Community Stewardship

I understand the addiction to nicotine. Both my parents died of nicotine related illness. My father died at age 47 and my mother at 73. What I do not understand is why the people addicted to nicotine discard their butts on the ground. About 4.5 trillion cigarette butts are littered worldwide each year—making them the most-littered item. The myth that cigarette filters are biodegradable is just that, a myth. Although the filters do eventually decompose (2 to 5 years), they release harmful chemicals that enter the earth’s land and water during the decaying process. There is nothing earth-friendly about the breakdown.

Now that Peace College is a tobacco free campus, our neighbors are complaining of the unsightly trash that is being left behind by those leaving campus for a quick smoke. Trash left behind that includes items such as cigarette butts, Styrofoam food trays, aluminum cans and water bottles. As a highly visible, well respected institution shouldn’t we set the standard for community stewardship?