Nelson Mandela Day 2011

The 18th of July is Nelson Mandela's birthday, it is now known internationally as "Nelson Mandela Day" and is celebrated in many different ways and places. One of the ways in which we South Africans are encouraged to celebrate it is by giving 67 minutes of our time to improve the world around us. This is a representation of the 67 years that Mr. Mandela spent working to make the world (especially S.A.) a better place including the 27 years he spent in jail.

Last year we took part for the first time by doing a litter patrol around the neighbourhood, it was a Sunday so my parents came along.

This year we went with some friends and collected litter again in the Plumstead area.

Gloves were a necessity! and with a bag in each hand we were off.
The kids were super enthusiastic, racing each other to be the one to pick up the piece of paper lying in the gutter! Singing and dancing as they went!

It's amazing just what you find, some is just incidental litter (if there is such a thing!) things that have inadvertently landed up blowing around or whatever, but a lot is deliberate, just thrown down without a thought.

Ewwww!

We noticed a trend towards cigarette paraphernalia, cigarette boxes, match boxes and cigarette butts galore which leads one to make the assumption that smokers are litterbugs! Maybe an unfair one but the evidence speaks for itself...

We hope that our tiny dent is a start towards 7 more people in the world who won't litter and will encourage and teach others not to do so either.

Next year I'd like to get a bigger group together and cover a bigger area. Maybe we should do it on Earth Day too. Next year, if you have 67 minutes, why not start a litter patrol group in your area or if you can, join ours!

Happy Nelson Mandela Day and Happy 93rd Birthday Madiba!