NEW YORK: The observance was created in 1970 by U.S. Sen. Gaylord Nelson as a way to force the protection of the environment onto the national agenda. The idea caught on with 20 million Americans demonstrating in cities across the country for a cleaner environment.
Congress subsequently authorized the creation of a new federal agency to tackle environmental issues: the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The EPA notes that “before 1970, a factory could spew black clouds of toxic smoke into the air or dump tons of toxic waste into a nearby stream, and that was perfectly legal. They could not be taken to court to stop it. … there was no EPA, no Clean Air Act, no Clean Water Act. There were no legal or regulatory mechanisms to protect our environment.”
Individuals have little direct impact on enforcement of regulations, but people can be environmentally friendly in their everyday lives. And they can take action that sets an important example on Earth Day and all year.
That is exactly what Mike O’Cain is doing in conjunction with five other Orangeburg County men. O’Cain, Chad Rast, Jerry French, Ken Ferris, Woody Watford and Buster Way are the organizational team for what the group is calling Operation Clean Sweep Orangeburg.
The one-day, countywide cleanup of litter from roadsides is O’Cain’s vision.
On a bicycle ride in Bolentown after Christmas last year, O’Cain took notice of more trash than normal along the road. “I was thinking how bad it looked and somebody should do something about it.”
That somebody proved to be O’Cain.
“The good Lord said you need to pick it up,” O’Cain said. And the challenge was more than picking up litter in his vicinity. It must be countywide.
So began the push for Operation Clean Sweep Orangeburg, which will be held on Oct. 15.
Already, the volunteers has recruited 37 coordinators for the 37 regions into which they divided the county. The goal is to secure 7,500 volunteers to pick up litter along all 1,400 miles of paved roads in Orangeburg County. The 900 miles of dirt roads will be included “if we get enough volunteers,” O’Cain said.
The effort is being supported by the S.C. Department of Transportation and the S.C. Department of Corrections, which have promised to handle cleanup along the county’s interstate highway miles.
The group is also being supported by the Litter Initiative Group, which held a countywide Litter Blitz this past year.
Volunteers will be able to sign up to participate in the cleanup. A website will be available this week.
To kick off the effort, Operation Clean Sweep Orangeburg will have a tent at the Orangeburg County Festival of Roses, which will be held April 29-May 1 at Edisto Memorial Gardens.
The plan is to push the initiative all summer long and make the one-day massive effort a reality. It’s ambitious but possible – and deserving of support.
It will be, for Orangeburg County, a second Earth Day in 2016.
