Doing the Right Thing: An interview with a 5th Grader

Most kids are not too excited about cleaning. I know my kids groan when I remind them of their daily chores. That’s why it was remarkable, and certainly noteworthy, to see a fifth grade student cleaning up litter on their own. Meet Rean: Rean is a fifth grade student in elementary school in Oshkosh. The crossing guard at her school had noticed that she was picking up trash around her school and neighborhood both before and after school hours. Her good deeds were reported to the school’s counselor and from there, I was contacted at the Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance because the Trash Free Waters program loves to highlight those who help protect our waters from trash and debris.

This past week, I was able to sit down with Rean and learn more about her and why she believes it’s important to keep her neighborhood clean. When asked why she started picking up trash on her way to school, she said,

“I saw so much trash on the ground, and saw it every day. I started picking it up because nobody else would.”

Since she started cleaning up, she has been accompanied by her friend and fellow 5^th grader, Vicky. When asked about her favorite lake or river, she said she loves all water bodies, but she especially loves spending time at Menominee Park–located along Lake Winnebago’s east shore. I wanted to get her thoughts on how she believes littering can be reduced and prevented. She reponded,

“People could have trash cans they bring along with them. We need more trash and recycle cans in more places. I want to make biodegradable plastic that grows trees if thrown on the ground.”

Finally, I told her she’s doing something that not many adults are doing, and asked her if she had any advice for adults. Rean responded,

“Please don’t litter, it’s bad for the planet. Make sure it goes in the trash can, [and] please use reusable items. You should join the watershed cleanup event in the spring.”

Rean received some trash bags, trash grabbers, and gloves from Fox-Wolf to make her efforts safer and more efficient. Thank you Rean for your hard work and for inspiring others to do the same.