October 19, 2025

Hi and welcome to newsletter #57 of OneBeautifulPlanet.org! This newsletter started in June 2023, and you are one of our 290 subscribers. Enjoy and thank you for signing up!

Mindset

“I am a slow walker, but I never walk back.”

― Abraham Lincoln

Beautiful Chicago

Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to travel to Chicago for business—a city I hadn’t visited since 2019. Whether it’s because I grew up in a similarly vibrant city (Bucharest, Romania, with 2 million residents, compared to Chicago’s 2.6 million) or simply because Chicago has so much to offer, it remains one of my absolute favorite cities in the United States.

Chicago has indeed been ranked the best large city to live in the US by Condé Nast for nine years in a row. It’s clean, modern, seems very livable and that people care about the city. It feels like a large city that just works. Plus, it is set along the beautiful, awe-inspiring force of nature which Lake Michigan - the third largest Great Lake and only one that sits entirely in the United States.

During my time there, otherwise filled with meetings and work, I was able to squeeze in a few walks and a run alongside along scenic Lake Shore Drive. And yes, I even picked up some litter along the way! It’s of course, a drop in the bucket, but it makes me feel better and is aligned with my instinct and aspiration, which is to show appreciation for all places I travel to. What do you do to leave the world better than you found it?

Adopt-a-Highway Action

According to Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful, and their extensive 2020 litter research study, Pennsylvania roadways are littered with approximately 502.5 million pieces of litter. No surprise there, as we all see the consequences of throwing litter out of one’s car - which is incredibly easy, and highly likely to go unpunished.

So last year (see November 2024, newsletter 47) I decided to do my bit, and adopted a portion of a local road, through Pennsylvania’s Adopt-a-Highway program. The program is very straightforward, and you should consider doing it! It takes a few months, but once approved, your name, company, or volunteer group gets its own sign right next to the road!

In about 30 minutes, I collected a trash bag full of mostly food and beverage containers from both sides of the road, over a section of about a quarter of a mile, in front of lovely George School.

The commitment expected is to clean up your chosen road about twice a year (or as needed, to keep it relatively tidy). According to their website, “4,370 Adopt-A-Highway volunteers have adopted 9,333 miles of road”. That’s a small portion of the approximate 42,000 miles of road in the Commonwealth, so there is more to adopt!

The website has an interactive map that allows you to see what roads are available to adopt and where. In addition, you have the possibility to order supplies such as trash bags and gloves, and report a pick-up, for completed cleanups.

It’s a small effort, but every little bit helps to keep roads stay cleaner and our one beautiful planet a bit healthier. Have you thought about adopting your own stretch of road?

Please share this newsletter if you found it helpful or interesting. And if you would like to collaborate in some way, whether in writing, or volunteering together at a cleanup, get in touch!

Razvan