
Thanks to Mary Beth Sutton, I have litter grabbers and a small waste can in my car, always on the ready for impromptu litter pick ups. Couple of months ago, while walking from the intersection of James Boulevard and Signal Point Road to the Rainbow Lake parking lot, I picked up almost 48 cigarette butts. The good news is that I’ve only picked up a few since then.
Next time you drive Taft Highway or Highway 41, please notice the volume of litter cluttering our ditches. It’s an eyesore for both our residents and visitors. According to the Tennessee Department of Transportation, it costs $19 million dollars annually to remove highway litter. Economics, human health, and wildlife are all impacted by litter - a threat that is completely preventable. Imagine what our communities could do with $19 million dollars if we didn’t have a litter issue?
Thankfully there are groups addressing this cultural problem. One group that recently caught my attention is Green Steps, not to be confused with Green Spaces, the organization that focuses on energy issues. Green Steps focuses on the eradication of litter.
“Education and community action are key to making litter a thing of the past. When you mobilize people to get their hands dirty, it gives them a sense of pride and ownership for their backyard,” says Green Steps director Jimmy Urciuoli. Urciuoli continues, “We’ve mobilized over 2,200 volunteers since 2017, removing an estimated 1.6 million pounds of garbage from Southeast Tennessee.”
Green Steps volunteer Mackenzie Tapely recounts Earth Day 2021 at Carver Youth and Family Development Center, saying, “I was astounded when I saw Citico Creek running only a few inches deep, filled with broken glass, old cell phones, plastic grocery bags, chip bags, and plastic bottles. I felt like I had made a difference once we restored the natural flow of the stream following the removal of debris. I am glad that Green Steps is providing events to bring the community together. Not only did I help clean up the creek, but I learned about the effects of our waste firsthand.”
Green Steps doesn’t just focus on picking up litter; it helps prevent the costly, unsightly mess degrading our beautiful scenery and causing environmental harm. Working with community partners, Green Steps has equipped 51 litter stations with litter and dog waste bags that give people the resources to prevent littering while enjoying nature. You may be familiar with some of the litter stations at Greenway Farms, Renaissance Park, Flipper Bend, and Foster Falls.
And there’s more! We all know that education is key in preventing litter, so Green Steps complements those litter stations and litter pick ups with programs and educational materials for all ages.
Between 2018 and 2020, Green Steps was primarily funded by the Tennessee Department of Transportation. However, COVID-19 caused TDOT to pause dissemination of its Special Litter Grants. Urciuoli says, “We lost our funding after 2020; our annual budget of $130,000 was decimated. Those monies covered salaries, cleanup supplies, overhead costs, and maintenance of our litter stations.”
Determined Green Steppers have organized eight cleanups in 2021, with the help of 100 volunteers and staff donating their time. Chattanooga Brewing Company donated used hop sacks for litter pick ups, saving money on garbage bags and giving those hop sacks a second life before they’re buried in the landfill.
Obviously, funding is critical if we want Green Steps to keep up the momentum. Green Steps is a nonprofit organization, so your investment in litter eradication will be tax-deductible. Please visit greenstepschatt.com for more information on this energetic organization and make your contribution today. You can contact Jimmy Urciuoli through the website or at (404) 993-8579.
by Louise G. Mann
Next time you drive Taft Highway or Highway 41, please notice the volume of litter cluttering our ditches. It’s an eyesore for both our residents and visitors. According to the Tennessee Department of Transportation, it costs $19 million dollars annually to remove highway litter. Economics, human health, and wildlife are all impacted by litter - a threat that is completely preventable. Imagine what our communities could do with $19 million dollars if we didn’t have a litter issue?
Thankfully there are groups addressing this cultural problem. One group that recently caught my attention is Green Steps, not to be confused with Green Spaces, the organization that focuses on energy issues. Green Steps focuses on the eradication of litter.
“Education and community action are key to making litter a thing of the past. When you mobilize people to get their hands dirty, it gives them a sense of pride and ownership for their backyard,” says Green Steps director Jimmy Urciuoli. Urciuoli continues, “We’ve mobilized over 2,200 volunteers since 2017, removing an estimated 1.6 million pounds of garbage from Southeast Tennessee.”
Green Steps volunteer Mackenzie Tapely recounts Earth Day 2021 at Carver Youth and Family Development Center, saying, “I was astounded when I saw Citico Creek running only a few inches deep, filled with broken glass, old cell phones, plastic grocery bags, chip bags, and plastic bottles. I felt like I had made a difference once we restored the natural flow of the stream following the removal of debris. I am glad that Green Steps is providing events to bring the community together. Not only did I help clean up the creek, but I learned about the effects of our waste firsthand.”
Green Steps doesn’t just focus on picking up litter; it helps prevent the costly, unsightly mess degrading our beautiful scenery and causing environmental harm. Working with community partners, Green Steps has equipped 51 litter stations with litter and dog waste bags that give people the resources to prevent littering while enjoying nature. You may be familiar with some of the litter stations at Greenway Farms, Renaissance Park, Flipper Bend, and Foster Falls.
And there’s more! We all know that education is key in preventing litter, so Green Steps complements those litter stations and litter pick ups with programs and educational materials for all ages.
Between 2018 and 2020, Green Steps was primarily funded by the Tennessee Department of Transportation. However, COVID-19 caused TDOT to pause dissemination of its Special Litter Grants. Urciuoli says, “We lost our funding after 2020; our annual budget of $130,000 was decimated. Those monies covered salaries, cleanup supplies, overhead costs, and maintenance of our litter stations.”
Determined Green Steppers have organized eight cleanups in 2021, with the help of 100 volunteers and staff donating their time. Chattanooga Brewing Company donated used hop sacks for litter pick ups, saving money on garbage bags and giving those hop sacks a second life before they’re buried in the landfill.
Obviously, funding is critical if we want Green Steps to keep up the momentum. Green Steps is a nonprofit organization, so your investment in litter eradication will be tax-deductible. Please visit greenstepschatt.com for more information on this energetic organization and make your contribution today. You can contact Jimmy Urciuoli through the website or at (404) 993-8579.
by Louise G. Mann