Anti-Litter and Recycling Walk

AN IDEA

2007-10-28T20:13:00.000-05:00

I would be interested in hearing from anyone who was touched, inspired, changed, participated or any other thoughts having to do with this project and how it has affected you. I welcome all responses and thoughts. You may leave a comment here or email them to: cleanuparkansas@gmail.com

THOUGHTS.......

2007-10-22T09:53:00.000-05:00

Final thoughts...that sounded too much like an ending. I think this is the beginning. The beginning of a new direction.....uncharted, without exact direction, but definitely forward.

One week ago today I finished my "Walk Across Arkansas." I find myself asking, "What did I accomplish? In what ways have I made a difference?" If nothing else, this has had an impact on me personally. It is something I've needed to do for quite sometime. What have I learned? How has this experience changed me?

Once again, the importance of listening to my intuition has been re-enforced. I often tell people, your intuition is your inner genius. It is the voice of your inner most true self. We must stay connected to it. Many times I had thought about acting upon this idea. Sometimes I wondered if I would ever jump out there and do it. Shortly after meeting James, I told him about it and he simply said, "So, do it." Sometimes we just need one trusting voice to support us, to reassure us that were not insane. I mean, walking across the state picking up litter isn't exactly normal....relatively speaking!

I believe that in executing and completing this project, I have put myself in a position to be ready for what lies ahead. Again, I'm not certain about what that may be, but I feel that I am ready and well equipped.

I can't stress enough that I have truly learned the importance of volunteering. I am amazed by the volunteers that accompanied and supported me. There are no words to express my gratitude to these beautiful people. And this project would have been impossible without them all. Which brings me to another point. I have met some very interesting, caring, conscientious people through this experience. In addition to raising awareness of the pollution issue, this has been the best part.

At Keep Arkansas Beautiful, I have found a wonderful organization in which to "plug in" my passion. Director, Robert Phelps and Volunteer Services Director, Sarah Wruck are both truly incredible people and I am blessed to have met them both.

I have personally witnessed some of the manifestations of the awareness the project has brought about in myself and others and I trust that there is much more that I am not aware of. It was "mine to do" and I believe that in following my intuition, I am exactly where I need to be.

I would like to thank the people who believed in my vision and helped bring it to fruition.

Again, without Robert Phelps and Sarah Wruck at Keep Arkansas Beautiful, I can't imagine how this project would have come together. They provided supplies, most of my lodging, ideas, contacts, resources, exposure, and unending support, care and encouragement. KArB commissioner Georgette Garner was a wonderful teacher. After every conversation with her, I had mounds of homework and felt a little more knowledgable about how to execute this plan.

Thanks to Julie Robbins of Mangan Holcomb Partners. Julie handled all of the press for the project through Keep Arkansas Beautiful. She did an amazing job of getting our message out. There wasn't one day of my trip that did not receive some kind of publicity whether it was newspaper, radio and/or TV and she is a wonderful person to work with as well.....very professional and personable.

I would like to thank Senator David and Barbara Pryor. When they heard of my plans, they immediately called me and from there, made contact with my then potential sponsors, promoting my project and putting us (my sponsors and I) in touch with one another. They were instrumental in obtaining sponsorship which ultimately fed my volunteers and I, fueled the support vehicle and provided gear along the way.

I would like to thank Carmie Henry of Arkansas Electric Cooperatives, Inc., David H. Pryor, Jr., FedEx of Harrison and The Powell Family of Fayetteville. These were my major sponsors. The project would not have been possible without their generosity.

Many thanks to Fleet Feet Sports of Fayetteville. I dropped them a flyer outlining the details of my project and that same day Andrea and Russ Gunnell contacted me and were enthusiastic about being a sponsor. They provided me with two awesome pairs of shoes which were custom fit for me and my intended purpose, clothing and gear. Laura Jakosky with Fleet Feet also helped to spread the word providing media coverage.

Many thanks to DeVito's Restaurant of Eureka Springs. I had to have a vehicle big enough to haul my supplies and luggage inside and a truck bed for hauling signage and recyclables. DeVito's provided me with a support vehicle and also provided various delicious treats from their deli and an ample supply of vino!

I would like to thank the Arkansas Dept of Environmental Quality for their support, resources, contacts and encouragement.

A huge thanks to Arkansas State Parks & Tourism. Arkansas State Parks Director Greg Butts is responsible for rounding up many wonderful State park employees to walk with me, all of which were interesting, hard-working and just a pleasure to be with. Those wonderful folks are Donnie, Andrew & Rick from Crowley's Ridge State Park, Corinne & Kristen from Powhatan State Park, Mike & Phil from Lake Charles State Park, Dane & Andrew from Mammoth Spring State Park and Harry from Devil's Den State Park. Thanks to Kristine Puckett who worked very hard to secure much of my lodging needs.

I would like to thank Greg Hollis with Banner Sign & Barricade of Rogers, Arkansas. He provided me with 6 "Litter Crew" signs. Having my own signage saved lots of time that would have been spent borrowing them from the different highway districts which would have meant going to and fro to get them and return them. The signs that Greg provided were also small and lightweight which made it easy for anyone to hang.

I would like to thank Robert Thurman of the Arkansas Environmental Federation. I met Mr. Thurman at ARC. He later contacted me about sponsorship and graciously paid for the three nights of lodging that were not donated. He also passed my name on to Tom Fox at FTN Associates. Thanks to Mr. Fox, my volunteers and I had fresh bottled water (bottles were recycled!) for the entire trek.

The day before departing for Northeast Arkansas, I stopped by Southtown Sporting Goods 2 of Fayetteville. I was in need of a quality rainsuit. Thanks to owner Larry Aggus for donating a very nice Frogg Toggs rainsuit.

I would like to thanks the Arkansas Highway & Transportation Department. They were so friendly, provided orange bags for our garbage and picked up the bagged garbage.

I would like to thank Hillcrest Towers Resident's Council for their generous gift.

Thanks to the following for providing donated or discounted accommodations: The Downtown Inn in Piggott, AR, The Relax Inn in Corning, AR, The Days Inn in Pocahontas, AR, The Spring River Lodge in Hardy, AR, The Days Inn in Mountain Home, AR, The Carlton Marion Inn in Yellville, AR and The Comfort Inn in Harrison, AR.

I would like to thank Judge Jansen of Randolph County. Not only did he provide extra manpower as we passed through the community, he also showed up on the highway personally, introduced himself, picked up litter, and invited us to join him for lunch. He was very kind and supportive. Mayor Crocker and the executive director of the Randolph County Chamber of Commerce also came out and personally thanked us for our efforts.

I would like to thank Mayor Nina Thornton of Hardy for providing such lovely accommodations. She also joined Margaret and I at the end of our day at the recycling center and thanked us for our efforts.

Thank you James. You encouraged me from the very beginning. In fact, when I told you of my plan, you didn't bat an eye. You have encouraged me, helped me with the planning, told me "I could" when I faced unfamiliar and new challenges, quieted my fears, wiped my tears (even over the phone), applauded me and walked with me every day you weren't working. You are amazing.

Thanks to my volunteers Sarah and Earl of Little Rock, AR, Susan from ADEQ, Margaret from Hardy, AR, Patricia of Little Rock, AR, Sallie of Rogers, AR, Maryellen & Bill, Susie P. & Teresa B. of Harrison, Susie of Huntsville, Teresa & Ronnie of Little Rock, AR, Phyllis of Eureka Springs, AR, Tony of Rogers, AR, Georgette & John of Eureka, Springs, AR, Abigail & Lindsey of Fayetteville, AR & last but not least Debbie P of Rogers, AR.....who committed to 4 days and walked to the end for a total of 8 days. There are no words to thank you for being there and not only working so hard day after day but for also helping me with the many demanding details. All of my volunteers were incredible, conscientious, dedicated people.

Thanks to all of my friends who helped, encouraged and provided resources and contacts. Also, many thanks to the people of the communities through which I passed. You all made me feel welcome. Thanks to the following for providing dinner for me and in some cases, my volunteers. Bob & Sandy's Beach Club BBQ in Hardy, El Chico in Mountain Home, The Front Porch Restaurant in Yellville & DeVito's of Harrison.

A special thanks to Larry & Marty Karigan-Winter of Huntsville, AR. Larry made every effort to spread the word and rally support. Larry & Marty opened their peaceful home to Debbie and I for 2 nights and cooked us delicious treats. It was a pleasure getting to know the both of them.

We picked up a total of 5,880 lbs of garbage. We recycled 406 lbs of plastic, 296 lbs of aluminum and 297 lbs of glass. Total weight of litter cleaned up, 6,879 lbs, more than 3 tons, 999 lbs of which was recycled.

It has been a blessing to serve Mother Earth and to give something back to her for all she does to so beautifully sustain us all.

