At the end of October, seven student groups conducted a campus-wide clean-up. 

The Honors College Student Organization’s service committee focused on sprucing up the residential Southeast Parking Lot.

More than 30 bags of trash were collected across campus during just one week. 

I don’t know about you, but I know the amount of waste around campus should be less — much less. Alas, the number above is true.

While it may have just been a result of Hobo Day, trash lying across campus is an unfortunately common sight. Many times as I walk across campus, I pick up trash along the way — food bags, beer cans, loose paper and so forth. Sometimes, I must stop collecting because my hands are full. 

So yes, there was Hobo Day, but, no, trash across campus cannot be blamed on homecoming week — trash is a daily part of our campus.

Trash on the ground gives an impression that nobody cares. I hope this is not true and the entire campus, students, faculty and staff, truly does care. 

SDSU is our home. It’s home to you, a student living in the halls, and you, a student commuting to campus for a few hours each week. It’s home to you, our faculty and staff, who are present on campus eight hours a day. It’s home to our alumni.

We want our home to look its best to those who visit our campus for tours, athletic events and speakers.  And we want it to look good for us — Jackrabbit pride.

Together we can change our campus presence for the better with two simple acts: don’t litter and pick up trash as you stroll across campus. 

Let’s look toward our friends to the east. 

I read an article about Michael Dukakis, former governor of Massachusetts. He carries a bag for collecting trash as he walks to work — Dukakis is currently in his eighties.

I recently saw another story, about a man from the Netherlands, Tommy Kleyn. 

He dedicated 30 minutes a day filling up one bag of trash as he passed by a polluted waterfront on his way to work. He continued this activity until the area was clean. As noted in his article, many people commented that they wished there were more people like him. 

I believe there can be more people like Michael Dukakis and Tommy Kleyn.

I urge you to take pride in your home at SDSU. Avoid littering and when you see trash on the ground, set an example by picking it up. Each of us can be the “more people like” Tommy Kleyn.

Jennifer McLaughlin is the Sustainability Specialist at SDSU and can be reached at [email protected].