Trash Warriors of Auburn ready to clean up the town

What is a Trash Warrior, you ask? A Trash Warrior is someone interested in keeping the community they live in clean. It can mean you enjoy picking up litter and seeing a clean environment behind you. Perhaps something you are already going out and doing on your own or with friends. It means you care about the environment enough that you are open to gathering with other Trash Warriors to help clean up our town and the surrounding areas. If this sounds like you, then I'd like to introduce you to a new group in town. A friend and I have teamed up with the City of Auburn to create a group of such people. We will be known as the Trash Warriors of Auburn. The city will provide safety vests, grabbers and bags to put the trash in. All you have to do is show up with a good attitude and help clean up our city. We will focus on an area each month that is prone to having litter strewn about. I have been a Trash Warrior for the majority of my 66 years on this earth. What I have found is there are a couple of ways to look at this. One is, people will think, "Oh, good! I can litter because someone else will pick it up." Or the way I like to look at it is, people will see a clean trail, beach, sidewalk, road, whatever, and think twice before they dirty it with their trash. I have also found that when people see you picking up litter, it creates an awareness they may not have had. This was true for me when I was in Yosemite last year. At Sentinel Beach, there are picnic tables that can often be a goldmine for litter. Families enjoying their picnics will see me being a Trash Warrior, and when they leave their table, there isn't a crumb to be found. Another example is the canyon where I spend a lot of time hiking and picking up litter. It's been six or seven years now, and I am noticing there is less litter than there was before. It may be my optimistic attitude, but it's what gives me hope and keeps me going. So if being a Trash Warrior sounds like something you would be interested in, we're meeting behind City Hall in Auburn (Lincoln Way) and will dive into a part of town that needs our help. Summer hours are 9 to 11 a.m. Join the Trash Warriors every first Saturday of the month. Trash grabbers and safety vests will be provided. If you have your own grabber, feel free to bring it along. Our first gathering will be Saturday, May 2. Please arrive 15 minutes early to sign in. All ages are welcome. Waivers are required for all and will be supplied. Thank you for caring, and looking forward to seeing you there. Remember to spread kindness like it's confetti and Pack it in, Pick it up, Pack it out. Every litter bit counts. Kristi Meyer is a Realtor at Granite Real Estate in Auburn. She has been serving the foothills for more than 20 years. If you have questions about real estate or need a Realtor, you can call or text her at 916-847- 5128 or email her at ItMattersToKristi@gmail.com.