A #pristineparish in 10 steps.
CAN A COUNTRY PARISH EVER BE AS CLEAN AS A WELL-RESOURCED CITY?
Living in Madrid, I woke up to clean streets in the morning, every morning… and not because madrileños don’t drop stuff. They do. The reason is that every night the streets would be hosed down and left pristine. Madrid felt like a clean city.
Then, more recently, returning from living in Shanghai to my home in The Cotswolds, I was shocked to see the amount of litter - in what is supposed to be an “Area of Outstanding Beauty.” In Shanghai’s Green City there had been none, and photos I took of central areas show none too. Below is Xintiandi, part of Shanghai’s busy “West End”, with no litter to be seen.
If you see litter in Shanghai you feel compelled to pick it up and bin it because it looks so out of place. Of course, the difference between a major city and a country parish is one of resources.
So, Eden is all about mustering resources to keep our parishes as clean as Madrid or Shanghai.
What I am proposing is not a strategy to stop littering – for, as in Madrid, there will always be litter; rather a system of stewardship that means a country parish can enjoy an environment as pristine as the most well-resourced cities.
We have piloted the system in one extremely litter-prone parish, Little Rissington, and I have some tips to pass on. Of course, litter that is washed away, as in Madrid, can get into the waterways and pollute the seas and beaches. So, instead, we pick all litter up every three days or so. And the numbers are on our side: it only takes one person to pick up what it takes 100 people to drop.
I’m Gray Elkington, and I have spent the last four decades with CEOs encouraging behaviour change in their organisations, affecting the way people behave when no-one’s watching. Now I’m applying the same techniques to changing the way we all think of litter.
The vision is a pristine planet… created parish by parish.
How can you keep your parish pristine?
SHARE THE MISSION. Knowing that a pristine planet only becomes possible if your parish is pristine, your parish must set itself the mission to be pristine. A pristine parish is one in which the entire road network is pikked at least twice a week. It’s doable. We have done it since early 2019.
KNOW YOUR PARISH. Few people know where their parish boundary is. To change something, people need to know exactly what needs to be changed. Your parish boundary will be displayed on your parish litter gallery, which will be accessible from here. Put a link to your Eden Litter Gallery on your parish website so the boundaries become known to the parish.
SEGMENT YOUR PARISH. Little Rissington parish has been divided into two circuits, East and West. They both entail hiking about 3.5 miles in about 80 minutes. The two circuits are pikked twice a week. It can be done at a brisk pace, because there is almost no legacy litter - just what’s been dropped in the previous three days.
EQUIP YOURSELF. You’ll need a good grabber, a hi-vis waistcoat and two bags. One bag is for dumping straight into your black bin, the other for recycling.
PIK YOUR PARISH. Eden provides a sponsor, and all the hi-vis waistcoats and grabbers you need. All you have to do is keep your parish clean!
WELCOME VOLUNTEERS. You will enjoy the walks so much that you will think of them as exercise, but don’t be selfish! Embrace volunteers, knowing that there’s strength in numbers. Brief them in road etiquette.
TRACE OFFENDERS. Download the Nextdoor App, which will allow you to post a fly-tip photo so other users in the parish and beyond might identify its provenance. The police have issued fixed penalty notices to offenders, identified by us from, for example, a drive-thru receipt. Ask them to do the same for you.
SHARE SUCCESSES. It’s important that people see results from their efforts. If a penalty is issued or a case goes to court or you have other good news to share, keep your parish informed.
FIND DONORS. In addition to our corporate patrons, local donors (individuals and small businesses) may be willing to sponsor miles litter-picked. Funnel donations to your own favourite causes. The Strava app could provide the evidence of miles covered.
INCLUDE PATHS. Eden Pikkers pik the roads. Footpaths and bridle paths also need pikking, and this is a job for families, since young children can join in safely. Hand out grabbers, supplied free by Eden, and ask that they be left in the porch so that it becomes second nature to take one on a walk.
Would you like to be a Patron and help end litter forever?
Your adspend funds free grabbers and vests and helps us spread the twice-weekly pikking habit. To honour your contribution, our Eden Pikkers wear your company branding. If you would like to contribute in any way, please complete this form.