‘Consider a sidewalk. Some litter accumulates. Soon, more litter accumulates. Eventually, people even start leaving bags of trash from take-out restaurants there or breaking into cars.’
~ From an article titled, ‘Broken Windows,’ by James Q. Wilson and George L. Kelling in the March, 1982 edition of the Atlantic Monthly.
In his book ‘The Tipping Point’ about how small changes can make a big difference, author Malcolm Gladwell discusses the Broken Windows’ theory, which posits that crime is the inevitable result of disorder: ‘If a window is broken and left unrepaired, people walking by will conclude that no one cares and no one is in charge.’ Researchers in the Netherlands who tested the Broken Windows theory found that ‘signs of social disorder dampened people’s impulse to act for the good of the community, allowing selfish and greedy instincts to take over.’ Kees Keizer, who designed the Dutch experiments, concluded that although people do not necessarily copy bad behavior – picking up a spray can and having at it when they see graffiti – seeing property defaced ‘can foster the violation of other norms of behavior.’
To prevent the Broken Window theory from becoming a reality in the Tahoe-Truckee area, communities from Incline Village to Donner Summit to North Tahoe have organized annual town clean-up days, encouraging the entire population to join friends and neighbors of all ages for an hour (in Incline Village) or a morning (in Truckee, North Lake Tahoe, and Donner Summit) of picking up litter. All community clean-up events wrap up with a community meal and celebration.
Although our area faces a somewhat unusual situation when mountains of snow melt in the spring reveal the entire winter’s cumulative assortment of trash and discards, the North Tahoe/Truckee region is by no means unique in holding community clean-up events. Cities and towns around the nation bring citizens together to tackle litter. The state of New Jersey, which passed a Clean Communities Act in 1986 to establish funding for clean-up, education, and recycling programs, states on its website that, ‘People tend to litter when they think someone else will clean up, when an area is already littered, and when they do not feel a sense of ownership or community pride.’
Towns such as Brooklawn, New Jersey, include a town-wide yard sale as well as Community Pride Awards for spruced up exteriors. The National Garden Bureau is taking things a step further with a national program to recognize the efforts of people who plan, plant, and care for flowers, shrubs, and trees along main streets and in highway medians and parks. And the Ocean Conservancy sponsors an annual International Coastal Clean-Up Day in communities by oceans and inland waterways around the world. (Last year, nearly 400,000 volunteers at 6,485 sites in 104 countries collected more than 6.8 million pounds of trash along waterways on a single day in September.)
Madonna Dunbar, Resource Conservationist for Incline Village General Improvement District’s (IVGID) Waste Not Program, feels that town cleanups allow participants to actively engage in their town, taking ownership of the problem as well as the solution. ‘The simple act of picking up litter makes you feel more a part of your community,’ Dunbar said.
Truckee’s clean up day, simply known as Truckee Day, began in the spring several years ago when resident Maia Schneider decided the weather was perfect for walking across town to pick up her car. But as she made her way along Northwoods Boulevard and Donner Pass Road, on Highway 89 under the Mousehole and down West River Street, she couldn’t help but notice all the litter strewn along the roadsides. Her efforts to pick it up were soon stymied by the lack of a bag to hold the debris. But along the way she hatched a plan: why not round up volunteers to pick it all up?
‘I had just come off [a term on] the Town Council. One of the things I had going for me was that I was comfortable walking the halls of Town Hall,’ said Schneider.
And she did just that, enlisting the support of Town Engineer Dan Wilkins and Town Manager Tony Lashbrook. Steve Randall at the Truckee Donner Rec and Parks District proposed rewarding the troops with lunch afterwards in the park, and has been solely responsible for putting together the ‘Block Party’ ever since.
‘There’s a core group of Truckee Day champions who go unsung: the Tahoe Truckee Disposal team who donate their time, and the neighborhood leaders who open their homes to sign-in volunteers, provide trash bags and hand out assignments,’ Schneider said.
Gerald Herrick, who has accepted the Truckee Day reins from Schneider, said there has been discussion about letting the different Truckee neighborhoods organize their own clean-up days. But organizers feel strongly that one of the real benefits of the event is the chance for the entire community to work together. In addition to celebrating the collective clean-up effort with activities for kids and a free lunch for all volunteers, the ‘Block’ party at the Regional Park has evolved to include a Green Expo at which local green agencies such as Truckee Trails, Sierra Green Building Association, and Truckee Climate Action Network promote their causes, network with each other and interface with the community.
Our new President has emphasized the importance of engaging people in their communities to restore a sense of ownership and pride in neighborhoods, towns, and cities as an important first step in surviving economic hardships and rediscovering the value of friends and working together for the common good. The following organized town clean-ups promise to do just that.
Dig out the gloves, slather on the sunscreen, and come on down to clean up the detritus of winter:
Sixth Annual Truckee Day
June 6
Join friends and neighbors for a street clean-up and town-wide block party. Bring work gloves to the appropriate check-in station for your neighborhood or subdivision at 8:00 a.m. Bags, street assignments, and clean-up instructions will be available and you’ll receive a Truckee Day t-shirt for your participation (while supplies last) when you check in. Celebrate at the town-wide ‘Block Party’ and Green Expo at the Regional Park, featuring great food (free BBQ lunch for all clean-up volunteers), music, and entertainment. Call 530-582-8429 or email geraldwherrick@yahoo.com.
North Tahoe Clean Up Day
June 6
Pitch in to help clean up the North Tahoe communities of Kings Beach, Tahoe Vista, Carnelian Bay, and Crystal Bay. Registration begins at 9 a.m. to clean up in Kings Beach in the Conservancy lot next to Enviro-Rents at the corner of Highway 28 and Coon Street; registration for Tahoe Vista is held at the Tahoe Vista Rec Area; Carnelian Bay volunteers check in at Patton Landing; and the Crystal Bay registration area remains TBD. There will be maps at registration tables as well as coffee and treats for volunteers. All participants will receive t-shirts and coupons for flowers from Perennial Nursery. The event winds up at North Tahoe Beach (across the street from Safeway in Tahoe Vista) with musical entertainment and a barbecue featuring food from Blue Onion Café and Catering. The 2008 North Tahoe Clean Up Day is organized by the North Tahoe Business Association. ntbamainstreet.org, 530-546-9000, or email info@ntbamainstreet.org.
Fifth Annual X-Stream Clean Blitz, Incline Village
June 7
Join the Incline After School Organization and partnering sponsors IVGID Waste Not, Intero Real Estate, the Lake Tahoe School, and Empire Waste Systems to pick up litter from 11 a.m. to noon, drop off litter between noon and 1 p.m., and celebrate with a free picnic lunch, music, dance, carnival, cook-off, and contests from 1 to 4 p.m. Last year’s one-hour effort netted almost four tons of trash and eight 96-gallon containers of recyclables. Meet at the Incline Village Middle School to pick up trash bags, maps, and all clean-up materials. xtremeclean.org or 775-745-6484.
Donner Summit Clean-up Day
June 13
Bring work gloves, sunscreen, and lots of enthusiasm and meet at the Soda Springs Store at 10:30 a.m. to get water, garbage bags, and a clean-up assignment. Party immediately following, location to be announced when you turn in your garbage. donnersummitareaassociation.org.
International Coastal Clean-up Day, Incline Village
September 19
Communities around the globe will be coming together to clean up trash along the world’s ocean and waterways. coastalcleanup.org
