Seneca Green Team Tackles Trash Along 21 Mile Road

Although they often had to catch the litter before they could collect it, Tuesday’s wind gusts were no match for the determined .

Led by sixth grade teacher and team coordinator Shari Fogolini, members of the pro-environment club set out to clean up the north side of 21 Mile Road between Heydenreich and Card roads Tuesday afternoon.

But despite their best efforts, the team only got as far as .

“There’s a lot more garbage than we thought,” Fogolini admitted, as the team worked its way around the edge of Dakota’s pond.

Finding everything from bottles and cigarette cartons to plastic bags and lighters, student Natalia Kulaga even joked, “Maybe I can get a meal for free,” after adding several orders’ worth of discarded McDonald’s containers to her collection.

While no hidden treasures were found on this excursion, 12-year-old Jade Riccobono said it is reward enough to know she is making a difference in the environment.

“I love cleaning up the earth,” Riccobono said. “I thought (the Green Team) was a great opportunity to join something new and I just want to help the environment.”

Eleven-year-old Avery Hodor joined for the same reason.

“I thought it would be fun cleaning up things–people litter all the time.” But Hodor admits she was also swayed to join because “Ms. Fogolini’s my favorite teacher.”

With their bags bursting by the time they called its quits–and still plenty of litter to be found–Fogolini said another cleanup is in the future.

In the meantime, Hodor offers some simple advice to Macomb Township's residents: don’t litter.

“If you have something and there’s no garbage can around, just hold onto it.”

To her fellow students she says: “Go outside on nice days. Don’t sit inside and play video games. That wastes energy.”

That's pretty good advice.