Lost Laundry by Lauren Johnston
November 1, 2023, 11:07 a.m.
Sidewalk next to my apartment
In this photograph, there is a dirty piece of laundry just sitting on the sidewalk outside of my apartment. This piece of clothing sitting lonely on the sidewalk shows how there are humans that don’t realize how even the smallest choices that we make can affect so much in the world.
I chose to take this picture because of how mind blowing it was to me that someone dropped a piece of their clothing and just decided it was the best idea to leave it there. I see so many different small pieces of trash and bags laying around, but I have never thought that I would have to walk around someone’s sweater that sat on the ground for weeks. It proves how the smallest of decisions can have impacts that we don’t even realize.
Taking this picture made me more confused than anything else. Did the owner of this clothing realize it was dropped? Did they leave it there on purpose? Do they realize what that little piece of clothing can do to the environment? There are so many questions about the objects that are left on the ground that we will never be able to know. Seeing this piece of clothing and taking a picture of it also made me feel motivated. Motivated to make a difference, even if that means just making everyone around me throw out all their trash.
In reflection, there are so many people, especially college students, who need to learn the importance of simply picking up objects on the ground. If the owner of this clothing, or anyone else who leaves objects on the ground, knew the effects that it had on the environment, maybe they would have taken a second thought. We as humans need to start thinking about the consequences that our actions have on the environment. Everyone plays a role in our environment, and we need to start remembering that.
Lauren Johnston is a third-year rehabilitation and human services major. Her hometown is Springfield, PA, and she loves to hangout with her friends, and exercise. She is unsure about what she wants to do when she leaves Penn State, but she knows that she wants to help people in any way that she can.