In Kasey Cartledge’s family, littering was the ultimate sin. They always made sure to leave no trace when they explored nature, and she and her family brought trash bags on walks around her hometown of Issaquah or on her way to school.
When Cartledge was 8 years old, she also wrote a letter to the mayor of Issaquah about how important it was for the environment to have trees as the city was chopping many of them down.
Today, the Yelm resident and owner of Get Fit Yelm still prioritizes helping the environment and going the extra mile to do so. She organized her third annual community trash pickup event on Saturday, April 27, an event she said honors her mother, who inspired her to take care of the planet.
“My mother was a huge advocate for the environment. I was basically raised by a hippie. When I bought this business two and a half years ago, it was important to me to honor my mother in this way,” Cartledge said. “I take a lot of pride in our community. When people enter the town, I want them to love it as much as I do, and by keeping it pretty, that encourages people to do the same.”
Cartledge has passed on the same values to her daughter, Kora, who joined the seven-person group that helped clean up Yelm Avenue in the rain. Dri Bunker, who participated in the cleanup with her kids, Gus and Gabi, told Cartledge after the event that Gabi begged her mother to spend their Saturday morning picking up trash around town.
“Seeing the kids get involved and pick up trash, I think it sets a great example for future generations. The fact that these families were willing to dedicate their Saturday mornings to pick up the community with their kids meant a lot to us,” Cartledge said.
While the turnout was slightly lower this year due to the rain, she said the trash pickup is appreciated by people who drive by the volunteers.
“The first year we did this in 2022, people were driving by and honking and waving, and people seemed very appreciative of it. They stopped and brought us water and snacks, and that encouraged me to keep doing it,” Cartledge said.
In the future, she hopes local businesses will get involved and more families participate so they can clean more of the city and make as large of an impact as possible.
“I’m hoping that it spreads to all of Yelm because, if everyone participated on a Saturday morning, we could clean up all of Yelm in an hour,” Cartledge said.
