Ron Sable is president of Concord Solutions Ltd., a management consulting company, and is active in the community.

Driver/Transportation
RENZENBERGER
ROAD AND YARD VAN DRIVERS General
Grocery/Market Mgr-Cafe/Restaurant Mgr Sales and Marketing
Xentel
Expanding call center. New Hiring Bonus! Trades/Construction
Pioneer Landscaping
Yard Person/Loader Operator Trades/Construction
Baker Brothers Plumbing
Dry Wallers Trades/Construction
Wentz and Patrick Construction
Carpenters & Helpers General
ADVANCED AUTOMOTIVE
DISPATCHER/SECRETARY

It only takes one observance of the sun setting on the Catalinas, one night in McKale Center when the University of Arizona basketball team is on the move, one stroll through Sabino Canyon, or one evening looking down on the city lights from the Foothills to know that we live in a very special place.

Protecting our interests in this little piece of paradise should be important to all of us. Sure, we have our challenges, just like any growing city, but the stars now seem to be aligned for Downtown redevelopment, new industry and the rebirth of Tucson. The expanded airport is a testament to the dedication of many varied interests working for the betterment of all, and it is just that kind of commitment that will make a new Tucson a reality.

On the margin, however, there are a number of situations that give us reason for concern. They speak to what we are really about and how serious we are about maintaining the best of Tucson and working on those things and situations that aren't as good as they could or should be. A case in point was made very clear on one recent morning.

A number of us, members of the Southern Arizona Region of the Porsche Club of America, spent a good part of the morning cleaning up along East Orange Grove Road, between Skyline Drive and First Avenue — part of our participation in the "Adopt A Road" program. By the time we finished, we had collected enough refuse to fill two large pickup trucks.

While we felt much better after we completed our assignment, we also concluded that Tucson is in need of a much more concerted effort if we really want to promote an image of a city and region others would want to reside in, let alone ourselves.

As you might expect, we collected a number of empty beer cans and bottles, cigarette cartons, water bottles, plastic cups and wrapping that have become a common sight in this area.

We also found a postcard addressed to a woman in Flagstaff from her relative in Bakersfield, Calif.; a Petco certificate for a woman on East Broadway; a copy of the Harvard University "Heart Letter"; an April 7 receipt for a man's dinner at BJ's and his purchases at Ace Hardware; a bag full of diapers; a page from a counteroffer for a home being sold on Sun Bluff Drive in Tucson; and a manual for "excellence" from a dog academy in Hutto, Texas. To top it off, we found a perfectly good five-spoke alloy wheel cover for a Datsun 300 ZX.

We can't make people recycle rather than throw these things from their vehicles. We can stiffen the penalty for littering our roads, but then enforcement would be left to law enforcement agencies, which already are taxed combating crime.

Maybe, just maybe, we could be good citizens and take it upon ourselves to be responsible for our own litter. Maybe, just maybe, we could teach our children to do the same. Maybe, just maybe, it might work. One thing is for sure — it could help.