Beautify the Community

Graffiti and Litter are two major problems that plague every community.  My hometown doesn’t feature too much graffiti, but there’s enough litter around to fill a small dumpsite.  These are two problems that we as a community can really help get a handle on.  You don’t have to do it alone, gather some friends and family together and start a Beautify the Community Club. 

Just 2-3 hours once or twice a month can really brighten the community, and if you start it, others will soon follow.  It’s easier to gather friends together and pick up garbage, but it can actually be profitable to learn how to properly remove graffiti.  A small group can offer easy graffiti removal for a fee and also offer to cover the freshly painted area with anti-graffiti protective coatings.

Supplies needed to start a Beautify the Community Club:

• A Pickup Truck (or other form of Transportation)
• Safety Gloves
• Litter Sticks
• Reusable Cloth Garbage Bags
• Plastic Garbage Bins on Wheels (better alternative to garbage bags)
• Hi-Visibility Vests
• Graffiti Removal Kit (many communities offer these for free)

If you’re just going to focus on picking up litter make sure you remember to have separate bags or bins for different recyclable materials (i.e. Cans, Paper, Cardboard) you can help save the environment while beautifying it.

Graffiti is a huge issue and if you plan on helping local business/home owners remove it from their property you can also offer some helpful tips on how to keep graffiti from happening to them again.

Tips to help stop Graffiti:

• Install Motion Detectors/Fake Security Cameras
• Look into products like Tagbak, Tagbak is a simple setup that sets off sprinklers when a sensor is activated
• Set up a Neighbourhood Graffiti Watch
• Plant trees, shrubs, bushes to make it harder for taggers to reach their location
• Cover high risk areas in Anti-Graffiti Coating
• Photograph and report all Graffiti to the local authorities
• Remove Graffiti ASAP, the longer it stays the more likely other buildings will be hit
• Move objects (dumpsters, cars, ladders, etc…) that help taggers reach higher areas and rooftops
• Clean up the surrounding area, graffiti artists are more attracted to rundown areas
• Join the cause (help others remove graffiti and pass along these tips)

I hope you’ve enjoyed this little guide.  All of the ideas above are simple and easy to implement into your daily life.  If we all do our part we can help make our community (wherever it may be) a more inviting and beautiful place.  We owe it to ourselves and each other to help make a difference.  Please contact me with any other ideas that you may have to help beautify the community.

Thank you,

Randall, of Randalls-eBooks (http://stores.ebay.com/Randalls-eBooks)

P.S. If you’ve enjoyed this guide PLEASE REMEMBER TO VOTE.