Daily Blog - Day 4 - There are no problems, only solutions yet to be found

So I realise that it's incredibly empty to be angry about something and moan about something if you have no solution to it, so here's my ideas on a solution to this rubbish problem.

At the end of the day people need to be taught, it's all well and good picking up after people all of the time and I have a lot of respect for people who do that, but that doesn't solve anything, that just covers up the problem.
In all honesty it's the birds, animals and fish, who have to live on the planet with us that I am concerned for.  They have no voice and they don't know they are swimming in polluted water and how it will affect them, they don't know that it would be a good idea to move and you can't tell them because Dr Dolittle doesn't exist.  Birds, animals and fish have no choice in what goes on.
Humans on the other hand, do, we understand what pollution does to the planet and everything that lives on the planet, but we ignore it, we choose not to listen and do nothing about it.


The canadian geese (which are supposed to be protected!) are currently sat on their eggs.

 When these cute little fellas emerge

shortly followed by these cute little fellas

they will have to swim in this...

I wonder what the death rate will be and if any of them will survive, not only do they have to try to survive against predators, but they also have to try to survive against us and our ignorance and laziness.  I don't rate their chances.

I strongly believe education is the key and I don't mean someone from the Waterways, RSPB or Keep Britain Tidy visiting schools once a year, or once every few years, I mean getting people doing stuff.

Little kids, turn into big kids, who turn into adults and they don't seem to be taught at home, therefore we start with little kids and teach them.  

You could explain it to them, but people don't listen much when you explain things, I know I don't, so it needs to be an active thing.  I say get kids at primary school picking up litter for 30mins everyday in the playground.  

Little kids will be picking up little kids litter, so we don't need to worry about dirty needles, used condoms, broken glass or other vile things like that, it will be perfectly safe.  The teacher or dinner ladies could always go around 1st and get rid of anything that will harm.  I imagine the kids will mostly be picking up empty plastic bottle, sweet wrappers and things like that, I may be naive, but I don't see why there would be any different type of litter in a little kids playground.

Obviously kids aren't going to want to do that, UNLESS, they have their own special decorated protective gloves and aprons to wear.  If they spend a lesson playing with glue and decorating their gloves and aprons with sparkly things and drawing all over them in bright colours then they will want to put their gloves and aprons on and they will want to go outside and pick things up.  If picking up litter isn't seen as a punishment and it is seen as fun and something that you get to do if you are 'special' then kids will want to do it, what kid doesn't want to be special?

It will have to be said, strictly, that they can't pick up litter unless they are wearing their special apron and gloves, which should always be accessible, otherwise they will be picking up things in the streets and that's dangerous.

Picking up litter is currently seen as a punishment in schools, which no doubt adds to the problem of people putting things in bins.  That needs to stop.  We need to change peoples mindset about picking up litter.  It's a good and positive thing that brilliant people get to do, it's not a punishment for naughty bad people.

Then there is secondary school, the 30mins a day picking up litter should continue there.  If big kids have already been taught to pick up litter when they were a little kid, then it's should just continue, that's not a problem.  

If this is a new thing that will be bought in to schools then it will have to be done differently for 5 years, until the little kids become the big kids.  

Big kids at secondary school need to feel cool and trendy, so I doubt the glittery aprons and gloves will work there, so we need to be wiser.  Teachers need to find out who the 'cool' kids are and get them interested in picking up litter.  The 'cool' kids are rarely the 'clever' kids, but the majority of kids will always follow the cool kids.  As these kids are older, they will probably need a better incentive than being able to wear their special apron and gloves, like being able to text and talk on their phones whilst they pick up the litter.  That will only be for 5years, so texting and talking on the phones can be phased out when the little kids who have already been taught to pick up litter get to secondary school.

I am basically talking about manipulating and conditioning children to pick up litter, but that's ok isn't it?

I am going to completely contradict myself now and talk about the prison service and community service, I assume they already do litter pick ups?  If not, why not?  

If we do actually get the little kids picking up litter and then the big kids picking up litter and make it seem like a fantastic thing for incredibly special people to do, then when people are doing community service and picking up litter they wont feel so bad (i'm not really a punishment person) and they may actually 'want' to do it, they may choose to do it.  Also, taking into consideration that the people who are doing community service are the little kids who turned into big kids, they will already be conditioned into picking up litter, so there shouldn't really be much litter around, therefore they could be getting on with other community service things, like helping the waterways.

So that's my idea, how do we get it done?

I assume we need people to join forces, individuals, RSPB, British Waterways, Keep Britain Tidy  and other people, then we need to contact the government to get that put into place. 

Women run for breast cancer, so what about a sponsored litter pick up for a cancer charity?
What about a sponsored litter pick up for Children in Need?
What about a sponsored litter pick up for Red Nose Day?

Basically we need to make a fuss, a HUGE fuss.  Sounds ridiculous, but I could always write to Jamie Oliver, he likes kids and schools and stuff like that.  Who else can I write to?  Who can I get on board with this?

Anyone got any other ideas, thoughts or opinions on how we can get that done?

Pessimistic negativity is not helpful and not welcome.