areas. In total, Oakland collects about $240,000 a year.
I believe this could be a proactive approach to making our streets and neighborhoods a cleaner place to live in.
This August, I expect to lobby Mayor and Council to begin discussions about the possibility of bringing this law to Tucson.