By: Piper Gill & Robert Gill . It’s a beautiful Sunday afternoon in Cabbagetown. My five-year-old daughter, Piper, and I put on our gardening gloves, walk out to the street, and begin our stroll together to collect litter. “Oh, there’s one daddy!” she says as she picks up an old coffee cup. This is our usual Sunday afternoon routine. And when we’re done, the street looks much cleaner.
Why do we do this? We were inspired by a family friend who likes to stroll around the pond in his local park and pick up litter on Sunday afternoons. He wanted to make a difference in his community and decided to do something about it. It was a simple value that I wanted to instill in my own daughter. In a small way, I hope that this simple routine inspires Piper to become a young adult who makes a positive impact on her community and the world. Most importantly, we get to spend some special time together and she is having fun!
Our communities are where we live. They nurture us and our families as we grow. Let’s take care of our communities in the same way that they take care of us.

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