Category Archives: Litter Cleanup

–Written by guest blogger David Zwick, Admin. of PAL – People Against Litter I’ve camp/traveled full time since retiring, and am just finishing my third winter here in the desert southwest.  While I was loving my travels I was troubled by the amount of litter I saw.  Last year when I returned to one of my favoriteContinue reading “People Against Litter”

Sweeping the street keeps him warm at night, William told me as he wrapped black tape around the handle of a new donated broom.  “My dad taught me the importance of consequences from our actions, and I realized recently that applies to everything I do,” he explained.  He began a one-man campaign to clean neighborhoodContinue reading “Streetsweeper”

When we asked people how they felt about litter (Litter Awareness Survey), they responded strongly with a variety of insults and epithets. Clearly, most people do not like litter, and more people are starting to do something about it. Colene, an 81-year old in San Diego, helped with her church’s cleanup event at a neighborhoodContinue reading “Pliking Across the Ages”

This week I indulged in Forest Bathing (Shinrin Yoku) in the North Creek Forest. After gathering for the now-familiar COVID safety discussion, our group of five women descended dirt steps into a lush Pacific Forest, leaving behind the sights and sounds of suburbia. Judy, our facilitator, offered suggestions for opening up our senses to theContinue reading “Pliking While Bathing”

“As we clean up trash we are opening up paths of healing. What a wonderful way to strengthen our community by offering miles of peace and tranquility along our trails, biking paths and waterways.” –Melanie “I plike to promote awareness, and to set a good example for my granddaughter.” –Beverly I really don’t like seeingContinue reading “Why We Plike”

I’ve been really grumpy lately.  I moved to Seattle 3 months ago, and I miss the deep blue skies and sunshine of Ogden, Utah.  I miss hiking to the waterfall and kayaking at Pineview.  But most of all, I miss the friends I made while Pliking.  Something about picking up disgusting trash together created aContinue reading “The Pliking Community”

Today I was able to assist a hiker with terrible aim. Somehow after bagging their dog’s poop, the bright purple bag went flying into the air, and perched on a branch near the top of a very tall fir tree. Fortunately, as an experienced pliker I am always prepared. The blackberries fought back, but IContinue reading “The Flying Bag”

Every state has its weeds. In Utah, members of the Pliking Club pull Dyers Woad, Myrtle Spurge and Goatshead. Dyers Woad, which decorates Ogden’s hillsides with its small yellow flowers and can be used to create blue dye, is also an introduced nonedible plant which crowds out native plants, reducing edible vegetation for wildlife. MyrtleContinue reading “Every State Has Its Weeds”

As my friend Carolyn and I traveled across Idaho and Washington this week, we stopped at several roadside attractions, including a mummified mermaid and the actual Center of the Universe. Which I must say, is rather inconveniently positioned. Carolyn watched for traffic while I stood in the middle of the intersection for a selfie ofContinue reading “Feeding the Garbage Goat”

For many years, I was embarrassed to pick up trash, but did it anyways. When I encountered another hiker on the trail, I’d hide my bag of trash behind my back. However, since I started Pliking openly, no one has criticized me, laughed or made faces. Quite the opposite – many, many people have saidContinue reading “Picking up Litter is Cool”