Trail Trash Up

  • Location
    Lenoir, North Carolina
  • Status
    Complete
  • Age Level
    5 to 7 Years
    8 to 10 Years
    11 to 13 Years

The Problem

Cleaning up trash and litter left by others on the trails of our state and national parks - and educating adults on how to do better.

Our Plan

Our mission with Go Green Foothills is to raise our youth to be good stewards of the earth by fostering a love and respect for nature. The Trail Trash Up project is just one step on this journey. TrailTrashUp started as Caleb’s passion project of picking up trash on the beach. Living here in the foothills, we are surrounded by a plethora of natural resources, parks, walking trails, streams, etc. These are all great locations to take our families to take a moment in nature. We’ve all heard the quote, “Take only memories, leave only footprints.” But let’s take it a step further. Let’s make sure that others are only leaving their footprints, meaning, leave the trails cleaner than when you arrived. Yes, it’s not fun cleaning up after other people. But let’s set a good example for our children and for others who may be watching you. Grab a bag, maybe a pair of gloves, and pick up any trash you may find on the trail. Starting in 2023, we will be organizing events for small groups to gather together with our children, in friendship and on purpose, at locations throughout the area to help pick up trash. These events will be child led (meaning the children dictate where we go) and will culminate is a group lunch and eco-friendly prizes.

Themes Addressed

  • term icon
    Community
  • term icon
    Pollution
  • term icon
    Responsible Consumption
  • term icon
    Water Pollution & Conservation

The Benefit

  • term icon
    Environment

Here is how the project went:

Great - We created a positive environment where adults and children that were not affiliated with us still witnessed our actions and we hope that it made them second-guess their decision to litter.

Through this project I/we learned:

That we can create change by showcasing the change ourselves.

What I/we might change:

We would have more supplies on hand - we had some extras to hand out to non-affiliated members within the park but not enough!!

My/our favorite part of this project was:

Getting out in nature!

Some tips, tricks or fun facts about the project:

Tips - bring a variety of snacks.

About Roots & Shoots

We are nurturing the compassionate leaders of tomorrow.

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