It is astonishing what Canadians do in the woods.
Canadians love the landscape and the landscape helps define us. The Group of Seven and other celebrated artists showed the world a country of pristine lakes and glorious forests. Canadians are proud of the countrys soaring mountains and powerful rivers, the unspoiled wilderness a treasure even to those who do not regularly explore it.
But all over this country, people will toss almost anything almost anywhere when they think no one is watching.
This isn't mindless littering. This is deliberate trashing of the landscape, the dumping of vast amounts of household garbage, construction waste and much, much more.
Have you seen evidence of illegal dumping? Send us your photos at [email protected] or tweet them with the hashtag #cbcnn
What struck me, as I began investigating this widespread practice for CBCs The National, is that this isn't simply illegal.
This kind of dumping is also an offence against what we like to think is part of our core values. It is an enormous contradiction. How can Canadians value the unspoiled wilderness, yet spoil it daily by illegally dumping junk all over the landscape?
More:
http://www.cbc.ca/m/news/topstories/illegal-dumping-why-do-so-many-canadians-trash-canada-1.2795046
As users of the forest, I expect this is preaching to the converted.
As much as I love joking about a good pallet fire on Vedder, all the friends I hang out with are always careful to clean up the messy campground after a long weekend, and I am quite sure none of them would dump a mattress or bag of garbage on the side of an FSR.
What about you?