It has come to our attention over the past few years that the volume of litter on the roads around Goshen has increased exponentially. This is an embarrassing reality for our beautiful town, especially since historical documents from Goshen’s founding days cite a concern for the welfare and protection of our natural environment.
Many of us recall a public service announcement from 1971 which shows a Native American man brought to tears over witnessing folks throwing trash out of their cars. I can’t help but feel his sorrow when I see this beautiful town treated as mere waste disposal.
Every spring, the Goshen Rotary Club collaborates with Goshen High School’s INTERACT Club as well as the local Boy Scouts of America and the Earth Day volunteers to collect trash along Craigville Road. Together we average about fifteen full garbage bags just from the traffic light to the entrance of Hambletonian Park.
It would take an army of people to make even a small dent in the trash found along Route 17M or the Heritage Trail.
This is not to say that I hold disappointment in the DPW or our municipal entities. Quite the contrary: It should not be their job to pick up after lazy teens and lazier adults who see the world as their trash can.
Future generations learn from our actions. This is our responsibility as a community to take care of the area we are so privileged to live in.
I call on our local police and legislators to take note and make efforts to enforce policies against littering. We shouldn’t need signage to threaten fines for people who won’t respect their environment, but something needs to change.
There is no one simple or permanent solution, but I believe we as a community hold great power to make things happen. We cannot keep turning away from the ugly indecency around us. It’s time we clean up our act.
Mark Gargiulo and Lance Seung
Rotary Club