Your Earth Day challenge: Go for a 'waste walk'

I happened to be brought into the world on April 22 (if you don't know, that's Earth Day) as a nature-loving Taurus born to a set of (former) hippies and environmentalists in Austin, Texas. I grew up going on camping trips and attending National Audubon Society meetings, participating in Girl Scouts and learning about composting, gardening and how to reduce and reuse even before trying to recycle. While I haven't always been able to claim the title of being the "most" environmentally focused (I'm not "crunchy," if you will, and I've never managed to develop a green thumb despite multiple half-hearted attempts), I've always felt that pull and connection to the world around me and have made an effort to be a good steward of the environment.

Earth Day, especially, is a day when I make a special effort to make the world a healthier, cleaner place for myself and my community — it's a birthday present to myself, if you will. And this year, I have a call to action and a challenge for you all: Go on a waste walk to celebrate Earth Day, then report your experiences back in the comments or on social media and tag #EarthDayWasteWalk and #YahooWasteWalk. We want to see your experiences and share in the good work you're doing. Plus, it's good for you, it's good for the environment and it's an easy way to connect to and improve the community where you live.

What is a 'waste walk'?

Also known as "plogging," "waste walk" is a term I coined while watching my now 76-year-old father set a daily example for his kids and grandkids on how to be a low-key environmental activist.

Almost every day for more than a year, I've seen my dad set out in the mornings with a trash grabber and a trash bag to pick up litter while walking around our local parks. It's a habit he's invited myself and my kids to join him on, and it's an experience that leaves everyone feeling a little bit better by the end of the jaunt. (Thank you, Dad, for always setting a good example.)

Why should you try it?

Maybe a better question is, why shouldn't you try it?

It's good for you

For one thing, walking is exercise. Exercise is good for you. There's an immense amount of science to back this up, but I also happen to be an exercise physiologist with a master's degree in exercise science. I can definitively say, "Walking is an excellent form of exercise," and you can trust I'm not leading you astray. Logging a couple thousand steps while strolling (or power walking) around your neighborhood is unlikely to leave you worse off at the end of the day, and very likely could help you improve your overall health. Plus, walking is even better for you when you do it outside in nature.

It's good for the environment

On top of the basic health benefits of fitting a walk in, you're tangibly improving the environment by getting trash off the streets and trails. Not only does this help keep your local community cleaner, but it may open your eyes to the sheer amount of litter that people leave behind.

You're setting a good example

Seeing you pick up trash is a reminder to others that maybe they shouldn't chuck that Coke can on the side of the road and should instead walk it to the closest trash can. It may even set off a domino effect and inspire others to pick up trash too. You can also enlist your kids, neighbors and friends to get involved, using the experience as an opportunity to socialize and educate.

Both my kids (3.5 and almost 2) have been excited to get involved and always love playing with ... and sometimes actually using ... our trash grabbers. Since starting, my son is also more aware of litter on the trails and he's starting to understand why we don't just throw trash down when we're done with whatever we're using.

How to do a waste walk

Honestly, it couldn't be easier. All you need is your body, a pair of decent walking shoes and a trash bag (we just use leftover grocery bags). I'd also suggest gloves (especially if you're not going to use a trash grabber) and maybe some hand sanitizer (especially if you're doing a waste walk with your kids — you only have so much control before they grab something nasty with their bare hands).

Otherwise, pay attention to the weather and be sure to take a water bottle along, especially if it's hot or humid or if you plan on taking an extended hike.

If you plan to make your waste walks a habit, you may also want to think about adding to your arsenal of walking gear. Most of these items certainly aren't required, but they may make your walks more enjoyable.

In the lead-up to Earth Day, I put a call out to my colleagues to see if anyone wanted to get involved. A few (awesome) souls volunteered to do their own waste walks and report back. Here are their experiences:

Jeanine Edwards, Yahoo's Director of Commerce Initiatives

"I live just north of Manhattan in a pretty residential neighborhood, so one might expect there to be less trash than in 'the city.' Sadly, that's not the case. I walk my dog several times a day, and the amount of garbage I see on the street makes me so mad. I'd never heard of a "waste walk" until my colleague mentioned it, and given my hatred for litter, I signed up to do one with enthusiasm. To help make the job less gross, I ordered some heavy-duty gardening gloves from Amazon, and they definitely came in handy. I picked up so much nastiness — wet coffee cups, candy wrappers, someone's Chipotle order, more used napkins than I could count ... the list goes on. In just three blocks, I'd filled up the plastic bag I brought along for the walk. The irony? Within those three blocks, there are three trash cans people could've easily chucked their crap into rather than on the sidewalk! I'll be honest, I don't love the idea of cleaning up after people and picking up God knows what off the street, but if it means my neighborhood is cleaner and there's less crap for my dog to eat on our daily walks, then I'll keep doing it."

Libby Sentz, Yahoo Contributing Writer and Editor

"Back when my tween and her bestie were kindergartners, they came up with a big plan: to honor Martin Luther King Jr. Day by being good citizens and picking up litter from the sidewalk, gutters and alley in our busy Richmond, Va., neighborhood. Our fam has continued the tradition and added Earth Day cleanups as well. We love seeing passersby get inspired. Our tools include old garden gloves, a grabber and a reusable trash liner, which we clean on 'Sanitary' in the washer. (We actually use reusable trash bags throughout our home.)

"On a smaller scale, I have a daily practice of turning one of my dog's empty poop bags inside out and using it for quick litter pickups on our walks. I empty the collected litter into trash cans along the way and reuse the baggie until she needs to fill it. The hands-free leash makes it super easy."

#EarthDayWasteWalk #YahooWasteWalk

Now, I'd like to put the call out to all of you Yahoo readers to invite you to do the same. If you're looking for an easy way to celebrate Earth Day, either on your own or in the company of family and friends, I'd like you to grab a trash bag and your best walking shoes and hit the road in search of litter.

Snap a photo or two of yourself as you go (if you're so inclined) and share them on social media with the hashtags #EarthDayWasteWalk and #YahooWasteWalk. You can also come back here and share your experiences in the comments to let me know how your waste walk went. I'd love to be able to put together a follow-up article detailing how we were all able to come together through the far reaches of the internet to make a difference on Earth Day. And remember, it's my birthday (I'm turning 43), so you can think of it as a personal present too.

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