In Joy, Teresa

A CALL FOR PHOTOS

2007-10-19T08:29:00.000-05:00

I welcome any photos that were taken along the trek. Between picking up litter, organizing, etc... I found that I didn't take as many pictures as I'd hoped to. You can email them to me at: cleanuparkansas@gmail.com or if you have quite a few, email me and we'll make other arrangements. Cheers! Teresa

PRESS - IT'S ALL ABOUT SPREADING THE MESSAGE

2007-10-18T19:40:00.000-05:00

The following are links to some of the media exposure the project received thanks to Julie Robbins of Mangan Holcomb Partners. She did an amazing job! Also, the project is currently featured on the front page of the national Keep America Beautiful website. Thanks Julie!

http://www.harrisondaily.com/site/news.cfm?BRD=1815&dept_id=516928&newsid=18910654&PAG=461&rfi=9

http://www.baxterbulletin.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071009/NEWS01/710090339/1002

http://www.kab.org/site/PageServer?pagename=index

http://news.mywebpal.com/news_tool_v2.cfm?pnpid=883&show=archivedetails&ArchiveID=1307027&om=1

http://www.keeparkansasbeautiful.com/informing/news-detail.asp?id=25

http://www.keeparkansasbeautiful.com/

http://www.ktlo.com/wireready/news/00350_Pelliccio-Reaches-MH_073055.php

http://www.kait8.com/Global/story.asp?S=7167754

http://www.ktlo.com/wireready/news/00391_PELLICIO-ON-CLEANUP-pt_-3_072719.php

http://www.nwaonline.net/articles/2007/10/06/our_town/100707pelliccio.txt

http://www.nwarktimes.com/adg/Editorial/204617

http://www.baxterbulletinonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071009/NEWS01/710090339/1002/rss

http://nwaonline.net/articles/2007/10/06/our_town/100707pelliccio.txt

http://www.todaysthv.com/news/news.aspx?storyid=53582

http://www.jonesborosun.com/archivedstory.php?ID=29579&Search=teresa%20pelliccio

http://www.lovelycitizen.com/story/1285043.html

http://www.nwanews.com/hl/News/22213/

http://www.nwarktimes.com/nwat/Living/58483/

PHOTOS OF THE TREK ARE UP!

2007-10-17T18:46:00.000-05:00

To view slideshow, click here
http://www.myspace.com/cleanuparkansas
When music ends, simply restart it by pressing play on the music player to the left of the slideshow. Enjoy!

LOST & FOUND

2007-10-16T22:46:00.000-05:00

Sallie, I have your water bottle and will bring it Thursday night. Also, did anyone leave a blue Nike jacket in the support vehicle on Monday?

Day 15 - THE FINAL DAY

2007-10-16T21:32:00.001-05:00

I wake up ready to execute my Day 15 plan but Mother Nature has other ideas. Storms. Well, I trust that all is how it should be so we call our volunteers and decide to gather at noon. The storm should pass by then. That turned out to be a luxury. I lounged, drank coffee, visited with James at home instead of a hotel room, unpacked, etc...

Today we have 9 volunteers and will be able to cover a large area in a short amount of time. We set 4 teams of 2's in 3 mile increments all walking toward the middle. We can cover 12 miles in 3ish hours. Debbie & Georgette pair up, Harry from Devil's Den State Park & Sarah team up, James & I team up and my daughter, Abigail & her friend, Lindsey team up. We are walking West of Tontitown towards Siloam Springs.

Today we visit with The Morning News, The Arkansas Democrat Gazette & The Northwest Arkansas Times. The latter will run a story this Sunday. The others ran today (Tuesday).

It is overcast and cool, really pleasant. A little on the windy side. We have a nice, wide shoulder to work on and that is always a plus. However, the traffic is very heavy all day. We are short on gear so James is bagging litter and recyclables without a shoulder strap. I have it easy just carrying a garbage grabber. Halfway through the day I come across a 5 gallon bucket and use that to "bag" recyclables helping a little to reduce the weight James is carrying.

This is by far the most littered area we have worked since day 1. We "bag off" frequently. Around 3 we begin gathering the crew and the recyclables. For the first time, we cannot fit all of the recyclables in the support vehicle. We make a drop at the Visitors Center, our ending destination, and start a second collection process. We end up bagging 1000 lbs of garbage and recyclables just today in less than 12 miles!

Time to walk into the Visitors Center and cross the finish line. I am walking in with my volunteers from today and one volunteer, Sallie, from Day 7, who has driven over to walk in with us. As we approach the visitor's center, I see some familiar faces. My excitement raises and I feel a burst of energy and elation. I start running towards the green ribbon, letting out a loud whoooooooooowwwwwwww! I cross the line and give KArB Director, Robert Phelps a hug. Tears well up but I fight them back. I am overwhelmed at the sight of all of these folks who believed in my project, supported me and are here to share this grand finale with me. There is a reporter from the local Siloam Springs paper here and we do a quick interview. He is very nice.

We go inside and Ruth Anne has prepared this amazing bulletin board reflecting all of the sorts of litter we have dealt with as well as a map charting my trek. There are balloons, a beautiful cake with our team icon, punch and snacks and beautiful smiling faces. I am not big on public speaking but aside from the tears, it is easy to express my feelings for the people who have stood beside me and made this project come together.

I will write more about these incredible people and their organizations in my final thoughts which I will post soon. I am currently working on posting the pictures and hope to have those up by tomorrow.

On day 15, we bagged 41 bags of garbage. Thats 820 lbs! We recycled 75 lbs of plastic, 51 lbs of aluminum and 54 lbs of glass.

Totals:
5880 lbs of garbage, 406 lbs of plastic, 296 lbs of aluminum, and 297 lbs of glass.
That's 999 lbs of recyclables.

Grand total of all litter bagged and/or recycled: 6879 lbs.

Thanks 121 lbs shy of 3 1/2 tons.

We cleaned up alot of litter and hopefully, raised the consciousness on this serious matter on some level.

I am thankful for the opportunity to honor Mother Earth. Peace & Light, Teresa

DAY 14 - MY DAUGHTER JOINS ME

2007-10-14T19:25:00.000-05:00

Last night I had the opportunity to get better acquainted with Larry and Marty Karigan-Winter (with whom I stayed the last 2 nights). Larry runs the Madison County Solid Waste Recycling Center. These folks are just authentic, down-to-earth great people. Thank you both for your hospitality!

After another peaceful nights rest in the country, I am ready to tackle day 14. My youngest daughter, Abigail will be my walking partner today. I am thrilled that she has decided to be a part of this experience.

I follow Debbie out and am again treated to an amazing sunrise. We stop for coffee and continue heading to Hindsville, our starting point. Abigail is the first volunteer to arrive. Of course, she needs breakfast. I get her a bowl of cereal and Debbie and I continue setting up. John and Georgette arrive a few minutes later. She is a commissioner for KArB.

We gear up and hit the trail. Debbie and Georgette take the south side, Abigail and I, the north. John is our support vehicle driver. The temperature is perfect. Abigail and I spend the morning catching up. The litter is light and we think we are in for an easy day. Debbie and Georgette lag further and further behind. Towards the end of the morning trek, Louise Mann catches up with us. She gets out of her car and helps us with the last 1/4 mile.

Lunchtime......Louise joins us for lunch. She is all about recycling. I think I've heard her referred to as "The recycling Queen." I learn that Debbie and Georgette and running into very heavy litter. Strange, our side is very clean. We enjoy a delicious lunch. Louise does a Q & A with me and it's time for the afternoon trek.

Afternoon is quite a different experience! The tractors have mowed and there is much shredded litter to be picked up. It seems never ending and at a snail's pace. Lots of repetitive motion with the garbage grabber and I am feeling it. Abigail tells me to rest my hand and I hold my bag while she collects the garbage and recyclables. I think this experience is having a positive impact on her. It is wonderful to share it with her.

Time to sort and weigh the recyclables. We send John and Georgette on their way. Debbie, Abigail and I make fast work of this daily task. Debbie hasn't been home in a week and it's been 2 weeks for me. Today we bagged 31 bags of garbage and recycled 22 lbs of plastic, 20 lbs of aluminum and 20 lbs of glass. That is a record, 620 lbs of garbage!

Tomorrow is the final day of my walk. This experience has been life changing. I will not blog tomorrow night. There will be a media event and a celebration of 15 days of cleaning up Arkansas highways. Tuesday I will download photos and post my final thoughts.

DAY 13 - GETTING CLOSE TO HOME

2007-10-13T21:44:00.000-05:00

Waking up in the country this morning was, well, not easy. For the first time since the trek began, I didn't want to get out of bed. Being in the country, sleeping under cozy quilts knowing it was cold outside and just wanting more sleep more. We have a bit of a drive out so I rise and tell myself that coffee is in the near future. I drive, Debbie navigates.......we watch the sunrise. It is glorious.

