Cat Ryan submits-

Hey Joey,

Whether you fall on the side of these commercials are a prime example of greenwashing, this is SUCH a landmark PSA, let’s make another parody, or hey wait a minute Iron Eyes Cody was Sicilian?—people of a certain age remember seeing the Ad Council’s Keep America Beautiful ads. Lassie and Lady Bird Johnson were helping the campaign, too. Wildflowers and THE dog.

I was a kid. This tv spot was memorable and effective.

And this one. William Conrad voice over.

The Rozalia Project lecture at Maritime Gloucester for the kick-off event of the first Harbor community clean up reminded me of these ads. In a positive way! Highways look better. Now on to our shoreline and ocean floors. There was a photo of a crab trying to maneuver past sunglasses and various beverage cans in Newport that specifically brought those commercials back to me. Oh, and check your toothpaste and skin polishers – no poly anything ingredient. Trust me.

The next day following that lecture, clean up happened all around the harbor, right at the water’s edge, different neighborhoods, and even by boat. Kudos to Maritime Gloucester for organizing and Harbortown and Rocky Neck Cultural Districts and other partners and volunteers.

At Maritime Gloucester, the Rozalia Project robot, Hector the Collector, went to work while Audie Tarr and others set out in boats for some surface retrieval. Gig Rowers in action, too.