Every Day is Earth Day

 Walking in Bloomington can easily make me despise the type of people who come here for school. These are the people who make their presence known without having ever seen them. Nan Shepard said, "Man might be a thousand years away. Yet, as I look around me, I am touched at many points by his presence." This quote could mean many things, but I find it most impactful in the sense that much of what we use turns into waste, and this waste can be seen all around us. I find myself thinking of this quote nearly daily on my walk to the bus, as I see beer cans and shattered glass regularly. Beer cans that must be cleaned up out of the kindness of others' hearts, and glass that runs the risk of puncturing an animal's foot. My friend, half jokingly, repeated the phrase, "Every day is Earth Day when we live here," and I haven't been able to stop thinking about it. I struggle to understand the mindset behind those who leave behind so much of their presence; do they not realize how ugly an action it is? Perhaps it's worse with college students, as they are in a liminal time in their lives and aren't quite entering the adulthood phase, where there are consequences to their actions. Perhaps these people will end up being leaders in their communities and reflect on the harm they have done, but for now, there is no reflection. Being surrounded by like-minded people also must not help, as it only reinforces the idea that it is normal to litter and that one small beer cannot possibly be harmful.

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