We are meeting at the 412 X-press Conoco just east of Huntsville. Our original starting point today was Marble but there is much construction and not much litter. I have my cereal in the truck, Debbie goes for coffee. I continue watching the sky change colors and am energized by the beauty. After breakfast, I take our dirty picnic dishes in and Donna and Sherry are kind enough to let me into their kitchen to wash them. Back in the truck with coffee in hand, I look around at the beauty that is surrounding me and realize that home is less than an hour away. I love Northwest Arkansas......the landscape, the people, the energy. What an amazing place to live. I sit in the truck enjoying some quiet time and taking in the whole experience. Time is getting short, volunteers will be arriving anytime. I re-ice the ice chest and organize my backpack. Volunteers begin arriving and I get caught up in greeting them and discussing logistics with our support vehicle driver. Just past 8 am, I look over and Debbie has gear for everyone laid out, bags attached to hoops. She needs no direction. She knows the drill and just does what needs to be done to get things moving. I am blown away by how the universe has provided this person to help me with this operation.

Teresa C. and her husband, Ronnie will drive today. Debbie has recruited her husband (our meteorologist), Tony, to walk with her and I am walking with Phyllis, a former KArB commissioner.

Phyllis.......how can I describe her? She and her husband are retired and are RVers. I think the best adjectives would be fiery, out-spoken but graceful. You know how you just click with some people? I feel a kinship with Phyllis. The shoulder is wide and level and she and I can walk side by side. We chatter most of the morning. The air is crisp, the sky blue.......a perfect fall day and all of these people have come out to give their time and support to this crazy project of mine. It is truly amazing.

Teresa C., I can easily describe this woman.....ENERGY, goof-off, fun! Her husband Ronnie is more on the quiet side. They keep us entertained all morning driving on the shoulder, making wise cracks, debating the finer points of bagging garbage. Mid morning, Phyllis opts for a break and Teresa C. walks with me. I tell her that she is not allowed to pick up the feathers or the blown tire pieces. (The steel in tire pieces cut the bags and your legs.) We walk along, she keeps me smiling. Debbie and Tony are moving along across the highway. Debbie yells to me, "Want to consolidate?" When the bags are half full, we consolidate. It's hard to carry the bags when they are full so we try to consolidate and bag off when we can.

Lunchtime.......I should tell you something about our picnic's. The volunteers are so tired and hungry after the first 5 or 6 miles. They are always amazed at our lunchtime fare. We do put out quite a spread. James keeps me supplied with delicious treats from the DeVito's deli and we have turkey, ham, pastrami, swiss, provolone, cheddar, fresh fruit and veggies, hummus, nuts, yogurt etc.......... I love watching everyone gather together and mingle, talk, get to know one another.

After lunch we set out for our afternoon trek. Teresa and Ronnie have to leave. It was wonderful to have them along for the morning. It has gotten a little warm but we have plenty of shade to keep us cool.

Today while gathering a "litter crew" sign, I took my worse spill yet. I had to go down into a gravel ditch and lost my footing. I got completely horizontal before landing on my right calf and thigh, catching my upper body with my hand. I will have some big bruises but that's the worst of it.

We finish our afternoon trek. I say goodbye to Phyllis and Tony, Debbie and I begin the sorting and weighing process. Today we bagged 20 bags of garbage (that's 200 lbs!) and recycled 23 lbs of plastic, 20 lbs of aluminum and 25 lbs of glass.

Only 2 more days left and tomorrow night I sleep in my own bed. How strange that will be. I feel the end of the walk drawing near. I have mixed feelings. I need to sleep.

DAY 12 - QUIET & REFLECTIVE

2007-10-12T20:36:00.000-05:00

Friday morning and Debbie and I roll out of bed before the 6 am alarm. Yes, Debbie has decided to stay on for the remainder of the walk. Yea! Today we are joined by Susie (not the same Susie as yesterday). This Susie started the Madison County recycling center in Huntsville that is now ran by Larry Karigan-Winter. She is earthy, genuine and just has a unique energy that you just want to be in the midst of. She and Debbie take the south side and I take the north. James has improved on the bag system. I am now able to collect garbage and recyclables with his bag-in-a-bag design. The man has the mind of an engineer. At 8:45 am Sarah with KArB calls to give me an update of our progress in lbs. We have bagged over 2 tons of garbage so far.

At 9:15 an Alpena policeman pulls up and inquires about a blue car that is parked down the road. I tell him it is ours. He informs me that if we don't move it ASAP, it will be towed. We are hiking and it will be awhile before we can get to the car so I ask him if he would be able to give Debbie a ride to her car. He says no and off he goes. I head toward Debbie to tell her that we have to jog down to her car and move it right away. Before I reach her, the policeman reappears and says he has called his captain and will be able give her a ride down. Luckily she reaches the car in time and smooths everything over. A minor inconvenience.

At 9:15 Mike Ellis from the Lovely County Citizen (Eureka Springs paper) joins me for a Q & A. He is very nice and helps me bag litter while he walks and talks. During our interview, Walt and Earl from Winthrow Springs Park show up and ask where they should begin. The state parks have been such an amazing part of this project. Thanks guys!

The rest of the day is pretty uneventful for me since I am walking alone. I spent some time in reflective thought....about the project, life after the project, the amazing people I am meeting, the things I am learning and what I want to do in the future to continue to educate people about the importance of taking care of our beautiful planet. The landscape is breathtaking and I am just taking it all in.

Today we bagged 22 bags of litter and recycled 15.5 lbs of plastic, 9.5 lbs of aluminum and 23 lbs of glass. Lots of garbage today and lighter on recyclables. But the glass is up again.

Not only did Susie stay and help us sort and weigh the recyclables, but she led us to the recycling center, helped us unload and sort there, then led us to Larry & Marty Karigan-Winter's home where I am staying for the next 2 nights.

As I drive out to their place I feel myself switching gears from bustle to peace. Beautiful rolling, green hills....and just when you think you are going to run into a bluff, you turn into their driveway. As I exit the truck, I am greeted by Marty....not a hello, not a handshake, but a warm, genuine hug. My next 2 nights in this peaceful space will bring me back to center. Not a sound except the crickets.

DAY 11 - REALLY?

2007-10-11T19:06:00.000-05:00

Day 11, that's unbelievable. I catch myself thinking about my life in Fayetteville. But not much. I am still here, doing this, for 4 more days, and I want to stay fully present with the experience. It is an amazing experience and I have learned so much. More about that another day.

James is now gone. He will return on Monday, the final day. Today is Debbie's 4th and final day. She will be sorely missed. Besides James, she is my longest committed walking partner. Thanks to the recruiting efforts of Marianne and Doug of Harrison, we have 2 walkers joining us today, Susie and Teresa B. Debbie and Teresa B. take the south side and Susie and I, the north. We set out for a 6 mile hike, no support vehicle driver. These Harrison girls get down to business. They are not shy and are not afraid of hard work. It will be a fun day.

At about 10 am we are joined by a gentleman from the Harrison Daily Times. We have some fun taking photos and we are off again. About 3 miles into the trek Debbie yells across the road, "I may have to stay for the rest of the trek." Wow, I try not to get my hopes up. After 4 days, Debbie knows the ins and outs of this operation. Having her along for the rest of the trek would help me so much. There are so many daily details. Just getting set up in the morning is incredibly demanding. Not to mention her unending energy and enthusiam. I tell her that it would be wonderful to have her.

All through the morning Susie disappears. I look around and find her using a public (outside) bathroom. Not behind a tree or in the bushes. Susie goes to the "public" bathroom just off the road. After 3 or 4 times, I walk up to her, pen and paper in hand and ask her if I may interview her about this. She humors me. I ask her how she can just do that out in the open like that. Her reply, and I quote, "I couldn't care less who sees my bare a** and I've always been that way. I'd rather be comfortable than worry about it." Wow, I am amazed by this. Later on in the late morning, I tell her that I have been waiting for some woods for quite a while now. She points to a ditch across the highway and tells me that that would be a good place. I look across the highway and back at her. She then points to a ravine on our side of the highway. "That would work right there" she says, pointing. Nobody will see you, they are watching the road. I look at the ravine. It's pretty far down the side of the road. I am miserable and off I go. I return and thank Susie for her good advice.

Today I find some interesting items........ a fold-up playpen in the ditch. I drag it out, collapse it and put half of it in an orange bag. We bag-off there and hope it will get picked up. Later on I find a 4 lb free weight. Debbie finds an inter tube and decides it would be complimentary to her red cap. I agree, it was quite festive!

More questions......What's so fancy about McDonald's ketchup? Is there no end to 32 oz plastic and styrofoam cups? Why do people throw their garbage on the side of the road? Susie thinks plastic straws and zip lock bags should be outlawed.

It was a perfect day. We bagged 24 bags of garbage and recycled 24 lbs of plastic, 28.5 lbs of aluminum and 20.5 lbs of glass. Interesting...... glass is increasing and plastic is decreasing.

Many thanks to Joe and Carol of Harrison. They are friends of Debbie's and they allowed us to drop the recycling at their house since the recycling center was already closed. Everyone contributing in their own way making the project come together. I never knew the importance of volunteering. I am changed in so many ways.

DAY 10 - WHAT ARE THESE FEATHERS?

2007-10-10T20:17:00.000-05:00

Finally! Cool temperatures. Would it be complaining to say too cold early this morning? Well, it warmed up quickly. No complaints!

