“Be the change you want to see in the world.” With this, Mahatma Gandhi hinted that it is one thing to ask for the world to change and another thing entirely to actually make that change. Yes, we can go through life day by day and simply get by, but we need to strive for more.

Recently, while I made my way to class trying to avoid the chilling wind, I saw a piece of trash lying on the sidewalk.

I realized someone walking in front of me had dropped it. Why would that person drop a piece of trash right on the sidewalk when he could have held it for another two minutes before he reached a trash can?

We all thought that the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico was horrendous, yet many continue to throw trash wherever they want. Don’t get me wrong – one Nature Valley wrapper isn’t nearly equivalent to thousands of gallons of oil.

But think about all the trash that may have been dropped on the sidewalk today.Now think about how much has been dropped this week.

Then think about how many people go to Creighton and how much trash accumulates.

Now think about how many people live in Omaha. The problem is exponential. Even if you aren’t the one littering, there are still hundreds of people who are.

If you think about how many people litter every day, it doesn’t seem far-fetched that the oil spill relates to this problem. It is true that at some point the trash will probably end up in some landfill off in the middle of nowhere, but realize that these landfills are necessary evils. Litter on the street will eventually end up in storm drains, creating clogs and potentially making the roadways slippery and unsafe when it rains.

That’s not even to mention the trash can end up in the river and eventually the Gulf of Mexico, and if that happens, we’ll have a bunch of trash-filled oil to deal with.

There is a simple solution: Don’t drop your trash in anything other than a trash can or recycling bin. If you happen to see someone dropping trash on the sidewalk, take a second to pick it up. Don’t just walk by a piece of trash and scowl at the person who dropped it; that does nothing. By walking right past a piece of trash on the street, you are just as at fault as the person who dropped it to begin with.

Picking up every piece of trash on the street would take forever and is a ridiculous request. I ask instead that you simply pick up at least one piece of trash you happen to notice. That in itself makes an impact.

When is the excuse, “Everyone does it, why can’t I?” ever justifiable? Gandhi was right – we can’t sit around and ask others to change if we aren’t going to change ourselves. Why get mad at BP for spilling oil into the gulf when we’re dropping our trash wherever we deem fit? I picked up that piece of trash, carried it for those extra two minutes and threw it away. My arm didn’t even fall off or anything!

It’s not that hard to make the extra effort. “Be the change you want to see in the world,” and help change the world.