Take responsibility in my neighborhood

I love where I live and have found this sense of ownership and responsibility that I have never felt anywhere else. Little things like picking up garbage are such a huge difference and the people who do it deserve a pat on the back. I have also joined my business and nieghborhood comitee and helped put together a Street Fair that raised funds for a nieghboring child center. It feels great, and it is worth putting time and energy into those around you. Now – how to do it on a bigger scale?

Today, I was walking past a bus stop in my “hood” that is always overflowing with trash. My immediate thought was: “Why don’t THEY change the trash pickup schedule to improve this”? Then I realized that waiting for outside factors or for others to do something was weak and ineffective. Since I walk by there when I take my 3-mile walks, I decided that next time, I would bring a trash bag with me, fill it up from the overflowing trashcan, and take it to a dumpster.