There is the (rare) occasion when I reach home after a ride and discover that one of my used gu packets isn’t in my pocket. And I instantly feel bad for contributing to the litter of the world. I found the solution to this sadness several years ago: the next ride out, i would pick up trash from the side of the road to offset the amount I had inadvertently contributed on the previous ride.
… And then I rode with Ralph and realized I have been aiming way too low. On our ride Ralph said, “Sorry I was late, I was moving a bumper off of the road. I had dropped my wrapper last week so I felt obligated to do some clean-up today.”
Thanks for the inspiration, Ralph! I vow to be Trash Negative in my riding going forward.