Even as Earth Day approaches on April 22 and worldwide ecological awareness grows, our well-to-do county struggles with at least one issue shared with less affluent areas: littering. I regularly walk the length of our road and remove, on average, 1 to 2 grocery bags of trash each week. I have seen everything from the odd to the unmentionable and am flabbergasted at the larger items -- desks, tires, construction trash -- that others have dumped on our residential road rather than dispose of properly at the nearby Alpha Ridge Landfill.

Although some trash may blow off trucks or result from animals raiding garbage containers, accidental littering in no way accounts for all of the roadside refuse. So who is the stereotypical litterbug, and why? Believe it or not, a profile does exist for these reprobates. Different people litter at different times under different circumstances, but according to http://donttrashaz.org, common offenders are single men, aged 18-34. They often drive pickup trucks, smoke, frequent bars and nightclubs, and eat fast food at least two times per week.

And why do people litter? After reviewing several articles on the subject, I found two Canadian sites -- http://www.gov.pe.ca/enveng/litter/ and www.recycle.ubc.ca/litter.htm -- that offer some clear thoughts, which I have summarized as follows: laziness/inconvenience; lack of positive peer pressure; lack of education about, or concern for, the environment; no sense of pride in the area being littered; large amount of litter already in the area/unavailability of trash cans; belief that he or she will not be caught or that penalties will not be enforced; belief that others will pick up the mess; and misconception that some items, such as cigarette butts, are not trash.

I would further add that litterbugs relinquish some privacy when they dispose of trash improperly. For instance, if I see a teenager making frequent trips to the end of the road and I then clean a stash of empty liquor bottles from that location, I have a pretty good idea of what that individual is doing.

Of course, littering also remains illegal, and penalties increase with the size of the offense. Marylanders who inappropriately discard up to 100 pounds of refuse can face a fine of up to $1,500 and/or 30 days in jail. Even in a thriving economy, the inconvenience of holding onto that fast food packaging until the next trash can does not justify the risk of tossing it illegally.

Disposing of trash correctly, or cleaning up after accidental littering, remains one of the easiest ways we can protect our environment. If the idea of being a social do-gooder does not appeal, consider a plea to personal privacy. When wind or wildlife scatters our trash, anyone driving or walking past our homes gets a glimpse of the foods we eat, the medications we take, and far more personal items. Who wants to share that kind of information?

The Glenelg High School Counseling Center proposes to share information of a more helpful nature during its College Planning Symposium Wednesday, April 22 at 7 p.m. in the school cafeteria. Moira O'Malley, Glenelg guidance counselor, will kick off the evening with a discussion about preparing for the college application process. Attendees may then choose up to three additional sessions from the following: the public college experience, the private college experience, SAT preparation, financial aid and scholarships, support for students with disabilities at the university level, and athletic recruiting and NCAA standards.

Call the school's counseling center at 410-313-5535 for more information. The school address is 14025 Burntwoods Road, in Glenelg.

Those of us who survived the teenage years and are currently raising teenagers can attest that the growing-up process may involve interactions with so-called "mean girls." The Horizon Councils and the Women's Giving Circle of Howard County invite mothers and their teenage daughters to a series of discussions about social and peer pressure on girls. These free workshops, entitled "Mean Girls: Queen Bees, Gamma Girls and Surviving the Female Hierarchy," run from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. and include dinner, but attendees must reserve their spots in advance.

The first workshop takes place April 22 at Miller Branch library, located at 9421 Frederick Road, in Ellicott City. Call 410-313-1950 to register. The second workshop takes place on April 30 at Glenwood Branch library, located at 2350 State Route 97, in Cooksville. Call 410-313-5577 to register.

Due to an editing error, last week's column included the wrong date for the upcoming 5K and Fun Run to benefit Woodbine resident Nick Antlitz, who is working to rehabilitate after an accident last summer left him partially paralyzed. The run is scheduled for April 25 at 8 a.m. at Bushy Park Elementary School, in Glenwood. Registration information and details are at www.nickantlitz.com.

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