Litter Prevention Program
Phone: (416) 321-0633
  • Home
    • 2014 Annual Report
    • This Week in 'Litterland' >
      • Current Edition
      • Past Issues by Date
    • Guide
  • Media
    • Sheila's Shlog >
      • Dear Diary
    • About >
      • Press Release
      • Program Brochure >
        • Program Details
      • What People Say >
        • Visitor Feedback
  • Get Involved
    • Partnerships
    • Help Us >
      • Our Friends
    • Heroes
  • News Reel
    • Feb 2023
    • Jan 2023 >
      • Dec 2022
      • Nov 2022 >
        • Oct 2022
        • Sep 2022 >
          • Aug 2022
          • Jul 2022
          • Jun 2022
          • May 2022
          • Apr 2022 >
            • Mar 2022
            • Feb 2022
            • Jan 2022
            • Dec. 2021
            • Nov. 2021 >
              • Oct. 2021
              • Sep. 2021
              • Aug. 2021
              • Jul. 2021
              • Jun. 2021
              • May 2021
              • Apr. 2021 >
                • Mar. 2021
                • Feb. 2021
                • Jan. 2021
                • Dec. 2020 >
                  • Nov. 2020
                  • Oct. 2020
                  • Sep. 2020
                  • Aug. 2020
                  • Jul. 2020
                  • Jun. 2020 >
                    • May 2020
                    • Apr. 2020
                    • Mar. 2020
                    • Feb. 2020
                    • Jan. 2020 >
                      • Dec. 2019
                      • Nov. 2019
                      • Oct. 2019
                      • Sep. 2019
                      • Aug. 2019
                      • Jul. 2019
                      • Jun. 2019
                      • May 2019
                      • Apr. 2019
                      • Mar. 2019 >
                        • Feb. 2019
                        • Jan. 2019
                        • Dec. 2018
                        • Nov. 2018
                        • Oct. 2018
                        • Sep. 2018 >
                          • Aug. 2018
                          • Jul. 2018
                          • Jun. 2018
                          • May 2018
                          • Apr. 2018
                          • Mar. 2018
                          • Feb. 2018
                          • Jan. 2018
  • Photo Gallery
    • Video
    • Library
    • Butts and More Butts
    • Clean Up Days
    • Coffee Cups
    • Litter Photos
    • Poster
  • Prevent Litter
    • You Vote
    • Opinion Poll
    • Causes
    • Solutions
    • Benefits
    • Tips >
      • For Business
    • Tobacco litter >
      • Fact Sheet
      • Letter to Imperial Tobacco
    • Resources >
      • Marine Litter
      • Plastics
    • Why Prevent Litter?
    • Toronto
  • Contact
    • Corporate Brochures
    • WORDS Media & Communications Inc.

That's What Friends Are For

3/4/2013

2 Comments

 
I have a new friend named Vince L.

He knows me only through my connection to litter prevention and this website.  I have no idea where he lives or works, what he looks like or what his occupation is.  The glimpses I have of him are through the words he writes in an email.  Happily married, a smoker (beats himself up about it) and generally quite a private person, he credits his wife and Singapore for changing him from being a litterer to litter-aware.  He no longer flicks butts.

A vacation to beautiful Singapore in September 2012 opened his eyes.  Regular scanners of our online News Reel know that this nation of three million ranks high for cleanliness standards and low on litter.

A friend will take the time encourage and help you along the way.  That’s what Vince did for me, someone he barely knows.

Upon returning from his Singaporean sojourn, Vince stumbled across an article by Christina Blizzard (Nov. 22) in The Toronto Sun about littering, quoting me.  He wrote wanting us to know we were both on the right track in our efforts to educate: she, through her meticulous journalism and I with an innovative program that changes littering behaviors.

He tells us, “I no longer discard cigarettes on our streets and sidewalks, nor do I discard gum. But it took a trip to Singapore and the words of my wife to make me change :)

“We need to change our thinking and actions before this city loses its high ratings. Torontonians live in a illusion that our city is clean and do not realize that on the clean scale, we are not as clean as they like to think.”

Vince then described how the government of Singapore addresses two big litter scourges: cigarettes and chewing gum.

Cigarette Butts

  • If you are seen by a policeman throwing a cigarette anywhere other than in a city provided ashtray, you will be fined.
  • City ashtrays are designed to be appealing to the eye, no cigarette butts can be seen, and the design also eliminates trailing odors.
  • Most impressive is the people of Singapore love the city, and they will stare down anyone that litters the streets or sidewalks. You will feel uncomfortable (and that is how it should be)

Chewing Gum
  • Singapore has banned chewing gum simply because people tend to spit them out on the streets and sidewalk.
  • The city has been cleaned of all gum stains.  Both roads and sidewalks are spotless. While this may seem drastic, as we should be free to chew gum if we want, it was the only way to invest in a clean city.

Vince suggests that Toronto dwellers should be polled to see what is more important to them: chewing on a piece of gum or restoring a clean city. He wants to see more articles in the media about littering.  And he proves that attuning one’s litter awareness radar to trigger an attitude shift is possible and painless.

His closing line made my day, a simple,
“Thanks, Sheila, for your crusading work with your program www.litterpreventionprogram.com .” 

Sure is nice to feel appreciated.

2 Comments
Bernie Paquette link
3/4/2013 05:22:17 am

Encouragement goes a long way towards motivating us all to move towards an intolerance of litter. Encouragement helps us change our behavior from resignation or apathy, to one of I will not add to the problem, in fact I will help reslove the problem by picking up litter whereever I see it.

Toronto is not alone in having some residents whom are complacent through lack of observation and disconnected acceptance or through reliance on blaming others and expecting someone else to fix the problem.

Thank You Sheila for working to change behaviors towards an intolerance of litter and littering.

Read my essay to my Vermont citizenry. http://www.litterwithastorytotell.blogspot.com/2013/02/the-heart-that-gives-gathers-marianne.html
Bernie Paquette, your southern litter picker neighbor.
Vermont, U.S.

Reply
lisahuntel link
10/20/2015 12:53:01 pm

good gril

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Creative communications consultant Sheila White is founder of the Litter Prevention Program, and prior worked as a communications ace and PR strategist for some of Ontario's top political names.

    Archives

    September 2021
    May 2021
    July 2020
    January 2020
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    October 2017
    March 2016
    January 2016
    November 2015
    June 2015
    April 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012

    Categories

    All
    Advertising
    Art
    Canada Post
    Education
    Entertainment
    Environment
    Litter
    Litter Prevention
    Psychology
    Recycling
    Religion
    Rob Ford
    Tobacco Litter
    Toronto
    Waste Management

    RSS Feed