Who would say that picking trash can be such an amazing activity? Well, when you are doing it in a great company, it has to be... A lot of laughs, a good time, and a bit of competition, and you can have a great morning! That's how it was at the #HCDGraz event 11 days ago, or to be more specific, May 3rd!
This was my second "group" #cleanplanet walk, after the first one in Hamburg last year, for which I didn't create a post (if I remember well)! Of course, what annoys me the most are irresponsible people throwing trash on the street, out of their cars, and especially those who throw trash in nature... That one is probably the worst... I have no idea why that is so "easy" to? Maybe because nobody is around, so they can do it? Arggh... Okay, I'm off-ranting, going back to this great CleanPlanet walk!
On the day of Hive Creator Days presentations (check my recap), 
Schlossberg hill (there were some complaints about the picked destination, mostly from people who are living in more "plain areas" 馃槀)... Claws, bags, and gloves were ready, and we were ready to go!
spreading the propaganda 馃槂
photo by 
Let's see if it works! 馃槂
photo by
Part of my "Trash Team" (we lost 
We have formed teams at the bottom of the hill, just before we began to climb on a very nice trail... Now, when I roll the movie back, I can't remember that we saw many people using that trail as there were some other ways to get on the top of the hill... more about that closer to the end of this post...
photo by
The strategy was clear from the beginning... Hit the road hard, do the sprint at the beginning, walk in front of everyone else, picking up all the trash... Leaving no trash behind!!! 馃槀 Unfortunately, on that narrow trail that led up to the hill was almost no trash at all! Only a few cigarette buds... Nothing!
|
|
|
|---|
When we reached Uhrturm, a 13th-century medieval clock, our strategy fell apart completely! We weren't walking on a narrow path, and we couldn't "block" others to pick up the trash! The battle became fierce...
On the other side, beautiful city views were a big distraction! Whenever you look, you will see a panoramic view of the city, in combination with a lot of trees and green parks! Also, having a river passing through the city gives a special charm to Graz!
photo by
Keep your focus, ph! Someone yelled, "Look how much trash is on the other side of the wall/fence!" Say no more! My team partner 
photo by
picking up the last pieces, before going back to safety! 馃槂
photo by
photo by
Oh, no! 
gold trash mine and already filled half of her bag with garbage!!! Hurry up to get at least something before that sewer mine gets depleted! 馃槺 But, it was too late... She got a huge advantage in those moments, which was impossible to catch up... At least for my team... Complaints about the sun, the hiking, and empty bellies became stronger and stronger... We were at the end of our strength... Will we survive to the top? 馃槂
photo by 
We did it!!! We got to the top and pulled out our last smiles to take the group photos with our "catch"! 150kg of trash in that small bag! You don't believe me? 馃槂 Congrats, 
My back still hurts because of how heavy that bag was! 馃ぃ
photo by
Okay, maybe the main prize, but we left it to the teams of 
What about my team? Our prize was on the menu above... 馃槀 After eating Schnitzels for 3 days, that was the turning point for me... I decided to go with the second-best Austrian option, the Wurstel!
|
|
|
|---|
On our way back downhill, most people pick the slide to go back to the bottom of the hill, while some of us wanted to enjoy the view of the city through the funicular... It was a short trip, but still with some stunning views!
Thank you for your time.
--ph--
