spewing trash into the world

In Culiacan, it is socially acceptable, or even encouraged, to litter. I refuse to partake. Even if my Topo-Chico water bottles and my Kinder Chocolate wrappers are a very small percentage of the trash in this city, and even if throwing them in the few-and-far-between trash cans won't make this city any cleaner, I will NOT throw them into the streets or onto to the grass.

It pains me to throw those little gatorade cups or water bags into the street during road races. They don't put out trash cans, and i THINK that someone comes by and cleans up a bit later, but even still, i really hate to do it.

On one group training run to Imala, I was stashing my emtpy water bags into the waistband of my running shorts, waiting to throw them into the water truck or a random trash can. One other person was doing the same, while a thrid person was thoughtlessly tossing his plastic baggies onto the side of the country road. Evidence of his and other runners' actions could be seen all along the run, sadly. The road was still beautiful, quiet, populated by cows, and surrounded by small farms, even though the disgusting Culichi (Sinaloense? Mexicano?) behavior was obvious. We bugged that runner the entire 14 miles until he finally kept one bag in his shorts as well. I'm sure those plastic bits he threw down, though, will be there for many generations of runners after I escape from this place. It makes me sad.

this is also a city of really really REALLY dirty exhaust. the black and filthy air left by the buses is slowly turning everything here black, including my lungs. in a basically small and quiet city of less than 1 million residents, i see people wearing surgical masks in the street regularly. I refuse to participate in this environmental tragedy as well. i don't drive a car here.

Maybe my lack of car and my tight fists don't make any difference to the earth, but these are two ways in which i don't spew trash into the world.