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Small Action Inspiration

From the Small Actions Directory

Adopt a Spot
Small Action Category: Community Engagement | Time Donation

In 2021, Keep America Beautiful conducted a study on litter in America. They found “nearly 50 billion pieces of litter along U.S. roadways and waterways”, which is approximately “152 items for each U.S. resident” (Source – Keep America Beautiful).

Can you imagine what would be there if no one cared? Their count isn't a stagnant number. That's 50 billion pieces AT THE TIME of their study. It's not like more won't be thrown out windows, dumped from bags, fallen off trucks, etc. Litter is not something that goes away. It doesn't magically disappear. And it's not something we can expect the government, state, and local resources to handle on their own.

Help your local community by donating your company time to “adopt a spot” to help clean up litter. That can be a local highway, road, beach, park, trail, etc.)

But don't just TELL your employees what will be done.

Stop to consider how to make this most effective for the action AND your business, including considering the following.

Consider how and why this action connects to your business. Discuss, don't dictate to your employees. Have a discussion about litter and its impact on the environment. Share studies like that conducted by Keep America Beautiful. Discuss how an adopt-a-spot program works. Decide as a group what area you want to help keep clean. Discuss when and how often this can be done most effectively. Encourage employees to invite their family members and friends to participate. Invite customers to join also. Share what you do with your network. Promote your efforts with local media!HOW to adopt a spot will be unique to the area you live in and the type of spot you are interested in. Search for local resources in your areas. Some general recommendations are provided below.

Don't have the TIME? Turns out you can also pay someone else to do the cleanup for you. Who knew?

Don't just “do” an action. Make that action effective. Learn more about what it means to be effective in our related blog post

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