Baytown Texas Takes on the #TrashTag Challenge

 

This is SH-146 at Tabb's Bay in 1974. We were a dirty and smelly Tri-city town with a lot of growth in our future.

We used to be viewed as just another stinky oil town. That is no longer the case. Baytown is actually cleaner than many cities surrounding Houston, but we can do better by educating the masses and actually going outside and removing debris from our town.

I've started a grass-root effort here on Facebook to address educating the public AND getting them involved in litter abatement and I am going to pursue this over the next year with great passion.  

Baytown Trashy People

We already have over 100 like-minded members and it is a vision where all members are accountable to contribute effort to remove litter on a daily basis.

Possibly quarterly we will tackle a large project and have a potluck meal afterward. There will be no galas, no scholarships awarded, just people actually working to make our city very clean. There will also be no kings, or queens and no $65 a plate to raise money at this event... just people working.

I took this photo in the parking lot of Food Town on N. Main in Baytown.

It is the goal for this group of volunteers to be heavily represented by the Baytown Sun and any TV news station we can entice to cover it. I want Baytown to shine and I do believe it will have an almost magical effect on our perception of the city.

It is important that we document through photography and placing the photos on our individual pages to encourage others to help. There is also an opportunity to shame litterers into stopping. People who litter look just like us, our family, and our friends. They need to be educated to stop throwing trash out the window of their cars and truck.

Here is today’s photo of #TrashTag (add this to your photo when you post it to FB) and the difference ONE person can make: 

The idea is each person works every day to remove litter. Small amounts add up quickly.

The #TrashTag movement is an international effort for the average person to make a positive impact on the litter problem.

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Is Keep Baytown Beautiful really doing anything?

BB's take: Keep Baytown Beautiful just had a great big "Gala" and handed out awards all over the place, with lots of high fives and back-slapping celebrating all kinds of accomplishments unrelated to making Baytown beautiful. "The Baytown Sun was awarded as Media of the year." Boy, I feel our city is more beautiful than ever and that award exemplifies making Baytown more beautiful, now doesn't it?

It was a major success according to the fact-based Baytown Sun. Baytown is surely cleaner and nicer than it was last year, right?

I went to their website, but it is down. You mean they had a great big event and their web site ain't workin'? I was looking for a great big list of all their projects and accomplishments (as they are not listed in the newspaper column) so I could applaud the organization.

I'll have to wait until an expert fixes the website to see what they have done, because frankly, I'm not really feeling it. Sure, I participate in the yearly Keep Texas Trash-off like many, but we need a monthly clean-up event that involves the whole city, like #TrashTag efforts going on across the planet.

One productive year from now at the next gala, they first need to interview 10 random people off the street and ask them in front of everyone in attendance to explain how Baytown is more beautiful than it was last year. If the average denizen of Baytown does not perceive that improvements have been made, this organization has not done their job.

It is what it is folks. Boots on the ground is what this city needs. It needs the average citizen educated and involved. It will take an entire city to shift their perception and become proactive. To John and Joan Q. Smith, hosting big shindigs with lots of awards is just more bureaucrats awarding each other and passing smoke for real work. When I see EVIDENCE of KBB's efforts on a regular basis, then and only then will I think the organization’s leadership is paying more than lip service to the community.  #KeepBaytownBeautiful