Local Man Takes ‘A Walk With A Purpose’

By ERIN LARISON

The Kokomo Post staff

Photos Provided | Rick Parsons

For Kokomo’s Rick Parsons, every day is Earth Day.

During quarantine 2020, Parsons took on a challenge to fill a trash bag with litter every day for 30 days. He calls these strolls a Walk With a Purpose. 

But when his challenge month was over, he said he just kept going. Parsons has collected trash at least once per week, for an entire year, documenting the journey with friends on social media.  

“I just thought this is the way to do two things — one is to give back, and do something good for the trail system,” said Parsons, an avid cyclist who bikes Kokomo’s trails often.

Parsons is no stranger to environmental protection and conservation. He has previously worked in the recycling district in Tippecanoe County, in soil and water conservation, and taught AP environmental science, physiology and anatomy at Kokomo High School. He currently teaches human physiology at Indiana University Kokomo. 

During his challenge month, Parsons said, he gathered 300 to 400 pounds of trash, all along the Wildcat Creek. Every time he has gone out since, he said, he has filled at least one 20-pound trash bag. 

He’s found all kinds of trash in the last year — from styrofoam cups to golf balls, batteries to Big Gulps. 

“A baby doll that was thrown out, and it actually had been there so long that plants were growing up through the mouth,” he said. “It was like the creepiest thing you’ve ever seen.”

Parsons said he hopes more people will join him in the quest to keep our trail system clean and our earth healthy. 

“The sad part is, as soon as you have gotten it cleaned up, it gets trashed out and you have to do it again,” said Parsons.