A simple New Year's resolution

As the New Year approaches, each of us makes a decision on whether now is the time to make changes in our lives.

Collectively, as a people, we rarely make such plans. Usually, it takes leadership or a movement of some kind to get us motivated as a group to work toward common goals.

In today's world of divisive politics, finding common goals can be almost impossible.

But Brian Langlois has hit on a goal that truly should serve everyone's best interest. Langlois, the chairman of the Keep Cape Beautiful committee, has encouraged us all to litter less.

"Living and doing business in downtown Cape, it breaks my heart every day to see beer cans, liquor bottles, assorted forms of food trash and cigarette butts (more on that later) strewn across what should be our pristine streets," Langlois wrote in a guest commentary published Dec. 30 in the Southeast Missourian. "This does not have to be the case. I urge all of us to take a few minutes each day to pick up trash on whatever block on which we happen to live."

For normal, everyday upstanding citizens, the concept of littering is a head scratcher. Why wouldn't we want to live in a clean city? What would possess someone to simply toss garbage on the ground? And the cigarette butts -- they're everywhere.

In his column, Langlois reported that cigarette butts are the most prevalent form of litter in the world, accounting for 176 million pounds in the United States. Please, smokers, stop using Cape Girardeau streets and sidewalks as your ashtrays. This city's residents, your neighbors, voted to protect the rights of businesses to allow smoking in public places, including restaurants. Please have the decency to return the favor to your community by disposing of your cigarettes properly.

Keeping our community cleaner is a good goal that everyone should be able to get behind. Don't throw your garbage on the ground. Make sure your trash is secured so it doesn't scatter in the wind.

This isn't the same as committing to 80 minutes of exercise every week. This is a whole lot easier than giving up the sweets and snacks that you like. This New Year's resolution is very simple. When you're out and about in your community, keep your trash to yourself. Everyone will be better off for it.