Community Spotlight: Total Altruism Project (TAP)

This month we sat down with Gary Blume, founder of the Total Altruism Project (T.A.P.), to learn how a simple dog walk sparked a statewide litter cleanup movement and why it's about so much more than trash.

Tell us a little about yourself and the T.A.P.

I'm a former biology teacher, and the project really grew out of everything I am, from my love of people, my background in science, and leaning into the second law of thermodynamics which talks about energy. One day I was walking my dog and picked up a piece of litter. A stranger thanked me for it, and I just started thinking about the energy behind that moment. When you do something kind, your own energy improves. The person who sees it feels it too. I kept asking myself: how could I replicate that so more people would feel that way?

That became T.A.P. We place cleanup stations in public parks, each stocked with litter grabbers and custom hand nets so people can walk around and pick up litter as they go. No sign-up, no scheduled event. Just grab a tool and go. It's based on the law of attraction. Small acts of kindness have a reverberating butterfly effect, and that's exactly what we're seeing.

What surprises people most about litter pickup volunteering?

That it's actually fun. You can do it as a meditative walk by yourself, or turn it into a game with your kids. When people see others doing it, they feel good, and they're probably a little more conscious about not littering themselves. People young and old use these grabbers on their walks and it’s really great to see everyone from all walks of life doing something good for themselves and the community.

The reach of it also surprises people. Out of 482 cities and municipalities in California, T.A.P. was voted one of the top environmental conservation projects in the state. All I'm doing is these small, simple things and it's spreading. It really does show that the simplest act of kindness can have a profound effect.

Have you noticed any changes in the parks where T.A.P. is set up?

Absolutely. I survey the ground maintenance workers about a month after installing a station, and they consistently tell me they see up to 15 groups a day using the project. People are laughing, taking ownership, taking pride in their park. I see families doing it with really small kids where one holds the grabber and the other holds the net. They're playing a game and cleaning up the environment at the same time.

Mesa College here in San Diego has also been studying the impact, and the data shows that parks with T.A.P. stations see over 50% of their litter cleaned up. That's well above the 25 to 35% national average for similar programs. It's keeping a lot of plastic out of the San Diego River and out of the environment.

You've mentioned mental health benefits. Can you say more about that?

This project genuinely improves people's self-image. One of the sayings on my sign is: Can you imagine how much good could be created when people feel good about themselves?

I actually shared this idea back in 2018 with a close friend over pizza, forgetting for a moment that she's a clinical psychiatrist. Her name is Dr. Karen Durst. She's worked her way from running her own clinic all the way to directing large hospital behavioral health programs. She heard me out and immediately said, "You've got to do this. This is so good for mental health." She joined my foundation because of it and is now our Vice President.

I also have a regular participant at a local park named Ruth who walks the park four times every day. On her fourth lap, she always picks up a grabber. She says it makes her feel good. That's exactly the point.

What tools are you using, and how do you have them set up?

I use ArcMate's 32” EZ Reacher Standard grabbers. I chose them because I already saw them being used by San Diego Parks and Recreation and San Diego Unified School District custodians, so I figured they were among the best out there. And they're local, which was a bonus.

I have them modified specifically for the project. Before delivery, ArcMate drills two holes in the shaft of each grabber. I attach a hand net using a keyhole clip and a nylon-coated wire, so the net sits right on the grabber and people can carry multiple pieces of litter at once as they walk. Without it, you'd have to stop and drop each piece into a bucket. This way it's seamless and keeps things moving.

I've always believed it's worth paying a little more for quality. I'm very environmentally oriented, into reuse and repurpose. I want tools that last.

Is there a moment that captures why you do this?

There's a photo on my website of a father and his two kids out in the middle of a park. One brother is holding the grabber and the younger one is holding the net. They're going around picking up litter together. It's family time, it's educational, it's environmental. All of it together in one image.

I also see older folks, someone with a broken foot walking around using the tool just because they enjoy it. Seeing people use it feels good, because I know it's making them feel good. That's really what it comes down to.

What are your goals for the future of T.A.P.?

I want to go global. When I first came up with the idea, I could picture it under the Eiffel Tower in Paris or at the Roman Colosseum. My goal is to get a large corporate sponsor, expand throughout the United States, and set up a training system so people can go anywhere in the world and open up this project.

It's already starting to happen. Very recently I got an email from someone in Ohio who saw a T.A.P. station at Lake Murray while on vacation and wanted to know how to start it in their state. I've heard from other states around the country too, so it's spreading on its own. I'm really just orchestrating it at this point.

How can people support T.A.P.?

Financial support is the biggest thing. It's a grassroots operation and funding helps us expand. But if someone wants to volunteer their time with the nonprofit, they can reach out through the website. I'll call them up, find out what their strengths are, and find a place for them. There's room for people to help with education outreach, production, working with schools and Girl Scout troops, marketing. All of it.

It's really just about showing up. You don't need much. Grab a grabber and start walking.

TAPuses ArcMate's 32" EZ Reacher Outdoor Standard, custom-modified for TAP's unique station design. To learn more about ArcMate's full line of cleanup tools or our free reacher recycling and refurbishment program, visit arcmate.com.