I have done quite some cleanups in the past couple of years.
Short ones.
Long ones.
Individual ones.
Collective ones.
Cleanups focused on one litter item (such as cigarettes) or a “whatever you find” approach.
They had one thing in common.
All of them surprised me.
The amount of trash we create as humans is insane. And even if you do not belong to that careless group of people tossing away their plastic bottles or cigarette butts into nature, when you throw something “away”, it doesn’t go “away”. Away doesn’t exist. All trash must go somewhere.
That’s why I firmly believe that cleanups are a necessary START for what’s really needed: a systemic shift in our approach to resources.
A world without waste means that we shift away from disposable, low quality products to a world where resources are preserved at their highest quality and where we treat all ‘waste’ as a precious resource. It’s only waste when it’s wasted.
Until that day arrives, cleanups are important to raise awareness about the global problem of trash.
To make your – individual or collective – cleanup more fun, I have created a free #CleanPlanetBingo card.
No, wait, I am saying that all wrong.
I came up with the idea for a #CleanPlanetBingo card. And Gabi – my amazing husband and often cleanup partner in crime – used his designer magic to turn it into reality.
You can download it for free on this page. You can use it to check off the items you find during your cleanup. You can use it for more than 1 cleanup. You can focus on a different item each time. Use it however you like it. There are no rules. You are keeping the planet clean, that’s enough!
With pretty much any image editor on a smartphone you can digitally edit yours (no need to waste paper and ink on printing) and it’s ready to share on social media. Don’t forget to use #CleanPlanetBingo and tag @myhappyfootprint as you post it, I’d love to see what you cleaned up!