Cleaning up trash when I go for a walk is something I do often—just a small way to live out who we are as a company that cares about the environment and the communities we serve. This year, I decided to mark Indigenous Peoples Day by taking a large bag and my trash picker out for a clean-up walk through our neighborhood.

I expected to walk about two miles and come home with half a bag of trash. My normally neat neighborhood’s contribution to debris that makes its way to the river is usually limited to the occasional dropped wrapper or stray item from trash day.

As I rounded the end of my first block, I noticed something different—a dump site tucked into the edge of a wooded field, a place so overlooked it had blended into the background of daily life. Someone had clearly rummaged through bags of trash and left behind what they did not need. The scattered debris was a reminder of how easily small problems can grow when they go unnoticed.

So I set about cleaning it up. With my trash picker and a large bag—both donated by SOLVE, an organization dedicated to keeping our communities clean—I worked for just over an hour. By the time I finished, the bag was full, and the site looked very different. I will return this week to complete the work.

There are many times, while traveling around the city, that I notice areas that could use attention. Finding SOLVE, an organization that coordinates volunteers to clean up beaches, roadsides, and neighborhoods, gave me a way to take part in those efforts. I join them whenever I can, and when schedules don’t allow, I try to contribute in smaller ways on my own.

But this particular cleanup became more than just picking up trash. It was an opportunity to pause, show respect for the land, and reflect on the shared responsibility we all have to care for our communities.

I have decided to make this an annual tradition—an intentional way to give back each Indigenous Peoples Day and to continue learning how small actions can make a meaningful difference.

That neglected dump site was just one place in one neighborhood. But it served as a reminder that every act of restoration, no matter how small, contributes to a healthier environment and a stronger community.

#IndigenousPeoplesDay #SMGPromotesYou #EcoFriendly