Littering: The Urban Menace
The word “litter” is commonly heard in connection with animals which produce many offspring in one go. It thus suggests something of a numerical excess seen in relation to the norm, here the human pattern. In the pejorative sense it conveys an inconvenient recurrence. In the special context of habitable environments it clearly implies inconvenient excesses that destroy the rhythm and balance of otherwise placid surroundings. By deduction it refers to redundant objects and material that disturbs the calm spell of community life. Thus we may locate littering in the environmental perspective.
Analysis
Certain nations and communities of the world have a notorious streak of disorderliness. Most often the West pinpoints at the Oriental countries for their slackness. Even within these countries there are different camps of opinion, those that see the littering menace as a real threat to be dislodged and those who resist it thinking of it as an inborn liberty within the homeland. Tired of commenting, the fourth estate had at times themselves initiated the process of saving the environment. One such unique case is the competition held for students of Delhi institutions by the newspaper Times of India along with the National Institute of Fashion Technology. The results of this experiment were recorded in the New Delhi edition of the paper on Jan. 31, 2015.The students were invited to come up with original creative installations based on the kinds of trash accumulating within the city limits of the national capital. The most path-breaking one was one which showed an optical illusion of a dog created out of a “hollow-face” leading the observer to follow his gaze till he arrived at the bin. This installation which had a 3-D effect was conceived as the “futuristic dog” highlighting the fact that street dogs hovering over bins are the nearest neighbours of the overloaded trash bins. There is a subversive suggestion of emulating the dog as he makes a beeline for the bin. This proves the point showcased by the newspaper that littering is a case of apathy than inevitability.
The hope of any country is the youth. They are perceptive and prehensile, without limiting bedrock attitudes. In a study carried out by the Ohio State University on improved landscape planning for Linden Village, which used teams from Greater Linden Development Corporation and Homeport Organization, the neighbourhood of Greater Linden was examined by the parameters of economy, society, food, health, society, crime, safety, litter and vacancies. In the section “Demographics” there are pointers to the alarming population of Black residents after many of the whites fled. This is seen by the investigators as leading to the “baby boom” and despite Red Lining against the blacks several menaces could not be controlled by the Federal Government’s agencies. Such a generalization cannot be ruled out as mere racism, and therefore, unfounded. The study embarked on a Neighbourhood Stabilization Program by which residents were called forth to participate in development activities for regional benefit. One of these was called The Litter League by which students between 15 and 24 years of age, who often absented from churches and other instructional groups, were employed to assist with clearing trash from bins and sending them by carrier trucks towards permanent disposal. Thus several loads of tyres were eliminated from the landscape, making it more conducive for landscape planning. It is hard to say if this is purely racial bias but facts do not contradict certain assumptions either. Again, in Ohio the repeal of Prohibition against public drinking was cause for celebration. Huffington Post commented that unlike the Prohibition on liquor 80 years ago the recent prohibition was in view of the public menace drinking caused in terms of unclean streets besides. Civic consciousness thus seems to run high in Ohio State as regards landscaping and propriety. From our interviews and discussions with many school-going youth who are on the brink of choosing a career we found that many feel the pinch of being dubbed backward and slovenly by common bias, but are still aware of what needs to be done to improve the urban outlook overall.
Apart from creating problems of cluttering and insoluble waste that pollutes the environment communicable diseases too are strong possibilities due to littered waste being a sufficient breeding ground for mosquitos and other insects that multiply largely in tropical climates. It is imperative that cleaner, healthier and hygienic environments must have lots of free, uncluttered and hygienically proven areas. Not just the present, but posterity too depends on it.
A Little Bit of Art
Now the question is what means can be employed to transmit the lifesaving message of environmental protection against degradation. Art has always been trusted to fill in the gaps left by policy. Environmentalists on their own have prepared posters and paintings and also erected tableaux and mimes to foreground the environment crises. They have also been assisted well by professional artists. As part of our own venture of gaining proximity into the common fold where very many prehensile minds dwell, and whom we may count on to perpetuate the task of saving the ecological order, some inspirational artefacts can be crafted by ourselves. First, we propose a motto song as a slight parody of the Beatles song “Nowhere Man” to be sung in the same tune:
DON’T MAKE YOUR LAND A NOWHERE LAND
Don’t make your land a Nowhere Land Where you live a Nowhere Man Making all your Nowhere Plans at No Time.
Don’t scratch you dear City’s arm With litter that will surely harm, Past all cure and all-soothing balm.
Don your thinking cap and tarry Do not act in tearing hurry, Or you’ll end up being bit too sorry.
Don’t land debris in her lap Jolting her from her pleasant nap, For it’ll surely be your handicap.
More important, you must talk to a very little child and make him think of his space he shares before he dreams of owning his space. Tell him this story like a fable:
Once upon a time there lived a poor farmer. He had a small patch of land which he kept clean and trim. Due to his organized habits he lived satisfactorily on its yield. One day a large flock of dapple birds arrived on his farm and started pecking at the berries. Hearing them the farmer stopped to look, and captivated by their loveliness he tried to move closer. No sooner had he done so than the birds fled. As they flew some lovely feathers dropped on the ground which he picked and admired. His young son who was playing nearby saw his father’s prize and waited to see the birds himself. His father told him that the feathers dropped off the fleeing birds. After a long wait the boy saw two birds perching on the branches. He pommelled the branches with a broom to shake off the feathers so that he could have some. The angry birds fled immediately crying coarsely. The boy searched under the tree but found only dry leaves at the foot of the tree; there was not a single feather. The crying lad was told gently by his father that Nature’s course can never be meddled with. Nature gives man enough for his need but nothing for his greed. The father hoped that the timely warning would prevent future vandalism of the boy. It is alas but hope.
It is often human irrationality coupled with rashness that spoils the inbuilt harmony of Nature. Research shows that there is a strong correlation between children’s lives and clean, orderly cities. The idea of CFC or child friendly cities is proposed as a key item of national policy-makers’ agenda (Adams 346). A natural environment or NE is a decisive factor in optimising child personality. If a child is saved the world tomorrow inherits a lot of hope.
Works Cited
Adams, Sabirah and Shazly Savahl. “Child Perceptions of the Natural Environment: Creating Child and Environmentally Favourable Cities,” Research at the University of the West Cape, South Africa. ICP Research Papers (Environment/Sustainability) 346.
“Linden Village: A Sustainable Urban Feature.” Ohio State University Project Report. Accessed 7 July, 2016 at https://www.facweb.knowlton.ohio-state.edu/jlara
“Out-of-Box Ideas to Check Littering Menace.” Times of India [Delhi] 31 Jan. 2015, Delhi ed: n. Accessed on 5 July, 2016 at https://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/City/Delhi
“The Secret History of the War on Public Drinking,” Huffington Post in Association with Times of India Group [India] 26 June. 2015, India ed: n. Accessed 7 July, 2016 at https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/14/public-drinking-laws_n.5829616.html
