# Trash Hikes #

![](http://i.imgsafe.org/8a7c109fee.jpg)


## **Introduction** ##
***Trash Hikes are local events, where people get together to pick up trash.***

**Our Mission:** Trash Hikes mission is to reduce the amount of litter in our wild lands and urban cityscapes, by getting communities together for productive walks.

**Why:** Because community is the immunity we need in this chaotic world. And what you love- you’ll respect. Everyone here at Trash Hikes has a strong affinity to Momma Earth, so we’re putting in the effort to make a difference- to care for her. 

**How:** Currently Trash Hikes is operating through a Facebook Page called, “[Trash Hikes](https://www.facebook.com/TrashHikes/)”, as well as word of mouth promotion. Together this community has picked up a total of 35 bags of trash on Lookout Mountain, in Golden Colorado and in Idaho Springs, Colorado.

In the future, we hope to build an app that would allow users to pinpoint what areas could use a trash hike, and then easily connect users to other Trash Hikers in the area, to set up a hike.

![](http://i.imgsafe.org/8a77075841.jpg)

## History ##
   Like most of you, I was taught that you shouldn’t litter. My parents even encouraged my brother and me to “leave every place better than when we found it”, so from the get go, we were on the right track.  

As the years passed and I started camping with friends, we brought empty grocery bags to pull trash out of the woods. Our intention wasn’t to trash hike; we were just in the woods, hated seeing trash litter the hillsides, and decided to do something about it. 

A couple years later, I decided to ride my mountain bike from my home in Colorado Springs, Colorado, to Canada. To prepare, I looked for a second job, on top of bussing tables and going to school. When I couldn’t find one, I took things into my own hands… and bought a box of trash bags.

I had this silly idea called “The Karmatic lottery” (I love silly ideas). The concept was simple- I’d buy a box of trash bags, fill all the bags up with litter from the woods, buy 5 lottery tickets (capped at $1000), then give four of the tickets away, then challenge a good deed to go unpunished. 
If I expected to win the lottery, I’d have to pick up more than 30 bags of trash though. So I bought another box hoping to reach 50 bags. 

![](http://i.imgsafe.org/8a97bc4446.jpg)

I ended up only filling an additional eight bags, before my adventure was planned to start. So I never bought the lottery tickets. 

Instead, I found that people were reaching out to bless me (even without asking) all along my journey. From places to stay, to money, to food on a plate, I was so thankful for the generosity of everyone around me; it fired me up, and I was looking forward to picking up more trash when I got home.
When I went through Yellowstone, I found myself blessed enough to have a fishnet strapped to my handlebars, and the ability to pull over whenever I saw trash. I was clearly the most capable of removing this junk- so I did. Karmatically, The Universe rewarded me when I needed it most- 80 miles from the next town, and on my bottom dollar, two music producers blessed me $60! God bless those doobie smoking Canadians!

 You can read more about these adventures as I post more to my Steemit Blog, @ScottieMac, and when I publish my new book  “[A Righteous Endeavor](https://www.facebook.com/ARighteousEndeavor/)". 
Anyway, when I got back home, I got back into trash hiking. But it wasn’t until last spring that I made a Facebook group for it, and started networking with the members of #WeAreChangeColorado.

This past week I dreamt up an app that could amplify the page’s effectiveness, and draw in every resource we need (with viral potential). 

![](http://i.imgsafe.org/8b113f0a2c.jpg)

## The Trash Hiker App ##
The Trash Hiker App is a tool designed to connect communities, and clean up the Earth. By providing a resource to identify where trash is, and who wants to clean it up, we can effectively reclaim the cleanliness of our communities. 

**The Map**
The Trash Hiker Map allows users to pinpoint locations that could use a Trash Hike on an interactive map. From there, users could pick a spot that they would like to go to clean, then invite others to join.



**The Event Page**
For each trash hike, an event will be made. 
	If it’s public, everyone who has the app, and is within (blank amount) of miles will also receive an invite.
If it’s private, you will be able to invite certain people to the event, and communicate logistics from an event page.

  **Additional plugins**, like a polling system for synchronizing schedules can be implemented as well. (Everyone polled would submit when a hike would work best for them. Then they would select all of the times they could go.  Whatever time is selected the most wins and becomes the official event time.
	
**Each event page would contain:**

- A picture of the littered land
- The address (or location pinpointed on the map) of the meetup point
- List of people going
- List of people invited
- List of people interested
- A way to invite others
- And a message board

**During the hike**, Trash Hikers are encouraged to take pictures of each other in action, as well as a trophy picture of all the bags they’ve collected at the end.

![](http://i.imgsafe.org/8abe3171f3.jpg)

**User Profiles** can be linked up to various forms of social media including Steemit, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and Periscope.
Profiles will include

- Name
- Pictures
- Age
- Sex
- Pets
- Brief Introduction
- The number of Trash Hikes completed
- The number of bags personally picked up
- Trophy Picture Gallery
- Email
- Telephone


**Rewarding Users**
 To encourage as many people as possible to go on Trash Hikes, nearly all of the ad revenue the app generates will go towards rewarding Trash Hikers. 
This could come in the form of special advertiser incentive, like free products from advertisers, for people who collect certain # of bags, collects the 100th bag, or whatever.

We could also empower artist to create an income, by buying local art, and giving that to active members of the Trash Hike Community.

I'm all for integrating Bitcoin and Steem into this app as well.

![](http://i.imgsafe.org/8aaeac45f4.jpg)

## Current State of App ##
**The reason I have brought this idea to your attention**, is to help with its manifestation- I can only take it so far.

I need an app programmer.

Whoever helps me design this app will not only be rewarded with all the Steem Dollars I earn from this post, (research Steemit if you don’t know what I’m talking about), but will also be entitled to a small slice of the app’s income with me. 
My intention for this app is purely to motivate and enable our communities to actively get together, and make a positive difference in the world.
A small slice of the apps income will go towards rewarding the efforts of those who help create it, but our intention is to be responsible and transparent with this at all times.

**What now?**
No matter who you are, I believe you can help out with this project.
We currently need-

- Someone (or a small team of people) to further design and create this app.
- People to share and upvote this post. (So we can find that team, to manifest this dream)
- Like the Trash Hikes Page on Facebook.
- Attend Trash Hikes
- Ask to become a moderator on that page
- Host Trash Hikes, and tap into our community, if you'd like.
- Comment below with what you really like, what you don’t like (and how we can improve it), and what we’re missing.


This is going to be a team effort…and be really fun at the same time. Who else is excited!? 

![](http://i.imgsafe.org/8aeecece2d.jpg)