Goal: To include cigarette litter and pollution control in Earth Day
activities as part of a comprehensive tobacco prevention and control program to increase awareness of
the detrimental effects of tobacco use to people and the environment and to consequently reduce
tobacco use.
Purpose: This guide is designed to educate school and community
leaders about the increasing problem of cigarette pollution and its global hazards in addition to
encouraging students and community members to take action to reduce tobacco use and its
pollution.
Environmental Survey—Take a count of how
many cigarette butts you can find at public sites, publish the results, and call upon public
officials to take necessary actions, such as policy, to reduce litter from cigarette butts.
Scavenger Hunt—Students or community members
can search the streets for cigarette butts, cigarette receptacles, ashtrays, and literature related
to cigarette litter (i.e., a litter fine poster). Hold a news conference on Earth Day and discuss the
results of the scavenger hunt.
Earth Day Festival Booth—Community members
may work with Earth Day organizers to include an information booth about tobacco pollution at a
local Earth Day festival or shopping center. Pledges can be made by children to never harm the
Earth, themselves, and others by smoking. People who smoke can also sign a pledge to never litter
their cigarette waste but dispose of it properly to limit its damages. Pledges can be posted in
public places or given to the media at a news conference.
Essay—Students can critically think about
the problems associated with cigarette littering by writing an essay describing it. The essay
could include sections proposing solutions to the problem as well as preventive measures that
will positively impact students as they form their own habits.
Mural—Working together, students can combine
their artistic skills to portray the effects of cigarette litter on local parks, streams, cities,
neighborhoods, wildlife, and oceans. Hang the mural in a grocery store, library, school, or health
clinic.
Letter to Cigarette Companies—Appeal to the
tobacco industry for a less environmentally hazardous filter and highlight the problems cigarette
litter causes in your community.
Poster Campaign—Have students create posters
illustrating cigarette litter and display them near public trashcans or areas frequented by smokers.
Poetry/Art Contest—Students can compete
in an art contest by creatively representing their interpretations of the harmful effects of
cigarette litter. Entries can be displayed at schools or public places such as libraries.
Adopt a Park—Have students or community
members volunteer time at a local park cleaning up litter. This activity will emphasize the
amount of cigarette litter, illustrate the fact that it does not just go away, and give
students a chance to take a step towards correcting this problem. Display the butts in a
clear jar.
Role-Playing Exercise—Invent an activity
in which students play the part of characters such as state or local government policy makers,
smokers, or nonsmokers who are affected by cigarette litter and who must deal with the problems
it creates.
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