Ongkar Khalsa – Crew Leader
Q: What is your crew name?
A: Team Uppaway
Q: In what year/month were you initiated?
A: 2021
Q: Why do you love Lake Tahoe?
A: There are places on earth that have so much Prana. Prana is a Sanskrit word that translates to “Life Force”, “energy” or “vital principle”. Lake Tahoe is one of these places. It is one of the most pristine, beautiful places on earth.
Q: Why did you adopt your area?
A: Those of us who live in or visit Lake Tahoe are the caretakers of this beautiful place. There are many people and organizations who care about Lake Tahoe. However, the fact that last year, just 1-2 people in our Tahoe Blue Crew picked up more than 10,000 pounds of trash indicates the EXTREME PROBLEM we are facing. We cannot take for granted that this incredible beauty will last forever. Microplastics are everywhere and growing every day. It is our duty, as a good human, to protect our planet and preserve the fresh air, beautiful landscape, abundant wildlife and blue, clear water. They are treasures that, if we do our part now, will be preserved for our future generations.
Q: What is the grossest thing you picked up?
A: Used condoms, clothing soiled with human feces, a broken plastic box with vomit inside, and used baby diapers
Q: What suprises you the most?
A: That there is always more… and more… and more… every time you go out and look, it never stays clean… “where there are people, there is trash”…
Q: What do you find the most of?
A: Plastic, Plastic, Plastic! Plastic bags; plastic bottles; plastic car pieces… large, tiny or small… plastic is everywhere!
Car accident pieces – some large; some tiny. There are hundreds and thousands of pieces that are left behind every day at car accident sites. They then get washed down the drains and into the lake, or they get broken down into the soil to never be seen again
Styrofoam – mostly from packaging – the large pieces that come in boxes to protect items that we purchase, or the small peanuts that come in our packages
Cigarette butts – I never knew how many people still smoke these days, until I started picking up trash along US 50. According to earthday.org, cigarette butts consist primarily of plastic and “Cigarette butts are actually the most abundant form of plastic waste in the world, with about 4.5 trillion individual butts polluting our global environment”. Read more in this article: Tiny But Deadly: Your Butt on Plastic – Earth Day.
Q: What do you wish other people knew about protecting Lake Tahoe?
A: The problem is worse than you think. For all the trash you can see (when you pass it by or look for it), there’s tons more that you don’t see. Places like Lake Tahoe, places of “Prana” are slowly being destroyed by trash and other polluting actions by humans. These places are treasures to be respected, honored and cared for so that we and our children and the generations to follow can experience their tranquility, peace and beauty.
Please do your part… whatever it is… every small effort adds up! Try keeping a roll of dog poop bags (the biodegradable type) in your coat pocket or your backpack or your car glove box. Consider picking up just 5 pieces of trash when you’re out…guaranteed you’ll find 5 pieces if you’re looking for them! If you notice a business who is not doing their part in keeping their parking lots or surrounding areas clean, ask the owner or manager to do a better job. (You could even help by spending a few minutes yourself to pick up trash in the parking lot!) Don’t wait for others to do it. Be part of the solution. Your actions may inspire others to do the same. These things only take a few minutes. But if more of us have the intention of making this treasure more beautiful, and we set ourselves up with the tools for doing so, we can make a difference in Keeping Lake Tahoe Blue!
