virginia is for ... litter?

I'm no tree hugger. I don't "hate the earth" or anything like that, but I'm probably not as environmentally conscious as I could be. I could, for example, quit being so lazy and start recycling. One thing I never do, however, is litter. I think that's one thing that I did learn from an early age: if it isn't biodegradable (like an apple core) don't throw it out the car window, wait until you can put it in a trash can.

I think that not all Virginians learned that lesson. I few months ago I was driving up to DC and noticed that every quarter of a mile there was a big trash bag (we're talking the 30-gallon bags) full of trash on each side of the road. Evidently the state (or commonwealth as they call it) has the convicts go out periodically and clean up the litter along the interstate highways.

On stretches of the interstate where the convicts haven't done clean up there is litter everywhere. I can't even imagine how many people would have to toss trash out of their car windows for that much trash to accumulate. It's just gross.

What really grosses me out is my campus. For the most part, it's a gorgeous campus. Very scenic. Manicured lawns. Old campus buildings. A stream and pond.

Most of campus is pretty clean, but there always seems to be a ton of litter in the stream that leads to the pond. When I park in the parking garage (or parking deck as the locals say), I cross a bridge over the stream, where I either enjoy the view or am sickened by the litter. It all really depends on the day.

Yesterday was a bad litter day...