Since the deluge on July 8, my wife and I have retrieved dozens and dozens of plastic bottles from Paul Spring Creek below our house, and I’m once again reminded of how idiotic it is to buy bottled water. For crying out loud, folks, Fairfax County has excellent tap water — why would you want to pay for water of unknown quality shipped in from somewhere else? Go buy a Brita filter pitcher and a metal water bottle for each person in your family, and you’ll save money in the long run. But even if you don’t want to do that, could you at least put all of your empty plastic bottles – water or otherwise – in your recycling bin to keep them from ending up in the ocean?
While I’m in diatribe mode, there are a couple of other things I’d like to mention:
First, if you’re a dog owner and you clean up after your dog, kudos! Unless, of course, you leave the bag of poop behind for the rest of us to enjoy, in which case you earn negative Good Neighbor Points. I really should not have to point this out.
Second, while we all know to walk on the right on the Mount Vernon Trail, safety considerations dictate walking on the left side of the street. With ever-increasing numbers of quiet-running electric and hybrid cars out there — many of which are being ineptly piloted by knuckleheads who are far more interested in their cellphones and other distractors than your survival — please walk on the left so you’re facing oncoming vehicles. It could save your life.
Jeff Carver
Alexandria