Exit 72 is the road one takes from I-35 into Pauls Valley. It's also the name of the popular column by Pauls Valley Daily Democrat managing editor Jeff Shultz …. The forum he often uses to address litter concerns and beautification opportunities.

But Jeff goes well beyond the column and other environmental articles to get his point across. He uses eye-catching pictures of littered areas in public service ads to encourage the citizenry to "take pride" by stopping litter in the community. And then he and his wife, Nanette, regularly pick up litter along an "adopted" street, putting his printed words into inspiring action.

Jeff's lessons on environmental ethics, combined with individual responsibility and teamwork, have awakened a new sense of environmental awareness in Pauls Valley. For practicing what he so effectively preaches in print, newsman Jeff Shultz and the Pauls Valley Democrat are good news for litter prevention efforts in Oklahoma.