The gum of childhood (and recycling)
Kid in a candy store, originally uploaded by Clampants.
In today’s The Daily News from Newburyport, Massachusetts, Bill Goss offerd up the first version of his column, “Going Green,” which talks about options for the environment, including some of what he’d learned about recyling while he spent part of his life in Holland.
That journey of understanding started with childhood and the candy stores of Newburyport (one local store is pictured above), and the environmental impact it had on the streets of his hometown:
Since I was a young boy, I have cared about the environment. I was born and raised in Newburyport in the 1950s by parents who wouldn’t tolerate littering of any kind — my gum wrapper landing on the ground was considered a serious offense. And when I discovered that there were pipes sticking into the Merrimack River, pouring all sorts of nasty waste directly into the water just down the street from my home, I was mortified — could this be allowed?
As I walked to school, I saw the aftermath of hundreds, maybe even thousands, of pieces of chewing gum and wax candy that we used to buy at Schwartz’s, Rubino’s and Pattow’s neighborhood stores, discarded from hands, mouths and pockets directly onto the sidewalk. (If you remember these stores, you’ll know that I grew up in the South End). We had to watch our step as we made our way to the Brown School, or we’d be walking around with the gunk on the bottom of our soles.