This duo had to put in extra work to remove a 145-pound decoration from a beautiful waterfall.
A giant plastic hippopotamus was affixed to a rock in Cummins Falls State Park in Cookeville, Tennessee, and the folks from Kayaking Adventures of Tennessee (@kayakingadventuresoftn) saw to it that it was taken apart and carried — as well as dragged — away to preserve the site's natural beauty.
@kayakingadventuresoftn Cummins Falls State Park cleanup and hippo removal 😂 Help keep our hiking trails and waterways clean by leaving no trace while visiting. 🚮 Remember to leave a positive impact on every area you visit, nature depends on us! 🌎💖 Help keep Tennesse clean by properly disposing of trash. Trash on the roads gets washed into our waterways and has a direct impact on the health of eveything from wildlife 🦅🦫🎣 to your drinking water! #travel #cumminsfalls #cumminsfallsstatepark #tennesseestateparks #explore #hiking #hike #outdoors #tennessee #kayakingadventuresoftennessee #travelbucketlist #hikingadventures #adventure #nobodytrashestennessee #trash #trashpickup #plasticpollution #endplasticpollution #endplasticpollution #plasticwaste #stoplittering #environment #protectwhatyoulove #leavenotrace ♬ Morning Happy Background Music - Wavepaper ID
Eddie and Tara are used to the work. They collect trash from area waterways multiple times per week, sometimes hauling hundreds of pounds of junk and all kinds of plastic so it can be disposed of properly.
As the entrepreneurs noted in the caption of this video, that's what it takes to keep hiking trails and bodies of water clean.
"Remember to leave a positive impact on every area you visit," they wrote. "Nature depends on us!"
Their example, education, and encouragement are exactly how to approach the problem. Littering and illegal dumping are criminal offenses in the Volunteer State, and penalties include 11 months, 29 days in jail, and fines up to $3,000. There are 5,100 pieces of litter for every mile of urban freeway in the state, according to Keep Tennessee Beautiful.
"Help keep Tennessee clean by properly disposing of trash," the creators said. "Trash on the roads gets washed into our waterways and has a direct impact on the health of everything from wildlife to your drinking water!"
If everyone followed Eddie and Tara's lead and collected a few discarded objects — or a garbage bag full — our environment would be pristine and more enjoyable.
Though 30% of litter is deliberately tossed from vehicles, 70% is the result of unsecured loads, Keep Tennessee Beautiful reported. That means we need to do more to watch our consumption habits and reduce what we jettison. Start by ditching single-use plastic bottles, plastic grocery bags, and plastic food containers. If you combine this with a fraction of the kayaking cleanup crew's waste removal efforts, you'll join those of us who are chipping away at the issue.
"Awesome work!" one commenter said. "Thank you!"
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