The Times Online published a lengthy piece about Bill Bryson’s crusade against fly-tipping (what the Brits call littering) now that he is officially the new president of the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE). The longtime UK resident has decided to do his part to raise awareness about rubbish issues in his adopted homeland, although he didn’t exactly set out to take on this position.
Bryson’s still under contract to write two more travel books, but that won’t stop him from rising to the challenge that seemed unavoidable after he asked his readers to email him if they were concerned about litter. He got about 1,000 responses and made a conscious decision to get involved with CPRE as a result. Does this mean future travel writing from Mr. Bryson will be green and litter-free? We shall have to wait and see…
As he explains in the interview: “I’m not doing this because I’m American and think I can tell you how to run your country,” he says. “I’m doing this because I’m a long-term resident and I’ve seen all this happening over a very long time. I would rather not be doing this at all; I’d much rather be at home gardening.”