By Town Crier Staff

The founding members of the “Los Altos Litter Lifters” would like to add a legion of new members to the roster. So far, Lou and Trudi Brossard are the sole members of the informal organization they started about two years ago. For their efforts, the Brossards have earned Los Altos Chamber of Commerce’s first City Pride Award.

The Brossards have been avid hikers for years and residents of Los Altos since 1965. After Lou had angioplasty about two years ago, they began walking to downtown Los Altos every day except Sunday, when they walk “the dish” at Stanford. It didn’t take long for them to discover there was a lot of trash along their three-mile walk.

The Brossards were surprised that anyone in the charming Los Altos village would lack pride and diminish its beauty with litter. They decided they could show their own pride in the community and make a difference.

Lou armed himself with 13-gallon garbage bags, gloves and an E-Z Gripper; and he and Trudi became the Litter-Lifter brigade on their daily walks. He is now quite proficient with the gripper and fills almost two bags each day.

They empty the bags in the city-owned garbage cans along San Antonio Road and downtown.

Although neither claims to be overly meticulous around their home, they would like to see a litter-free Los Altos.

Lou was an Army “brat”" and a veteran, so “policing the area” is second nature to him. He has been a longtime volunteer at The Tech Museum of Innovation and the Los Altos History Museum. The Brossards are both Sierra Club members and strong supporters of improving the environment.

They say that people seem to appreciate their efforts and smile, wave and honk as they pass them on their walks. They take pride in being called “Litter Lifters” and believe their efforts have made a difference. However, they would really like to see others join the effort.

According to the Brossards, walkers can make their strolls around town more productive if they would buy an inexpensive gripper at the hardware store, grab a few bags, put on some gloves and join the “Litter Lifters.” Who knows — maybe they will eventually have uniform vests to show their pride.