Care about your street? Tired of scribble? Here’s what I do; you can too. I go to the hardware store, buy a can of discount water-based paint and a cheap brush. I get the shop to add some suitable tint then I get to work in the street.
Where I live my neighbours care about the park. If they see a bit of rubbish, a milk carton or a dog bundle they put it in the bin. In McDougall Park they’ve even formed Friends of the Park group that keeps the park smart. They even pull up weeds around the lake and check the sand play-pits for sharp objects. Oh, and they all get together for coffee in the park on Sundays.
This is a tremendous place to live and our Council staff do a wonderful job. What is extra-special is that our neighbours do their bit too. All around the City there are local groups looking after their environment. In Manning the residents formed a team with the City to work on mosquito and wetland management. In Jackson Road some residents are working together to plan for the impact of possible traffic changes and to promote light rail along Manning Road. Some home builders are developing methods to stop sand washing into drains from building sites. An action group of dog owners has got together to work out cooperative ways of sharing parks with sporting groups. Some inspired locals have put together sporting and activity groups for young people, such as Moorditch Keila, Millennium Kids, skate, cricket and football clubs .There are plenty more examples around here.
People say that caring for the world around us makes us feel good too. I think that doing it with our friends and neighbours is even better.
As usual, please click ‘Comments’ below to add your thoughts. Just log in as “Name” (no password required) or email me and I’ll publish your words right here.
3 comments:
I suggested to the council some years ago that some of us retirees could look after our neighbourhood by over painting as soon as it appeared, however there seemed to be some problems including that the graffiti needed to be photographed and we have professional graffiti removers, who I think do a good job.
Also we don't want several different colour paints. My view was that the council could provide the paint as this ensured colour consistency and we could do the rest.
We are also caught with different jurisdictions, i.e. power transformers, road signs, private property, bridges, etc.,
There could be a list of registered/authorised over painters covering specific areas.
Just some thoughts....we all want a clean suburb.
As usual great work Pete
I think we have been conditioned to expect 'them' to do 'it'.
'Them' is anyone except 'me' or 'us', and 'it' is anything that 'me' and/or 'us' think needs doing that 'them' haven't done.
Quite often, when 'them' do 'it', 'me' and/or 'us' still complain that 'it' wasn't done properly, or of course, that 'it' costs too much (eg rates).
The grafiti story is a great example of 'me' and/or 'us' doing 'it'.
However, it is only one example, and we need many more, if for no other reason than lessening rate increases.
There is often concern about the spraying of weeds - yet how many people walk past them as they grow from a seedling to a seed producing plant?
Its quite simple to stop, bend down, pick the plant and put it in a plastic bag to drop in your compost bin or worm farm.
I presume everyone has at least one of these, if not : why not?
This simple action makes use of a plastic bag, saves a council employee a task, can eventually provide food for your garden plants (maybe food for you) and is free exercise.
If there is some rubbish, you may need to use two plastic bags : one for resources called weeds, and one for rubbish. Unless of course you are a recycler - then you can us three.
And if you are concerned about getting bugs from whatever you are picking up, fantastic! Take 2 more plastic bags and use them like gloves.
The great thing about plastic bags is you can easily fit a few in your pocket and there are usually plenty lying around - often near where someone has dropped rubbish!
Now when you try this, if someone looks at you strangely, there are lots of things you can say to strike up a conversation :
"Oh hello, what a lovely day. Can I put this stuff someone dropped in your bin? Must have been a foreigner, Aussies wouldn't rubbish their country."
You just never know, they may even help you pick up stuff, especially if you smile nicely.
Its also living more sustainably by turning a problem into a solution, or in economic terms : a liability into an asset.
Not only does it make you feel better about your surroundings, you feel good from doing it - try it and see.
And you will feel good each time you pass there again.
I think graffiti is beautifull and it ads to the beauty of a city. Wy would you remove it. It is sombodys art he worked hard for it. When you walk trough a city and you see al those nice artworkes you should tink how beautifull it is and how much work they put in to it. You should not think wat kind of ugly garbagge is this and then remove it.(sorry for my bad english ist not my native language)
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