“There are some things AI simply cannot do”
AI is a funny thing. Have you played around with it yet? Even if you haven’t intentionally, chances are you’ve had AI answer a question to something you have Googled. AI definitely seems to be the wave of the future, and I have wondered lately in which ways AI might help PALS be most efficient. I do believe we can use it for organizing and gathering statistics, optimizing collection, and even sorting materials; however, there are some things AI simply cannot do.
This spring, 64 counties, 25 Alabama Community College System Campuses, and countless community groups came together to collect litter off Alabama’s roadways, parks, neighborhoods, waterways, and campuses. We should have all the final numbers in soon, but it is shaping up to be one of the largest collective cleanups in “Don’t Drop it on Alabama” Spring Cleanup history. Many new groups joined PALS this year, and several counties have a renewed spirit in their efforts. Communities coming together to collect litter and the pride that comes as a result is something AI simply cannot do.
This year, in partnership with Osprey Initiative and the Alabama Community College System Campuses, we added a recycling component to the ACCS campus cleanup efforts. First, let’s acknowledge the campuses for collecting a record 27,478 total pounds of litter in 2025! What a feat! Of that, 549 pounds were in aluminum can and plastic bottle recycling. Northwest Shoals Community
College collected the most recyclables and will receive a scholarship from Coca-Cola United for their efforts.
This project required planning as well as physical effort to collect and retrieve the recycling from each campus. Once again, people win out over AI!
I always tell people that our ultimate goal is that there would be no litter left for us to collect! The best way to ensure we are heading in that direction is through our Clean Campus Program. Shay Grant, our new Clean Campus Coordinator for the 2024-2025 school year, made great strides this year in educating our youth about the ills of litter. Shay visited thousands of students, hand-delivered thousands of coloring books to kids around the state, and posted regular social media posts to spread our anti-litter message. She has had an amazing transition from 33 years in the classroom to being a full-time litter warrior! Shay has created a new “Be a Litter Pirate” curriculum and dresses like a pirate to visit schools. AI just can’t compete with a pirate coming to your classroom to talk about litter!
We have also had a record year with our Adopt-A-Mile Program! Christy received 35 new applications in the first quarter of this year alone! She has been hard at work removing and replacing old signs and is a champion of organization and communication. A program like Adopt-A-Mile requires a high level of teamwork with our volunteers, ALDOT, County leadership, our sign maker, and our sign shipping company. It is quite a process, and there is no way AI could ever handle this monumental task!
In September, the 38th Annual Coastal Cleanup will be upon us, and it is always a wonderful day of fellowship as we “Get the Trash out of the Splash!” Over the years, our volunteers have collected over 1.8 million pounds of trash and debris off the beautiful Alabama shorelines. The ADCNR and Alabama PALS invite you to join us September 20, 2025, to add more to our total number of pounds collected! Yes, there are some really neat devices that can help collect litter on our beaches, but nothing beats thousands of volunteers looking in every
nook and cranny for debris. Sorry, AI, the humans are the winners at the beach!
I have talked to many people who are having AI write their articles, emails, and papers now. Call me “old school,” but I just can’t do it. Anything you read from me will be my thoughts coming from my keyboard. Every thought may not be perfect, and it may not be as flowery as AI, but I can guarantee that my heart is behind my words… and more than that, my heart is fully committed to the success of Alabama PALS. To that end, there is a lot of excitement and enthusiasm at PALS as we look to the future.
If your county or community would like to start a PALS chapter, please email me at [email protected] or call (334) 263-7737 to set up a time for us to visit your City Council or County Commission meeting. Our programs provide a great framework for litter pickup and prevention, and we would love to help you get started. In closing, I do believe that AI will have its place in some fashion for the future of PALS, but nothing beats our
volunteers and communities that get out and do the “dirty work.” We are grateful for each of you, and we invite you to join us as we continue our fight against litter in Alabama.
We also invite you to recognize those that are out there doing the hard work of keeping our state litter free. On November 12th we will once again honor the amazing volunteers and groups at the Annual Alabama PALS Governor’s Awards. Please take a moment to nominate those that have put in the work this past year on page 25. Thank you again to each of you who make this organization so special!