How a 10-year-old girl's litter cleanup idea made a difference on Earth Day
This weekend, in celebration of Earth Day, several kids pledged one hour of their time to pick up trash in their neighborhood or surrounding area.
The idea to organize this Earth Day project came from Maddie Nemec, a 10-year-old girl living with her family in Clarksville while her dad is serving in the 101st Airborne Division. She titled the group the Honey Bees Club.
"When I was riding around town in my mom's car, I noticed too much trash was on the ground," Maddie said in a flier on her event. "This made me so sad, and I didn't understand why someone would put garbage all over the world."
Her vision was to organize of group of boys and girls to help pick up trash. Her mom, Lindsay Nemec, helped her organize the event through social media.
Rather than scheduling a meeting place and time, they figured they’d get a greater response by asking for a pledge and having families work during a time convenient for them. Several families quickly responded and pledged an hour to help pick up trash.
But why honey bees?
"Honey bees work together as a community to use a honeycomb to protect their eggs and store pollen," Maddie said. "Just like the honey bees, our club aims to develop a community of workers that protect our people and animals by keeping our Earth free from litter."
Through this project, Maddie and the kids inspired passers-by. Several stopped to say thank you. One gentlemen even gave the children $50 for “spending a rainy day doing something worthwhile.”
For more information, email Lindsay Nemec at email@example.com.