We are doing the same drill as yesterday only without a support vehicle driver. About an hour into our trek, Debbie announces that she is having a styrofoam day and she is not amused. She finds one patch of it chopped up by the mowers and has me take a photo. She decides that it should be outlawed and we all agree. Yesterday, and especially today, we see white feathers everywhere. Can someone tell me what kind of feathers these are and why they are in this area? (Yellville to Harrison)

The views just keep getting better everyday. Fleet Feet Sports has given me this nifty velcro belt that holds 2 snap on water bottles and my camera. I am also able to loop a supply of bags through the back. It's Great! And the shoes are too! No problems whatsoever. Thanks Andrea and Russ!

I can tell by the constant flow of FedEx Freight trucks that we are nearing Harrison. (They are one of my sponsors) Debbie and I compare peculiar tan lines. We have all been wearing gloves and our hands are white. I've been wearing knee length pearls and my calves are tanned to my ankles........white feet! Debbie has quite a collection of scratches and scrapes on her calves. She is tough as nails though. She amazes me. After 3 days, she is even more driven. It is so great to have her out there, especially since James is gone after today. It will be nice to have her tomorrow. I can count on her to help me organize volunteers and remember details. Thanks Debbie, you ROCK!

At 12:15 we have gone over 6 miles in 4 hours. This is very good as a normal pace is just over 1 mile per hour. James and Debbie shuttle, picking up recyclables and collecting signage. I bag off for everyone and set chairs up for lunch. Lunch is one of the highlights of the day. Also, spotting the support vehicle after hiking 6+ miles. One of the extreme highlights is taking a shower at the end of the day. And having a glass of wine. Did I mention taking a shower?

Remember as a child, running through an unfamiliar yard and suddenly realizing you are in a briar patch? They are abundant lately. Ouch! What do you think is the most commonly drank beer among litterers? Busch. Most common cigarette brand smoked by litterers, Marlboro Lights. Second, Marlboro. Have you ever heard of a cigarette brand called Sonoma? Leggett? Why do tossed beer bottles have the cap on them? .

It was a beautiful day. James, Debbie and I bagged 17 bags of litter and recycled 30 lbs of plastic, 16 lbs of aluminum and 9 lbs of glass. Tomorrow we have a team of 5 girls. Yeah, it will be another great day!

We are staying at the Comfort Inn in Harrison and it is really nice. We were treated to dinner tonight at DeVito's of Harrison. Thanks Steve, Chris and Joe DeVito! It was delicious.

DAY 9 - SUPPORT VEHICLE DRIVER, A LUXURY!

2007-10-09T20:13:00.000-05:00

Wow! Day 9 already. Time is passing so quickly. Today's team is myself, Debbie & James. We also have Maryellen and Bill driving out support vehicle until lunch. What a luxury. Just not having to carry the backpack makes such a difference.

As we set out, the air has definitely turned cooler. We are leaving Mountain Home and the morning traffic is heavy. James takes the north side wrangling 2 bags, Debbie switches to garbage today and I bag recyclables for the first time. The recycling bag is much smaller and bagging them, definitely an easier task. As I walk along I feel that I should be doing more. There are plenty of recyclables but the garbage is everywhere. Debbie is content with her duty so I walk ahead of her and make piles of garbage to speed things up. It's what the person up front usually does when they get ahead.

At 10:15 Debbie and I need a boost. I've brought along a couple of "Carb Boom's" from Fleet Feet Sports. We stop for water and a recharge. Debbie informs me that Tony said the wind that took my sandwich yesterday was 40 mph! We set out again.

As I top the hill, I notice Maryellen and Bill have parked the vehicle and are picking up litter. Wow, that is awesome! We made the front page of the Baxter Bulletin today and we are getting lots of honking and "thumbs up" supporters. It is really nice!James calls for us to bag off. He meets us in the turn off and quickly drops his bag. He has picked up something with ants and they are all over his arms. We get him brushed off, bag off and are again on our way.

The stretch of highway between Mountain Home and Gassville is heavily littered. We bag 22 bags of garbage before lunch. At noon we say goodbye to Maryellen and Bill. It was wonderful to have them along. Thanks guys!

As we do the lunch time vehicle shuttle, James leads us to the White River in Cotter for a picnic. It is so gorgeous. The water is crystal clear and the air smells wonderful. As I make James a sandwich, he busy's himself improving the hoop he designed on Day 1. The part of the ring that rests on the waist is making the garbage collectors sore. He is wrapping a piece of pipe insulation over that part of the hoop. We have lunch, take a walk to the river, snap some great photos and head back to the highway.

The afternoon is hot! We hear that tomorrow will bring us more relief in the temperature. After our afternoon trek we realize that we have made an error in our afternoon logistics. Why is this so hard? We have taken Debbie's and my car to the highway and left the Support Vehicle at the river. That means going all the way back to get it to gather the recyclables. There are only 6 bags to collect. We opt to put them in my Escape. It will be tight. James and Debbie are in front. The seats are down because the back is full of back up supplies and luggage. I climb onto a box for the short ride. As we make our way back, Debbie gets out and loads the recyclables. We are down to the last bag and no space. I am wedged in but the only option is to open my door and cram the bag in. Did I mention that this is dirty work?! I am literally sandwiched in litter! Debbie has captured the moment on film. Photos are forthcoming at the end of the trek.

Today we bagged 28 bags of garbage and recycled 32 1/2 lbs of plastic, 25 lbs of aluminum and 11 lbs of glass. Whew!

Tonight we are staying at the "Carlton Marion Inn" in Yellville. It is really cozy and comfortable. Glenda, our hostess, has allowed me into their home to use their personal computer. Thanks Glenda! Alice and DeWayne, owners of the "Front Porch Restaurant" have treated us to dinner tonight which was very delicious. Thanks you guys!

Time for a glass of vino!

DAY 8 - OUR FIRST RAIN

2007-10-08T18:00:00.000-05:00

Today I am walking/jogging with my friend Debbie, from Rogers, AR. Debbie will be with me for 4 days. I find myself concerned that after her first day, she may regret the commitment. It's a hot, dirty, smelly, hard job. Not that I doubt her, but after doing this for 7 days, I understand that it can be quite overwhelming. Well, after today, I know that I can put my worry away. Debbie is high-energy, conscientious, has a positive outlook and is thrilled to be a part of the project. I will try to keep up with her!

It is just the two of us so we do the usual shuttle and signage routine and set out. It is already hot at 8:15. Debbie's husband, Tony has called us this morning to let us know that rain is on the way but I can't imagine rain. The sun is beating down, blue sky is visible and it feels like summer.

Less than 1 mile into our hike, Debbie is requesting an orange garbage bag. She is bagging recyclables but cannot seem to pass up the garbage. Wow, this girl is rockin! I feel like I need to step up the pace. I probably won't do her justice in words but even her stride says, "I am happy to be here."

At about 10ish, I am tired and hungry. Debbie offers me a Cliff Bar. I've never had one of these before. She has one too. It is a wonderful snack and provides a boost and we set out again. We are getting into rocky terrain and I am trying to grab rocks. They look like plastic bottles. A few steps later, I take my first spill down an embankment. I catch myself with my gloved hand and recover without injury. I am noticing some pretty big thunderheads building in the sky. They are quite beautiful as are the vistas that greet us at the tops of the hills.

At 11:40 we feel a few sprinkles but the sun is unrelenting. I still balk at the idea of an impending storm. We walk on. A gentleman from the Baxter Bulletin shows up for some Q & A, walking with us for 1/2 a mile or so. 12:15 and Debbie's phone rings again. It's our meteorologist, Tony, calling to give us an update. He informs us that we will be in the midst of a storm in 30 minutes. We are feeling some sprinkles and there is an ominous cloud looming on the horizon but we feel certain that we will reach the support vehicle within 30 minutes. We soon reach the support vehicle, collect our signage and backtrack, picking up our recycling. I drop Debbie at her car and we decide to drive to Henderson Park for our picnic. We set up and begin enjoying our lunch when the wind kicks up and I notice a coolness in the air. I realize that we will not finish our picnic before the storm arrives. I begin putting things away. As I am loading the ice chest, my sandwich takes flight! Debbie snags it but not before I lose my cheese! She wraps her arms around the rest of our lunch while I transfer it to the support vehicle. We finish our lunch in the cab of the truck. It was a wonderful time. The sandwich hit the spot, the storm was beautiful as was the company. It was a short day but we accomplished much.

Since this is hump day, I thought it would be interesting to see what we've collected thus far..... We've bagged 2950 lbs of garbage, 189 lbs of plastic, 126 lbs of aluminum and 135 lbs of glass. YEA!! This combined with spreading the "Don't Litter, Recycle" message. 7 more days. Hopefully more volunteers are forthcoming and we press on!

DAY 7 - SALLIE & I, THE SMALLEST TEAM YET

2007-10-07T17:59:00.000-05:00

Sunday morning and Sallie and I slowly roll out of bed. I have not slept well and neither has Sallie. I am checking out of the Spring River Lodge this morning so there is much to do. After checking out and having a quick bowl of cereal I begin getting the ice chest ready for the day. The phone rings. It's Debbie from KTLO 97.9. Speaking with her was actually energizing. She was friendly, supportive and a fellow recycler! She has made me feel welcome in Mountain Home before I even arrive. I believe this will air on the morning show Monday which begins at 6 am.

