There is a breed of bird that is slowing down its reproduction in the Galapagos Islands, which puts it in danger of extinction. We are wiping out entire species because some cannot pick up their own waste. Garbage is killing.

About a hundred and fifty years ago, an explorer named Charles Darwin visited these islands on a ship called The Beagle. He discovered so many unknown species of plants and animals that he created a firestorm of interest in these mysterious islands that continues to rage. Today, the trips from Lima, Peru (the closest port) are continuous and packed to the max with people who want to experience the area.

Researchers visit this area and take home specimens that have never been seen or recorded before. But, with all that interest, a problem has arisen. So many tourists visit the area and leave trash on the beaches that ants have begun to infiltrate the area. Those same ants are biting and making it difficult for the little birds that live in the area to survive. It sounds silly that something as careless as littering could destroy a species, but here it is, in vivid color, recorded by scientists who don’t know how to stop the damage.

On the other side of the globe, I witnessed another spectacle of man. In 1982, I was visiting London, England, and I took a taxi, then a train, then a bus to visit Stonehenge. At that point, you could walk between those huge and imposing stones and feel their energy.

Ten years later, I revisited those same rocks and the area was cordoned off. Graffiti had been painted on one of the rocks. The taggers had arrived at the historical sites created by the Druid priests (supposedly) centuries ago as an ancient calendar.

What does it take to instill the Native American attitude that says emphatically to leave an area the same way you found it? From the Aborigines of Australia to the Masaai tribes of Africa, the theme remains the same. We are not here to disturb the earth. And yet we do.

Here in Texas, after months of continuous effort, I picked up all the trash along the path that led to my mother’s property. For just one mile of trail, it took me an entire month to clean up beer cans, liquor bottles, cigarette packs, etc., that were found along the country road.

I’m not condemning, approving, or tearing us apart (pardon the pun). I only ask that we be aware of what surrounds us. Always leave a place in better condition than you found it. It’s as simple as that.