Eight-Year-Old Challenges You to Clean Up Roadside Trash

Little people with big ideas can change the world, and that is just what eight-year-old Addi Belle Chamlee is hoping to do.

Addi Belle is a 3rd grader at Trion Elementary School in Northwest Georgia. She recently learned about pollution in her Science class. “Mr. Chance taught us about pollution and how it’s bad for the Earth. It can get in the rivers, oceans, and it’s just not good,” Addi Belle said.

On a family walk Addi Belle noticed the amount of trash in the ditches and she said to her mom,  “we should have brought a bag.” At that moment the eight-year-old became an activist for a cause that she wanted to help resolve, the pollution solution.

Under her Mom’s supervision, Addi Belle turned around and walked back to her house, she put on her boots so she could get in the ditches to clean them out, and she grabbed a big trash bag. She went back out and picked up a full bag of trash. “When we were finished, she realized that the bag was completely full, she couldn’t wait to tell her teacher,” her Mom, Melissa said.

“I was proud of Addi Belle for taking the initiative to begin a cleanup of the roadway by her house with her mom’s help and supervision. Roadways and the side of the road are dangerous places. Motorists can help by keeping trash and debris with them and placing it in a proper trash container. Just a little bit of effort could hep reduce roadside litter. As Addi Belle’s science teacher, I was glad to see the application of some of the actions from our study of the effects of pollution on the environment. She safely took steps needed to reduce the negative impacts of litter. She did this safely. Roadways and the side of the road are hazardous. We can help clean by not placing the trash on the roadway and getting it to trash cans,” Mr. Chance said.

Addi Belle with the help of her family came up with this idea of starting a challenge on Facebook to help clean up your neck of the woods.

The challenge is simple: Addi Belle is challenging you to do what she did. Grab a bag, “a BIG trash bag, not a small Walmart bag, pick up trash and challenge others to do it too.  I want to see others post pictures of them with a bag of trash they picked up.” When you post your picture use the hashtag #AddiBellesPollutionSolution 

Addi Belle says it would be cool if her clean up idea spread further than just her home county of Chattooga, adding, “it would be amazing to not see trash all over the place anymore.”

With spring mowing getting ready to start, there is no better time than now to lace up your boots, grab a bag, and clean up some trash.