I was happy to see that a business on Queen’s Highway finally removed an old tattered flag from its flagpole. Unfortunately there are still some establishments flying worn-out and torn national flags on flagpoles for all to see.

While these individuals may be hoisting these flags out of national pride and joy at being a Bahamian, it does not fill me with any pride to see a shredded flag flailing about in the breeze, hanging, literally, on its last thread.

And, truly, what pride can one have to hoist such tired looking flags? But that is where we are in this country. We are being overrun by individuals who have very little or no pride in themselves let alone the communities in which they live.

I used to boast to my family and friends about how clean the streets and common areas were on the island of Grand Bahama, and in particular, the city of Freeport. However, in the last few years the garbage strewn about leads me to rethink my first impression.

In fact, I now realize that the citizens of this island are not that much different from the slobs living on New Providence. The difference between us and them is that we have a more timely refuse collection system in place; therefore the garbage does not remain such an eyesore for too long.

If you want to know how nasty Grand Bahamians are, just attend a Junkanoo parade downtown. I literally tripped over garbage several times while making my way to my vehicle during one of the parades held a few months ago. It appeared to be absolutely no big deal to drop not only the contents of the Styrofoam containers, but the container itself.

Yes, lots of people are gathered in one place you may argue. You may further suggest that there were probably not enough garbage bins available. But what is the difficulty with taking your garbage with you to dispose of in the proper place. Now there is a novel idea.

If you were to visit some of our schools, you would also find refuse on the campus grounds, even though most schools employ janitorial staff. Some students find something as simple as putting a candy wrapper in the trash too difficult a task.

On any given day, on any given school campus or place of business, I bet you would find at least one of the following: candy wrapper, one cent, pen, drinking straw, bottle cap, paper or tissue, drink can or bottle. Furthermore, I am confident that you would also find on that property at least one refuse container.

Recent statistics have revealed that visitor arrivals have decreased about 7% this year. We know that we depend on the tourist dollar to keep our economy afloat, and our strongest selling point is our natural resources. How long do you think we can sell sun, sand and sea if we continue to litter our streets, beaches, parks, schools, and homes?

We must teach our children about keeping their environment clean, but we must teach by example. When teachers tell me about how nasty some children leave the classroom at the end of the day, I shudder to think how their homes must look. Perhaps they have housekeepers and believe that it is not their responsibility to clean up after themselves. If that is the case, then we are in a sad state of affairs.

What’s the sense in dressing up really pretty when you are frowsy underneath it all? What good is it to paint the outside walls of your house when the inside is riddled with roaches and ants? What does it matter that we have well manicured lawns when rats convene for midnight feasts?

Therefore I challenge all of you this week to keep your environment clean. Just think how much cleaner our streets would be if people kept garbage in their cars until they got to a garbage bin to dump it. Just think how much cleaner our beaches would be if people took their garbage with them when they leave the beach area. It really does not take very much effort to put litter in a garbage bin, but the end result is phenomenal.

About the author: Joye Ritchie-Greene is an Educational Consultant, Writer and Martial Arts Instructor. She is the owner/operator of The Bahamas Martial Arts Academy; president of Time-Out Productions; and is also a columnist for the Freeport News. She has a B.A. in English and an M.S. in Human Resources, resides in Freeport, Grand Bahama with her husband and enjoys playing tennis. Joye can be reached at joye_hel_ena@hotmail.com