Lookout Litter Bugs

Outside the F stop in Brooklyn, a little girl was handing out this flyer. I breezed right by her outstretched hand–an automatic reaction to being handed something on the street in this metropolis–before I noticed she was eight years old. I turned around and took one from her as her father nodded and smiled. The girl looked determined. As I began to read the flyer I understood why: she was on a mission.

I have kept this piece in my wallet ever since. For one thing, it makes me laugh. Please note the “hot piece of flying trash.” Beyond that, it’s just plain inspirational. And beyond THAT, it’s vaguely disturbing how adeptly this eight year old has appropriated the language of direct marketing to wake people up to the problem of litter in her neighborhood.

I have done a lot of research on young teens in the last few years and this incident illustrates two big points about this generation: 1) they are determined to make a difference, and 2) they get marketing perhaps better than we know.