MERCER ISLAND, WA (April 18, 2008) \u2013 Residents of Mercer Island have become accustomed to seeing the man wearing his usual hat, walking alongside roads, scaling embankments and working his way through bushes as he picks up litter with his \u201cgrabber,\u201d says Greg Asimakoupoulos, pastor of Mercer Island Covenant Church.
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\n\u201cThen when you get closer, it turns out to be Michael,\u201d Asimakoupoulos says, still amazed. That\u2019s because Michael is the well-known film critic and syndicated radio talk show host.<\/p>\n
![\"Litter\"](\"http:\/\/www.covchurch.org\/uploads\/UZ\/f7\/UZf7G41nIlYnoFy2US7a7Q\/Litter-2.jpg\")
On Sunday, Mercer Island presented a community service award to Michael Medved because of his campaign against littering. Medved is a resident on the island, which stretches six miles long and two miles wide and is home to about 22,000 people.<\/p>\n
Asimakoupoulos says Medved\u2019s example is important. \u201cI\u2019m amazed that given the level of affluence on the island, the amount of litter that\u2019s here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Medved already has influenced the church\u2019s men\u2019s ministry to spend time picking up litter around the downtown area after the group\u2019s monthly gathering. For Christmas, Asimakoupoulos\u2019 wife presented him with his own grabber.<\/p>\n
Asimakoupoulos says the church occasionally presents the award during worship services, when time is allotted for the pastor to interview the recipient. Medved, who described himself as a conservationist and not an environmentalist, told the congregation that picking up litter was important because when garbage is left around and buildings are abandoned, communities are affected sociologically.<\/p>\n
Recalling the honoree\u2019s remarks, Asimakoupoulos says, \u201cPeople get the hidden message that no one is in charge.\u201d Medved, who is an orthodox Jew, added, \u201cWe know as people of faith that someone is in charge.\u201d<\/p>\n
Following the worship service, Medved spoke to the church\u2019s adult Sunday school class, which has been focusing on faith, film, and culture. Asimakoupoulos was struck by irony in Medved\u2019s life. \u201cAs a media critic and as culturally engaged as he is, he doesn\u2019t have a TV in his house.\u201d<\/p>\n