Garbage is an issue

Dear Editor,
    On Oct. 6, 2011, our Houlton High School English class went out to pick up trash around our school. We found endless amounts of garbage everywhere. I was shocked by all the trash that had been thrown away and never collected.
    Now, would you rather have our town a dirty place you’d least like to live in? Or would you prefer a clean and pleasant one? Well, I hope you chose the cleaner version of Houlton!
    By collecting garbage it would not only help our town look clean, but be great to the environment as well. If the residents of Houlton did so, there would be less garbage that animals could get caught in and less unhealthy waste they could eat. Also, the streets, sidewalks, and woods would be much cleaner, encouraging people to go out more often. Everyone would have cleaner water to drink too, since there would be less risk of the waste contaminating it. Therefore, we would be helping the environment greatly.
    Another great advantage is it would help more people to want to come to Houlton. Since there are times people come visit Houlton there is a chance that they could see someone collecting trash or hear about it. Once they saw people doing that, they would be given a very good impression. Now the truth is, people like going to clean places rather than dirty ones. They may tell their friends or relatives about it, and Houlton could develop as more and more people came to visit, or maybe even live.
    That day, I was surprised at how great I felt about myself because I was doing something good for our town. I could see other classmates liking it too. If the residents of Houlton collected garbage it would make them also feel good about themselves. Who knows, collecting garbage for our town could become something that could make you proud. Also, people would be putting their overflowing energy into something useful.
    After spending class time collecting garbage, it made me realize that we really need to keep our town Houlton clean. If our community started collecting trash little by little, we would be able to become proud residents. Then, Houlton would become a better place to live. Everyone should start trying now, and they’ll see the difference every individual can make for our town.
June Choi
Grade 8
Houlton Junior High School