Today's team is Sallie and myself. We are getting a late start and we have some driving to do this morning as well. After finding our starting point, we shuttle the cars and begin our trek. Sallie is immediately taken aback by the amount of litter and recyclables on the highway. She had no idea. I imagine that most people don't really know how polluted it actually is. You can't see most of it from the car.

The morning was hot. I am astounded at the temperatures in October. Sallie and I walk along and enjoy each others company and converse between traffic. We are walking in the hills today and the vista's are breathtaking. We discuss the Indian with the tear commercial and Smokey The Bear when Sallie bursts into song.... "Smokey the Bear, Smokey the Bear. Prowlin' and a growlin' and a sniffin' the air. He can find a fire before it starts to flame. That's why they call him Smokey, that was how he got his name." She is a delight.

I am puzzled by a particular piece of litter that I find everyday.......ice bags. If I had a dollar for every ice bag I've picked up, I could but myself a complete new fall wardrobe. Do people not think these will blow out of their trucks after they are empty? Hmmm

Sallie and I bagged 8 bags of litter and recycled 11 lbs of plastic, 14 lbs of aluminum and 25 lbs of glass. Thank you Sallie for walking with me today. As always, you were a ray of sunshine.

I wanted to take an opportunity to thank the Powell family for their support to this effort. Their contribution fed my team and myself for the first 5 days and fueled the support vehicle several times. Thanks Mark, Elizabeth, Kailey & Taylor.

DAY 6 - WHAT ARE THE ODDS?

2007-10-06T19:22:00.000-05:00

Last night Sarah from KArB and her friend, Patricia, arrived. We are staying at the Spring River Lodge. I originally had accommodations outside of town at a guest house but Mayor Thornton of Hardy wanted to put me up at the Lodge. I called the woman (I'll call her Jane) who owned guest house just to let her know that I wouldn't be staying there. For some reason, this seemed to cause her much distress. I didn't take it personally and apologized for any inconvenience. To be continued.......

With my volunteers just down the hall, I had the luxury of sleeping in for an extra 30 minutes . Of course, I woke up at 5:15 so I made coffee, filled the jacuzzi, turned on Karnuesh's "Zen Breakfast" and relaxed. Today should be uneventful.

After going outside to take some pictures of the gorgeous sunrise, I find Sarah and Patricia in the dining room. We are ready to go.

They decide to take turns driving the support vehicle and walking with me. The shoulder is wider today and the grassy bank beyond that, level. We are walking along a 4 lane highway through lots of small towns on fairly level ground. For the first hour, we are walking through very thick gnats. The weeds on the side of the road are pretty tall. Just minor nuisances. After walking for an hour or so, my phone rings. It's Margaret! She is going to join us again after lunch. As I walk along, I pick up a discarded hamburger box, drop it into my bag. As I dispose of the next piece of litter, I notice that my bag is full of wasps! I realize they are coming from the hamburger box and I quickly throw it back out. Swarms of wasps fly out. There is one angry wasp still in my bag. I actually grabbed him with my garbage grabber and set him free. That could have been alot worse.

Just a little further down the road, all the extra coffee starts running through me. We are in town so I decide to stop and ask to use a business bathroom. I walk into the business. There is a woman behind the desk and a man standing. I say, "we are picking up litter today and I was wondering if I could use your bathroom." There was a strange "quiet" in the room. The man looked at me, then looked at the woman behind the desk. I felt like I had just asked for something ridiculous. The woman spoke up, "I just put bleach in the toilet." I smiled, thanked her and left. I crossed the highway and went into a burger joint (which smelled really good!) They allowed me to use their restroom. As I was crossing the road to head back to the support vehicle, I noticed the woman was now outside talking to Sarah. I couldn't make out what she was saying but I sensed that it wasn't friendly conversation. As I got closer, I heard Sarah saying "it's my fault, not Teresa's." I knew eventually someone would not like us parking in their parking lot. I kept listening. What was this woman saying? I couldn't believe my ears! It was Jane! Of all the places I could ask to use the bathroom, my radar found Jane! I thought, why did the universe put me here, face to face with her? I told Jane that there was nothing political about what I was doing and I was staying at the lodge because that's where my arrangements were made. She seemed angry. I'm not sure what about. I apologized again and tried to spread a message of peace and community. You know, we're all doing this thing, it's positive, can't we all just get along........ I was going nowhere fast. I decided to start walking again and Sarah and Patricia were getting in the truck to leave. I got down about 100 yards, called Sarah and said, "What are the odds?!" Even though this event was unfortunate and you never like to see people upset, we must continue to focus on the task at hand. We wish the people of this community peace and harmony and we appreciate all that they have done for us.

We had a nice picnic lunch. Margaret showed up and I gave her my place with Sarah, crossed the highway and we set out again. The rest of the afternoon was pretty quiet as I was walking alone. Lots of people drive by and honk and give us the thumbs up. It's very nice. Around 2:30 my index finger could no longer squeeze the garbage grabber. It was too fatigued. I slung my bag over my right shoulder and tried using the grabber with my left hand. It was awkward at first but I got acclimated pretty quickly. About 2:30 Sarah and Patricia had to head back home. They parked the support vehicle up ahead for me and they were gone. I was walking alone for the first time. I didn't mind but it felt a little strange. Soon I topped the hill and up ahead I could see someone on the other side with an orange vest. Margaret! She was still with me. The woman is just amazing. She stuck with me until the end of the day and helped me sort and weigh the recyclables loading them into her truck to take them to the local recycling facility. There, we were joined by Mayor Thornton. We took some photos and her friend Bob invited us to have dinner at his BBQ restaurant, Bob and Sandy's Beach Club BBQ.

I got back to my room to shower. Sallie was here! She is my partner for tomorrow. I showered and we walked to the BBQ restaurant. The three of us had a wonderful dinner. I am so grateful to have met Margaret and I hope our paths cross again.

DAY 5 - WHAT CAN ONE PERSON DO?

2007-10-05T17:19:00.000-05:00

As I stepped out of the elevator this morning and turned toward the lobby, the first thing I saw through the doors was a beautiful, pink sky. I smiled and returned a morning greeting to Mother Nature. Driving to the meeting place, I observed lush, green pastures topped with a thick layer of fog. Above that, a straight tree line, then a layer of purple/grey clouds, then blue sky.

I pulled into the parking lot and waited for my volunteers to arrive. Thanks to Greg Butts, Director of State Parks, I have had daily support by state park employees. Today I am expecting Dane and Andrew from Mammoth Springs State Park and Margaret, a recycling savvy Hardy, AR resident. Margaret calls to tell me that she is running errands and has a Dr's appointment and will try to catch up with me later in the morning. I now realize that Dane and Andrew will walk together and I will not have a recycling partner. My heart sinks as I contemplate throwing away all of those recyclables. I can't wrangle two bags. Not and keep up with the guys. I take a deep breath and tell myself I can only do my best and that's what I am doing. As I wait for the guys my mind trails off to unnecessary thinking....."What if nobody shows. Then I'll find someone to shuttle me and I'll walk alone. Who are my contacts in Hardy?" My phone rings again. It's Dane. They are at the convenience store in Ravenden. I tell him I am 3 minutes away.

I see the State Park truck, jump out and introduce myself. I give them a logistics run down and we head for the highway, set up signage and begin our first trek.

After about 30 minutes, Dane yells across the road, "What's for lunch?" I ramble off a list of what I think is pretty good fare for picnic food. He seems content with the menu and continues on. My bag is filling up so fast without a recycling partner. I look up ahead and see a turn out. I yell to the guys, "Let's bag off there" pointing to the turn out. "Bag off" is the term I've coined for dropping a full bag. They cross the road and we quickly do the drop. These guys work quickly, jumping in to help and getting re-bagged. I acknowledge their speed. Dane chimes in, "We're married, we're already trained." I get a good laugh. They cross the road and we start out again.

We are definitely moving into hill country today. The highway is curvy and steep. The traffic is heavy and there are lots of diesel trucks flying by. The shoulder is very narrow and the drop beyond that is steep and composed of gravel. There is literally no margin for error. I hear James's voice telling me to be careful and I step up my awareness. I am carrying the backpack with our supplies....bags, water, my camera, etc.... I can't remember ever perspiring so much. Thanks to FTN Assoc., we have delicious bottled water.

After about 2 miles, I notice a truck slowing, a woman driver looking at me. "I think my partner is here!" I shout. She turns around and we meet her in a turn out. I direct her back to Dane's truck where I have left her gear. She speeds away and is walking behind me about 10 minutes later.

Margaret is awesome! She reminds me of the character "Linda" in the movie "Slingblade." Very southern, sweet, genuine and with the same accent. She even looks kinda like her. As we walk along, she needs no instruction. She knows what to recycle and to empty bottles etc.... At one point she turns to me and says, "You know, you can recycle the cardboard too." I think....."Can she walk with me the whole way?!"

