THERE'S nothing to make a you feel more youthful and carefree than a crisp spring afternoon walking through a forest, the frog spawn turning puddles into great pools of jelly, the bird song a glorious soundtrack.

There's nothing to make you feel old before your time than stooping every few feet to pick up someone else's rubbish. I'm one of these people who's travelled around the world and back again but barely knows a single spot of her own country.

I'm trying to fix that - last year it was a cycling trip across the Hebrides, this year it's day trips. Last weekend I went up to Aberfoyle and went walking in Queen Elizabeth Forest Park.

I couldn't believe how much litter there was - plastic bottles, cans, bags, crisp packets. The other week I was driving along Coatbridge Road, in Bargeddie, when the passenger window of the car in front rolled down and a can of Irn Bru came flying out on to the road.

That sort of thing seems bad enough in an urban environment but when people are careless and thoughtless somewhere so beautiful, it feels worse somehow.

The charity Keep Scotland Beautiful put out figures last week showing the number of littered verges has risen from 48 per cent to 74 per cent over the last ten years.

What's wrong with us, showing such contempt for our environment? And for the environment at large. Sir David Attenborough issued a stark warning on Blue Planet last week: "Surely we have a responsibility to care for our Blue Planet. The future of humanity, and indeed all life on Earth, depends on us.”

As with so many things, the most passion and good sense comes from young people. At Sunnyside Primary School the Ocean Defenders club has been working to raise awareness of the damage plastics do to the environment.

Their campaign to ban plastic straws is gathering pace with restaurants, the city council and even the Scottish Parliament signing up. The pupils are turning their attention to banning balloons and sky lanterns next.

I remember being really passionate about saving the planet when I was little. I wonder if that's common to all children - damaging the planet is a topic we can all grasp but as we get older and life gets in the way we stop caring quite as much, there's less of an urgency to it.

Recycling drops down the list of priorities. Remembering your bag for life and your reusable plastic cup take up too much headspace when there are so many other things clamouring for attention.

It can also feel slightly abstract - you put your plastic bottle in the main bin and... nothing immediate happens. It's about asking people to understand that every little action counts to prevent something they can't actually see.

Will the direct message from Sir David change anyone's behaviour? Will the campaigning of the Sunnyside Ocean Defenders? By the time these young people grow up and become responsible adults who do all the right things we don't bother about, the damage will be done.

Cajoling doesn't work, reasoning isn't working, compulsion doesn't always work - fly tippers are hard to find and fine.

So what do we do? Do we start giving people financial incentives? Something needs to change. Having those of us who care pick up after everyone else is not long term solution.