Butts are Ugly - spread the word

Butts are ugly, am I right?

Why is it that cigarette butts are an acceptable form of litter (even in uber green Portland!)?? Doesn't that bug you? It bugs me so much. If I were standing at a bus stop or browsing at the farmer's market finishing my tall-nonfat-no-water-chai-latte and then as I finished I tossed the empty cup onto the street and stepped on it, I think anyone and everyone that saw me do that would call me out on it and make me pick it up. In this community it is 100% unacceptable to litter like that. And yet, if it was a cigarette (as if!) instead of a chai latte that I finished and then tossed, nobody would comment - because it is totally normal behavior.

Well, let me also educate you a bit about this situation. Not only are they ugly, they are toxic, they are not biodegradable, they are extremely harmful to our world, and they are the most commonly littered item in the world (2 billion butts per day - eww).

Don't worry, there is good news, there is a new movement in Portland to educate ourselves and our city about this issue. Hopefully with education we will see some behaviour changes. Porltand is such a respected leader in all things green, I really believe we can make an impact far beyond Portland if we are succesful with the movement here in town.

Stay tuned for more on this, I intend to follow it closely. Here is a link to some Portland-specific info - including info about how bad the butts are, and how you can help. Be sure to check it out.

PS - Don't hate the smokers, just hate their litter. We can't make a change unless we get the smokers on board with the movement....spread the word, butts are ugly.