We finally reach the support vehicle and begin the shuttle process for lunch break. Margaret, Dane and Andrew gather recyclables on the way to Dane's truck. I move signage and head for a shady picnic spot and begin laying out our lunch. Margaret arrives soon thereafter. She and I begin eating, all the while looking over our shoulders for the guys. We are puzzled when after eating, they still have not arrived. I pack everything up and we make towards the truck to head east and investigate. Just as we are about to pull out, the guys show up. They've gotten a ride and tell us that Dane has left his lights on and his battery is dead. I am in James's truck and it is full of supplies. I don't see any jumper cables. Margaret has none. Luckily I have parked across the street from a house. Dane crosses the highway in search for jumper cables, I make Andrew a couple of sandwiches. Dane finally arrives with cables and I make him a couple of sandwiches. I offer him hummus for his carrots. He has no idea what hummus is. I give him some to sample. He likes it, thinks it's kind of a cheesy blend (it's roasted red pepper). I tell him there's no cheese in it.

After lunch, we jump start the truck. The guys have to be back on their way to Mammoth Springs by 3 and Margaret has rescheduled her Dr's appointment for the afternoon. I tell Margaret to go for the day. She needs to get to the Dr. so she doesn't feel bad all weekend. Dane, Andrew and I sort and weigh the recyclables. We recycled 23.5 lbs of plastic, 20 lbs of aluminum and 8.5 lbs of glass and bagged 11 bags of litter. These recycling figures reflect a shorter walk and me bagging recyclables with litter for 2 miles.

Everyone in the group had a good attitude throughout this whole chain of events. I feel that the day was a total success. We cleaned up 10 total miles of highway and I've met some awesome people. What can one person do? Their best.... and we all did. Thanks Dane, Andrew, Margaret. It was a wonderful, memorable day. Cheers!

PS Many thanks to Computer Source in Hardy, AR for letting me in after hours to use their facilities!

DAY 4 - LOTS OF LAUGHTER, LOTS OF HEAT

2007-10-04T20:43:00.000-05:00

Todays trek was from Pocahontas to Ravenden. I arrived on the eastern side of the Spring River Bridge in Imboden to find Mike from the Lake Charles State Park waiting for me. He was friendly and greeted me with a big smile. Shortly thereafter, Susan from ADEQ arrived. She was excited about the day's challenge and bubbling with enthusiasm. Next, Phil arrived. He is the Lake Charles State Park interpreter and class clown! He shook my hand and made a joke about the sausage biscuit grease that he just shared with me. I knew it was going to be a fun day. We shuttled the vehicles and divided up. Mike and Phil took the north side. Susan and I, the south.

Shortly after we started walking, Randolph County Judge David Jansen arrived. He joined us.....walking, talking and picking up litter. He informed me that the county inmates would be arriving soon to help with our effort. He thanked us for what we were doing and asked us to be his guests for lunch. Next Mayor Crocker and the Executive Director of the Randolph County Chamber of Commerce, Wayne Gearhart arrived along with Dalton, a reporter from The Pocahontas Star Herald. Thanks to Keep Arkansas Beautiful and Fleet Feet Sports of Fayetteville getting the word out, press arrive daily and hopefully people are learning the importance of caring for our beautiful planet. Dalton took some photos as did I. Judge Jansen made sure we had everything we needed and we were off again.

Susan bagged recyclables and I bagged litter. Whenever we got within earshot of Mike and Phil, they were talking, laughing or Phil was singing. Phil is quite comical and Mike has a contagious laugh.

Today we started getting into hill country. The traffic lessened and there were many big trees shading us along the way. We also enjoyed a cool, gentle breeze. It warmed up quickly and by first break we were happy to be sitting in air conditioned comfort on our way to lunch.

We met Judge Jansen at The Hickory Bar-B-Que Restaurant in Pocahontas. The food was delicious and it was interesting getting to know more about everyone. Phil kept the witty commentary coming.

Our afternoon trek was short but it was extremely hot. I chose October because of the cooler temperatures but it is staying in the upper 80's to 90. As soon as we reached the support vehicle, we all downed a cold Propel. It was so refreshing. Without a support vehicle following, our water stays pretty warm.

At the end of the day. Mike stayed with me for the sorting and weighing of the recyclables. We bagged 13 bags of litter and recycled 26.5 lbs of plastic, 26 lbs of aluminum (which we were able to donate to a needy family) and 8.5 lbs of glass. I am still waiting to hear how much the county picked up today.

I am really enjoying this experience and am honored to be able to do this for mother earth. My greatest wish is that people hear the message and decide to make positive changes for our planet. The earth is our home. Let's take care of her.

Happy Birthday to my beautiful granddaughter, Alyssa who is 5 today!

DAY 3 - HOW TO GET TO THE OTHER SIDE

2007-10-03T21:07:00.000-05:00

This morning we woke up to rain but it was moving out of the area. Today our trek was from Corning to Pocahontas. The wind has finally ceased and the sky is mostly cloudy. I miss the hills of NW Arkansas but am finding much beauty as I walk through the delta. It's harvest time here and there are lots of big machinery on the highway. There are corn fields that have already been harvested. Other fields are bright yellow and beautifully contrast today's blue/grey sky.

Day 3's team consists of 4.......myself, James, Kristen from Powhatan State Park and Rick from Crowley's Ridge State Park. James and I take the north side and Kristin and Rick, the south.

Everyday brings a new logistic challenge. With small teams and no support driver, we must consider how many vehicles we have and where we need them to be at lunch and where we need them to be at the end of the day. The support vehicle is full of food, water, supplies and luggage so it can only shuttle 2 people including the driver. Other than the logistics challenge, we are getting into a routine.

We divided and hit the trail. It seems as though traffic is getting heavier as we press forward. It was difficult to communicate with James as we walked. But communicating in other forms is improving. I am bagging litter, James, recyclables. When I see him head off the shoulder to grab some beverage bottles, I know he will grab the litter on the way up so I just hold my bag open as he nears the shoulder. I'm not sure I want to brag about this, but, we are getting quite efficient with these garbage grabbers! For one, they are designed very well. I can be walking full speed and pick up a straw and never miss a stride. They are very precise. We are getting good at "handing off" too. And then there's the "toss" to see if you can hit your partner's bag.

We break for lunch. Everyone shuttles to bring the vehicles forward and James moves signage and collects recyclables. As I am making my way back to the lunch destination, I notice a "litter crew" sign still up. It seems odd as James should have already been here and gone by now. I turn around to get the sign and see James pulling up to get it. I turn around and continue to our meeting place. After lunch, I notice that my grabber is soft in places where it has been rubbing a blister. I look down and there are these big pads on my grabber. James has made a pit stop, picked up some callous pads and attached them to my grabber. I will miss him so after today.

Yesterday's "hot" recyclable was plastic "POPOV" bottles. I lost count at 20 something. Cigarette packaging is still the #1 litter item but 32 oz. styrofoam cups are running a very close second. I could have outfitted a small army with the clothing I picked up today including a pair of athletic shoes. Wildlife......today we saw lots of little frogs.

We bagged 12 bags of litter today and recycled 33 lbs of plastic, 21 1/2 lbs of aluminum and 9 lbs of glass. So far, the Day 1 stretch was the most littered but recyclables are staying pretty consistent.

It is evening now and James has just left. He must be back at work tomorrow. I feel strange here in Pocahontas tonight. For the next 4 days, logistics and organizing fall completely on me. We have a great bag design and an efficient system of sorting and weighing recyclables. I am feeling confident about solely taking the reins. One of the most challenging aspects is packing up daily and moving from hotel to hotel. Thankfully, I will be here for 2 nights. This will make tomorrow morning a little less hectic.

I can't believe day 3 is already over. Time is flying. Everyday brings new challenges, new people to enjoy and work with and an opportunity to educate.

Judge Jansen of Randolph County called me today. He is bringing additional help tomorrow!

P.S. After the trek is finished, I will download the photos and create a link to them from this blog site.

DAY 2 - GETTING IT

2007-10-02T20:24:00.000-05:00

Today we had a team of 3. This means no support vehicle driver. We put a vehicle out 5 miles then drive back to the start in another vehicle, load up a backpack with bags and water and hit the road. This way we stay together and are never more than 2.5 miles from a vehicle.

Corinne from Powhatan State Park walked with James & me. She and I took the south side, one grabbing litter, the other recyclables. James took the north side and wrangled two bags. We walked 5 miles, had our picnic, then walked another 4 miles. With small teams it is impossible to get all 20 miles in one day. I am pleased with what 3 people accomplished today. We worked a total of 18 miles. The bags of liter were considerably less today. We had 15 bags of liter weighing approximately 300 lbs. We recycled 33 pounds of plastic, 5 lbs of aluminum and 7 lbs of glass.

Walking with Corinne today was fun and interesting. At one point, we were walking along and Corinne said, "look at that!" I looked down and there was a very unusual snake. She said it was an Eastern Hog Nose snake. It looked like a black cobra. She went for the camera in my backpack, but by the time she retrieved it, the snake had burrowed itself into the tall grass. She went right down after it, trying to coax it out for it's photo opt, but the snake was gone. She was fearless, saying it wasn't poisonous. Corinne worked so hard and never complained. In fact, she was such a delight to be with today.

