Resolving Pollution With Two Small Differences

I have always had a huge problem with pollution.  The world is just a cruel place, with beauty hidden beneath walls and walls of trash.  I imagine a world without garbage all over the streets and smoke taking over the clear sky.  I see a world full of happiness, hope, prosperity, and a reason to live to our fullest potentials.  So many dumps and landfills are overflowing with our bad decisions.  People continue to be lazy instead of taking a moment or two to just focus on energizing this world and the hard times we go through each year.  With sickness, death, war, and economics, the earth has grown into a whole new planet and it is changing with the time.  It seems like the people of this world are taking its' wonders for granted and are choosing to live the easy way.  The possibilities of new products are arising and people are learning to achieve the impossible.  Renny and I have always discussed the ways of the world and how we can make a change.  Some days, we've created ways to escape and imagined events that maybe would have prevented this world from becoming so dull.  Renny has always been a special person to me.  Why, we've been best friends since we were born!  His brown eyes and blonde hair make him one of the basic kids in our town.  Although, he is definitely the most unique person I have ever known.  Instead of looking for answers on Google, he goes to the library or takes his own adventures to discover information.  He walks everywhere he chooses to go and doesn't use a cellphone.  Of course, he goes to school and there they make him use technology.  But, that doesn't mean he likes it.  In fact, he hates it.  I don't think that Renny would feel the way he does if someone would show him the benefits instead of playing boring Kahoot on the weekdays.  However, in such a time as now, our teachers are focused on nothing but Schoology and making sure our class has the right code for our upcoming Zoom meeting.  I always walk home from school with Renny.  The thought of him walking alone during a time like now, makes me anxious and scared.  We each have one of those claws that pick up trash.  Each morning, my dad gives me two bags from his store so we can look for lost treasure on our mission to uncover the world’s beauty.  Today, as we are walking down the sidewalk on our adventure, Renny is quiet.  Renny isn’t a quiet person so I know to give him respect.  I continue to pick up trash and wait in hope that Renny will soon tell me what is bothering him.  Soon, we are only three houses away from our destinations and he stops.  Renny looks at me, tears silently running down his cheek, and slowly begins to speak.  “You know Thomas.  We have been picking up trash our whole lives and the streets get dirtier everyday.  We have been on this mission together forever, but it doesn’t seem to have any impact.  No one knows what we do or understands why we do it.  When we first had this idea, I thought this was our purpose.  Now, it feels like a routine.  I don’t want to be the kid that picks up trash.  I actually want to make a difference and make a change.”  I looked at Renny, trying to figure out what to say.  Honestly though, I had never thought about it.  I am not much for change and I like picking up trash everyday.  Now, he is regretting our work.  Perhaps, he just wants pity.  “Renny, I know that you are upset.  I understand that you think that this may all be for nothing, but you’re wrong.  We do this because we enjoy it.  You do this each and every day with me because this is our thing.  Yes, no one may recognize us, but whoever made this earth does.  I bet they are happy we clean their streets.  I don’t know much about this world and I know we have a lot to learn.  I do know that every person can make a difference.  It doesn’t take a rich man to make a change.  You don’t have to have a million dollars from a lottery ticket to live a “good life”.  We are taking our time throughout the week to make a simple difference.  We are making a change to what we stand for.  We did this because of the global problem of pollution.  Right Renny?”  “That’s right Thomas,” Renny said, starting to look a bit more hopeful.  “Then let’s not focus on what no one knows.  Let us go and do what we know and love.  We know that we are making a difference.  One day, when we are no longer in this town, people will recognize the work that we’ve done and be thankful for it.  What do you say Renny?  Let’s solve this problem.”  Renny looked up at me with a smile I hadn’t seen since yesterday.  “Agreed Thomas.  Let’s do this.”  The next day came and it was a free day from school.  Saturday.  The best day, out of the seven days of the week.  I had been thinking about what Renny had said all night.  The words replayed over and over in my head.  I knew it was time to up our game and I knew just how we could do it.  Renny met me at the front steps of my porch.  “Hey Thomas.  What do you want to do today?”  I looked at Renny and smiled.  I couldn’t believe what a great idea I had and that I had not thought of this earlier in the year.  “Renny, I have an idea.”  Renny looked at me shocked and said, “So do I Thomas.  You first.”  “Alright.  What if, we made boxes to recycle the trash in around the community.  That way, we could come by and the trash already be picked up and we could give it to companies to turn it into something brand new.”  Renny thought for a moment and shook his head.  “As lovely as your idea is, I doubt the people in our community would even acknowledge little bins we throw out on the sidewalk.  After all, they threw out trash there in the first place.  They’ll probably just think it’s trash too.  I say we make huge signs that say “Don’t litter or else”.”  “Renny, that sounds like a threat.  Wouldn’t you want something a little more appealing.  Like “Please don’t litter”. “  “Yeah, that would be good too.  I still think my idea is better.”  “Well, I have to disagree.  My idea is better.”  Renny looked disappointed at me.  “Friends acknowledge other friends’ ideas.”  “I did Renny and I liked yours.  I just like mine better.”  “Well, I like mine better,” Renny said.  “I know.  How about we have a contest?”  “A contest?  What do you mean,” said Renny.  “Today we can each do our own thing and put our ideas into work.  We will monitor each idea throughout the week and, at the end of the week, whoever has the most people to pay attention to made the biggest difference.”  Renny was about to say yes, but he stopped, looked right at me, and punched me softly in the arm.  “Renny, what on earth was that for?  It was for your own advice.  Yesterday, you told me that we both already are making a difference.  We want to do things a different way, and that’s okay.  At the end of the day, we are both making a change in our town, state, and world.  Pollution may be hiding the world’s natural wonders.  As long as we’re in this town, though, the people here will not be oblivious to the creation.  Instead, they will appreciate the beauty this town has, brag on their environment, and be free from pollution.  We are making a difference, as different people, with contrasting opinions, and still resolving the same situation.”  “Friends forever,” said Thomas.  “Friends forever.”  The two of us continued to pick up trash everyday and now we continue to make a difference all around the world. We are taking off with our new charity to provide filtration for water systems and to put recycling bins all around the United States.  Pollution may be a problem in the world, but that does not mean we have to sit here and do nothing about it.  Clean up the earth and appreciate the environment you live in.  We all like a clean house, and after all, this is our home.