Be Like Gary
When the world spews trash, be like Gary.
Gary is a legend in Beit Shemesh, Israel. You might find him on any given weeknight walking around the streets picking up the trash and beautifying the holy land. We found Gary and after asking him multiple times, he finally agreed to allow us to shine a spotlight on him to inspire others to make the world a better place, and more clean.
When the World Spews Trash,
Be Like Gary
A stranger once approached Gary Green and offered him 200 shekels. He wanted to thank him for cleaning the neighborhood.
Gary declined. He had just come from his full-time job, he explained. He wasn’t looking for payment.
For Gary, the reward comes in a different currency.
A resident of Ramat Bet Shemesh who made aliyah roughly 26 years before this interview, Gary spends his walks picking up litter. His explanation begins with an observation about marriage: when you love someone, you pay attention to what matters to them. If your spouse enjoys painting, you might buy brushes or an easel.
Gary applies that same thinking to his relationship with G-d. Eretz Yisrael is G-d’s land. Caring for it is one way he expresses his love.
“This is not work for me,” he says. “Because I love doing it.”
At first, collecting trash was something he added to his walks. Eventually, the priorities reversed: cleaning became the reason to go out, and exercise became the benefit that came along with it.
Not everyone understands. One passerby told him the city already employed people to clean. Others suggest the municipality should pay him. Gary keeps going.
He also resists turning his rounds into arguments. When he sees someone littering, he doesn’t confront them. He wants his actions to plant an idea: this neighborhood deserves care, and each person can help provide it.
According to Gary, that example has already spread. Parents and children have approached him to say they began cleaning around their own homes after seeing him.
His walks bring other opportunities to help, too. Among the discarded things, he finds lost wallets, phones, school bags and cameras. When he can identify their owners, he returns them—another mitzvah woven into an ordinary walk.
“It’s like planting seeds to inspire people,” he says.
Gary’s contribution is modest enough to repeat after a day’s work. A walk. A piece of litter picked up. A lost possession returned.
And sometimes, someone watching decides to do the same.
Special thanks to our partners at The Afikim Foundation
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