James's new bag design was a success! We never could have covered so much area trying to wrestle the bags open and we were able to walk faster with them supported by a shoulder strap.

Tonight we are staying in Corning at the Relax Inn thanks to the hospitality of Sandy. They even did our laundry for us. Thanks Linda! We are without a computer and thanks to my daughter, Jessica, we are blogging via telephone tonight. Thank you sweetie!

DAY 1 - DEDICATED TO CARL GARNER

2007-10-01T20:38:00.000-05:00

The Great Arkansas Cleanup grew out of an effort that began 38 years ago as the Greers Ferry Lake and Little Red River Cleanup. In 1985, U.S. Sen. Dale Bumpers guided legislation requiring an annual pickup event during the weekend after Labor Day on all federal lands. This law, the Carl Garner Federal Lands Cleanup Act, honors the founder of the event. Mr. Garner continues his advocacy for a clean and litter-free environment as a member of the Keep Arkansas Beautiful Foundation Board of Directors. I want to dedicate the first day of my trek in honor of Carl Garner who has worked so hard to teach the importance of taking care of our environment and stressing the importance of recycling. "One Person Can."

We started the day with a wonderful breakfast prepared by out hosts, Lou & George at The Downtown Inn in Piggott, AR. It is a wonderful B & B and we are enjoying our stay very much.

Time to depart for the St. Francis Bridge. I have lost my keys. I am afraid I have locked them in the car. After calming down and taking a few breaths, I remember where I put them the night before and we are off to the bridge. After an interview with Channel 8, we plan the logistics for the day. We have 6 volunteers including myself.....2 volunteers from Crowley's State Park, Donnie & Andrew, Sarah from KArB, her husband Earl (Happy Birthday Earl!) and James (my favorite guy) and myself. We split up and Sarah is the support vehicle driver. Our Crowley volunteers take the upper half, James and Earl take the lower with me alternating sides and taking up the slack. I find it too cumbersome to handle 2 bags so I gather litter while James and Earl wrangle both a recycling bag and a litter bag.

We are surrounded by cotton fields, an overcast sky and a brisk breeze. The breeze blows in our favor helping the bags stay open for depositing litter. We have tied the bags to our belts or beltloops trying to keep them open with our left hand. (garbage grabber in our right hand). Trying to keep them open is not an easy task. I look behind me and to my right. I see my support..... walking, working. I am moved.

At 1 we find an inviting shade for our lunch picnic. I shut my eyes and listen to the voices of my friends. I savor the moment.

After lunch we have only a couple more miles to go. It passes quickly although the clouds have broken up and we are sweaty and thirsty. Interesting finds today.......James must be doing something right, he has found a $5 bill. If you wish to claim this money, be prepared to give a detailed description of the bill! I found a pair of Levis, a full bottle of baby oil and an iron ladder.

The walking portion of the day is over....time to sort the recyclables. We bagged 29 bags of litter and recycled 32 1/2 lbs of plastic, 6 1/2 lbs of aluminum and 35 lbs of glass. And this is not a heavily traveled section of highway. I am surprised at the amount of recyclables.

We have figured out what is working and what is not. Attaching the bags to our pants is too heavy and cumbersome my pants won't stay up! The recycling bag is constantly under foot. As I type tonight, James is engineering a new system. He has taken a "pop up" trash can and cut out the metal rings. From there, he has fastened a bag to the ring with clips and attached a padded over the head and shoulder strap. Now, the left hand can hold the ring, the bag always open, and the right holds the "grabber." This should make things alot easier and the trek faster. However, I will still wear overalls tomorrow!

Today was a success. Tomorrow will be grand.

SOUTHTOWN SPORTING GOODS 2

2007-09-29T16:46:00.000-05:00

Many thanks to Larry Aggus, owner of Southtown Sporting Goods 2 located in North Fayetteville. Larry is supporting this project by providing me with a very nice FROGG TOGGS Rainsuit. Thank you so much Larry!

ALMOST TIME TO GO

2007-09-29T06:32:00.000-05:00

Saturday morning.....almost time to go. I still lie in bed at night and think "you're going to do what?" I look around the place. Things scattered about. A list of lists to bring, water bottles, walkie talkies, an ice chest, insect repellent and boxes of orange bags. It reminds me of getting ready to go camping. I think about what lies ahead. Physically I am ready. At least I feel as though I am. People are constantly telling me that 20 miles per day for 15 days is too much. I know I can do it. I think about everyone who shares my vision and has been with me in the planning stages and the people who have volunteered to walk with me, drive my support vehicle. I am moved. I wonder how this experience will change me. I hope it inspires changes in others too.

THE BIG PICTURE

2007-09-27T22:15:00.000-05:00

INTERESTING & ALARMING RECYCLING FACTS

Aluminum Recycling Facts....

A used aluminum can is recycled and back on the grocery shelf as a new can, in as little as 60 days. That's closed loop recycling at its finest!
Used aluminum beverage cans are the most recycled item in the U.S., but other types of aluminum, such as siding, gutters, car components, storm window frames, and lawn furniture can also be recycled.
Recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy to run a TV for three hours -- or the equivalent of a half a gallon of gasoline.
More aluminum goes into beverage cans than any other product.
Once an aluminum can is recycled, it can be part of a new can within six weeks.
Because so many of them are recycled, aluminum cans account for less than 1% of the total U.S. waste stream, according to EPA estimates.
An aluminum can that is thrown away will still be a can 500 years from now!
There is no limit to the amount of times an aluminum can be recycled.
We use over 80,000,000,000 aluminum soda cans every year.
At one time, aluminum was more valuable than gold!
A 60-watt light bulb can be run for over a day on the amount of energy saved by recycling 1 pound of steel. In one year in the United States, the recycling of steel saves enough energy to heat and light 18,000,000 homes!

Paper Recycling Facts......

To produce each week's Sunday newspapers, 500,000 trees must be cut down.
Recycling a single run of the Sunday New York Times would save 75,000 trees.
If all our newspaper was recycled, we could save about 250,000,000 trees each year!
If every American recycled just one-tenth of their newspapers, we would save about 25,000,000 trees a year.
If you had a 15-year-old tree and made it into paper grocery bags, you'd get about 700 of them. A supermarket could use all of them in under an hour! This means in one year, one supermarket goes through 60,500,000 paper bags! Imagine how many supermarkets there are in the U.S.!!!
The average American uses seven trees a year in paper, wood, and other products made from trees. This amounts to about 2,000,000,000 trees per year!
The amount of wood and paper we throw away each year is enough to heat 50,000,000 homes for 20 years.
Approximately 1 billion trees worth of paper are thrown away every year in the U.S.
Americans use 85,000,000 tons of paper a year; about 680 pounds per person.
The average household throws away 13,000 separate pieces of paper each year. Most is packaging and junk mail.
In 1993, U.S. paper recovery saved more than 90,000,000 cubic yards of landfill space.
Each ton (2000 pounds) of recycled paper can save 17 trees, 380 gallons of oil, three cubic yards of landfill space, 4000 kilowatts of energy, and 7000 gallons of water. This represents a 64% energy savings, a 58% water savings, and 60 pounds less of air pollution!
The 17 trees saved (above) can absorb a total of 250 pounds of carbon dioxide from the air each year. Burning that same ton of paper would create 1500 pounds of carbon dioxide.
The construction costs of a paper mill designed to use waste paper is 50 to 80% less than the cost of a mill using new pulp.......

Plastic Recycling Facts.........

Americans use 2,500,000 plastic bottles every hour! Most of them are thrown away!
Plastic bags and other plastic garbage thrown into the ocean kill as many as 1,000,000 sea creatures every year!
Americans throw away 25,000,000 plastic beverage bottles every hour!
Recycling plastic saves twice as much energy as burning it in an incinerator.
American throw away 25,000,000,000 Styrofoam coffee cups every year.......

Glass Recycling Facts.......

Every month, we throw out enough glass bottles and jars to fill up a giant skyscraper. All of these jars are recyclable!
The energy saved from recycling one glass bottle can run a 100-watt light bulb for four hours. It also causes 20% less air pollution and 50% less water pollution than when a new bottle is made from raw materials.
A modern glass bottle would take 4000 years or more to decompose -- and even longer if it's in the landfill.
Mining and transporting raw materials for glass produces about 385 pounds of waste for every ton of glass that is made. If recycled glass is substituted for half of the raw materials, the waste is cut by more than 80%......

Solid Waste and Landfills.......

About one-third of an average dump is made up of packaging material!
Every year, each American throws out about 1,200 pounds of organic garbage that can be composted.
The U.S. is the 1 trash-producing country in the world at 1,609 pounds per person per year. This means that 5% of the world's people generate 40% of the world's waste.
The highest point in Ohio is "Mount Rumpke," which is actually a mountain of trash at the Rumpke sanitary landfill!
The US population discards each year 16,000,000,000 diapers, 1,600,000,000 pens, 2,000,000,000 razor blades, 220,000,000 car tires, and enough aluminum to rebuild the US commercial air fleet four times over.
Out of ever $10 spent buying things, $1 (10%) goes for packaging that is thrown away. Packaging represents about 65% of household trash.
On average, it costs $30 per ton to recycle trash, $50 to send it to the landfill, and $65 to $75 to incinerate it........

