For Jim Harvey, life can be measured in three-mile increments. That’s how far he walks every day, a trash-grabber in one hand and a garbage bag in the other.
This summer will mark 20 years and 20,000 miles since he started trying to change the world, one piece of garbage at a time.
“I’ve got the technique down,” said Harvey, who was a runner before arthritis forced him to slow to a walk. “I grab trash, put it in my bag and keep on going.
“A lot of people who live around the route stop and talk to me,” he added. “They thank me, share the time of day.”
Margo Yourick lives in the same neighborhood as Harvey — Lake Pippen Estates — and is amazed by his dedication.
“Rain or shine, he’s out there picking up trash,” she said.
Over the years, Harvey has picked up cash, fast food bags, women’s underwear, empty syringes and bags of “vegetation” along his route, which includes a stretch of the Okaloosa–Walton county line.
Thursday and Sunday mornings, he finds the highest concentration of beer bottles and beer cans, which leads him to believe Wednesdays and Saturdays are big drinking nights.
The deputies along that route know Harvey, which eases his fears that he’ll be arrested for having drugs in his trash bag.
The dogs know him, too.
“They know me as the guy who brings the cookie and then goes away,” Harvey said. “I don’t go into their territory.”
Editor's Note: This series recognizes people who make a difference in their communities. To nominate someone, call Wendy Victora at 315-4478 or email wvictora@nwfdailynews.com
