The Daily Egyptian is published by the students of SIU at Carbondale. Except during vacations and exam weeks, The Daily Egyptian is published Monday through Friday during the fall and spring semesters and TWThF during the summer semester."

Streets getting trashed

Leaves aren't the only thing blowing around on South Washington street. Styrofoam 'to-go' boxes, Sub sandwich wrappers, soda cans, beer bottles, empty cigarette packs and a myriad of other debris can be seen strewn about the entire length the road.

It sort of ruined my bike ride to school on such a fine, fall morning. All the telltale signs of this careless disregard led me to conclude that this waste had been primarily generated by the student population.

As a fellow student, I would like to ask a question here. Where is the thought for the future? Sure, we satisfy those thoughts by investing in ourselves and our education here. But what kind of long term sight is there when three weeks ago I led a group of volunteers up that same road to pick up garbage? We filled over 13 bags.

Now, only two weeks later, because of the carelessness and short-sightedness of our fast-paced world and fast-food nation, there is enough garbage there to fill at least another couple of bags. It's despicable. I feel like an old man shaking his fist at the fast-driving youth of America, and the youth screaming back, "you're just jealous!" No, not really, I'm just breathing and using my head.

I think that you can put garbage in its proper place and you can put your recyclables in their proper place. You can even be extreme (composters get the joke) and put your food waste in its proper place.

So c'mon you guys. We can be a little more respectful of the place where we live. Even though it might only be on a semester to semester basis, those who grew up here have to deal with our immature actions.

Similarly, we as mature students are volunteering to pick up garbage that our classmates let fall to the Earth. You can make a difference. Change your thoughts and you change your actions.

To quote the famous banjo-pickin' activist from the dust bowl days, Pete Seeger, "What will we do when there is nothing left to read, nothing left to need, and there's nothing left to watch, and there's nothing left to touch, and there's nothing left to walk upon, nothing left to talk upon, nothing left to be, nothing left to see, but garbage?"

Ryan E. Campbell junior, plant biology

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