Miscellaneous Recycling Facts.......

More than 20,000,000 Hershey's Kisses are wrapped each day, using 133 square miles of aluminum foil. All that foil is recyclable, but not many people realize it.
Rainforests are being cut down at the rate of 100 acres per minute!
A single quart of motor oil, if disposed of improperly, can contaminate up to 2,000,000 gallons of fresh water.
Motor oil never wears out, it just gets dirty. Oil can be recycled, re-refined and used again, reducing our reliance on imported oil.
On average, each one of us produces 4.4 pounds of solid waste each day. This adds up to almost a ton of trash per person, per year.
A typical family consumes 182 gallons of soda, 29 gallons of juice, 104 gallons of milk, and 26 gallons of bottled water a year. That's a lot of containers -- make sure they're recycled!..>
These recycling facts have been compiled from various sources including the National Recycling Coalition, the Environmental Protection Agency, and Earth911.org.

FROM AN IDEA TO REALITY

2007-09-17T20:17:00.000-05:00

Over 5 years ago, as I was driving along a beautiful Arkansas highway, I was taken aback by how much litter was on the shoulder. It was such an odd contrast. I couldn't understand how anyone could be driving along with this beauty surrounding them, roll down their window and discard their garbage. I thought, maybe they were just doing what they had always done. Maybe they'd never even thought about doing anything different. Maybe if they heard a different message, perhaps they would become more conscientious. At that moment, a desire sprung up inside of me. I wanted to walk across the state and send that message out, hopefully reaching those individuals.

This summer, after attending a workshop entitled "What Is Mine To Do?" my desire was re-awakened and I could no longer ignore it. Little did I know what was involved in such an undertaking.

I initially emailed Michelle and Betsy, the Eastern & Western Arkansas Recycling Coordinators. They were supportive and encouraging. From there, they put me in touch with the folks at "Keep Arkansas Beautiful." From the moment Robert at KArB received my first email, he responded with enthusiasm, support and resources, inviting me to meet with some of his staff at the "Great Arkansas Cleanup" Regional meeting. There I met Sarah, Teresa & Georgette. They too received me and my project with open arms and overflowing enthusiasm. I remember Georgette telling me, "No matter what, don't give up. See this project through."

I hesitate to now call this project "mine." It is my dream, but as I started knocking on doors, many were closed, but so many more have opened their doors and shared my vision and this is certainly "our" project.

I want thank you Robert, Sarah & Georgette for believing in my vision and working so hard to make it go from idea to reality. My heart is forever a part of KArB and I look forward to always being a part of this incredible organization. I also want to say thank you to Teresa, Julie & Kristine for your support and hard work.

I would also like to extend my thanks to Mr. Henry of AECI for believing in my project and helping me secure funding. Also, many thanks to Senator David & Barbara Pryor for being instrumental in helping me secure funding and for your encouragement & support.

Thank you James for being my inspiration and encouraging me to knock on new doors as well as doors that had already been closed. Thank you for constantly coming up with new ideas and ways to make this project more efficient.

The planning phase of this project is almost over. Soon we will begin "the walk." I can only imagine what a life changing experience this is going to be. What a blessing and an honor to do this for Mother Earth.

A "Fleet Feet" Experience

2007-09-13T10:56:00.000-05:00

This morning I met with Andrea and Laura of "Fleet Feet Sports" to get "geared up" for my walk. In the past, I have always selected my athletic shoes based on fit and style. At "Fleet Feet" they take you through a process called "Fitlosophy." They measure your feet from several angles, analyze your gait and the shape of your feet while considering the activity you will be performing in the shoes. From here, they are able to custom fit shoes that will perform at the highest level for your personal needs. In addition to this "custom fit" process, they are very wonderful people to work with. Thank you all so much!!

A SAMPLING OF LITTER

2007-09-01T10:41:00.000-05:00

Almost everyday I walk approximately 8 miles picking up litter. Here is a breakdown of what I found today.

The following items were picked up along a 1/2 mile stretch of residential/business throughway.

5 plastic bottles
3 plastic cups
3 aluminum cans
2 glass bottles
1 plastic lid
1 plastic straw
2 cigarette packaging
3 styrofoam cups
1 fast food box
7 pieces of random paper litter
4 pieces of random plastic litter
countless cigarette butts

The following items were picked up at a local City Park. Most of the litter was collected along the entrance to the Park. This Park has numerous trash receptacles.

1 personal water bottle
2 plastic bottles
5 aluminum cans (one which was completely filled with cigarette butts)
2 glass bottles
8 plastic lids
3 plastic straws
2 cigarette packaging
5 styrofoam cups
2 fast food boxes
18 pieces of random paper litter
20 pieces of random plastic litter
2 cardboard packaging
1 plastic bag
1 paper cup
1/2 of a CD
1 lip gloss container
countless cigarette butts

Litter Facts

2007-08-26T17:23:00.000-05:00

Every day Arkansans hide the beautiful landscape of The Natural State behind litter. The most common forms of litter found in Arkansas' waste stream are:

CIGARETTE FILTERS

*Cigarette waste is the most abundant form of litter in Arkansas and on the planet.

*Collected cigarette litter weighs in the millions of pounds annually.

*Cigarette filters are not biodegradable; they are made of plastic, not paper and cotton.

*Cigarette litter lingers in our environment up to 25 years.

*Cigarette butts are lightweight and can easily move through our storm drains into our waterways and water supplies.

*Water will leach the toxins from cigarette litter, making it deadly to most aquatic life. In fact, the toxins released from one cigarette butt left in a gallon of water for one day will kill about 80 percent of aquatic life added to that water.

PLASTIC FOAM PIECES - PLASTIC FOAM CUPS

*Plastic foam does not break down naturally (Not biodegradable) but can be broken down chemically.

*Annually, Americans produce enough plastic foam cups to circle the earth more than 400 times.

*Plastic foam can stay in the environment for up to 500 years.

FOOD WRAPPERS AND CONTAINERS

*One of every five items of litter is food-related.

*10% of all litter is food wrappers.

*Most fast-food litter is found in close proximity to a fast-food restaurant.

*People who eat fast food in their vehicles are twice as likely to litter.

PAPER

*For every ton of paper that is recycled, 17 trees are saved.

*In this decade, Americans will throw away almost five million tons of office paper and nearly 10 tons of newspaper.

*Each person in the United States uses about 675 pounds of paper a year.

*Arkansans use more than 18 million pounds of paper a year.

*40% of all waste is paper.

*About 75% of all paper recovered in the United States is recycled into new products.

GLASS FRAGMENTS - GLASS BOTTLES

*6% of all waste is glass

*Glass bottles can stay in our environment up to 1,000 years.

*In this decade, Americans will throw away more than 11 million tons of glass bottles and jars.

*There are as many as 800 glass bottles along each mile of rural road in Arkansas.

PLASTIC PIECES - PLASTIC CAPS AND LIDS - PLASTIC STRAWS - PLASTIC BOTTLES

*10% of all waste is plastic.

*More than 80% of Americans reuse plastic products and packaging in their homes.

*It takes 36 two-liter bottles to produce one square yard of carpet.

*Plastic bottles can stay in our environment indefinitely.

*Five recycled plastic bottles make enough fiberfill to stuff a ski jacket.

ALUMINUM CANS

*Aluminum cans can stay in our environment up to 500 years.

*Recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy to keep a 100-watt light bulb burning for almost 20 hours or power a television for three hours.

*Enough aluminum is thrown away every three months to rebuild every commercial airplane in America.

*20 cans can be made from recycled material with the same amount of energy it takes to make one new can.

*In this decade, Americans will throw away more than one million tons of aluminum cans and foil.

MORE FACTS ABOUT LITTER

ACROSS ARKANSAS

*Arkansas has 100,000 acres of public roadside along its 16,367-mile state highway system, 9,700 miles of streams, and 600,000 acres of lakes.

*It cost Arkansas more than $3 million annually to clean up along the highways, and $5 million in total clean-up costs.

*For every man, woman and child in Arkansas, 9.6 pounds of waste is generated daily (or more than 1 ton per person annually).

*3.6 million pounds of trash was collected during the 2004 Great Arkansas Cleanup.

*Litter was picked up from 3,989 miles of highway, 733 miles of shoreline, and 110 parks and public areas during the 2005 Great Arkansas Cleanup.

*39 illegal dumps were closed or cleaned up during the 2005 Great Arkansas Cleanup.

ACROSS THE UNITED STATES

*The United States throws away more trash than other country.

*Every day, the average American produces 4.5 pounds of trash.

*About 750 people die each year in auto accidents trying to avoid litter on the highways.

Keep Arkansas Beautiful August 2007