EARTH DAY 2008 - WHY RECYCLE?

Today is EARTH DAY 2008. A day to celebrate our great earth, the air we breath, the land we walk on and the beauty we enjoy. Do we take these things for granted? Some evidently do. Do we try to preserve our earth so that we can continue to celebrate its beauty? We should start somewhere in our quest to keep our air and soil clean and toxin free. Have you tried recycling?

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Why recycle? Think of everything you put in your trash cans and then to the curb for pick-up and then it is toted off to a landfill somewhere. How many tons of garbage do Americans dispose of every year? Check out Keep America Beautiful for some interesting facts and figures about how we are treating our earth and, in particular, our great nation.

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I set a personal goal to recycle plastic bottles, milk jugs, aluminum cans, glass, paper and anything else that our local recycle center will accept. It takes a little more effort, but I couldn't believe how much my family and my extended family next door accumulates in just one month. When I thought this through, how much have I contributed to the landfill problem?

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The starting point for me was a program I watched one day on PBS about Rachel Carson in the 1950's and early 1960's. A woman ahead of her time. Her quest was to take care of nature and eco-systems. The end of the program focused on plastic bottles and batteries that are thrown into landfills. I could not believe how much waste. Better yet, what did not decompose in landfills--plastic. I cannot begin to imagine how our trash is affecting any eco-system? I would like to put my head in the sand and not think about it, but I can't stop thinking about the eco-systems. My choices can affect life.

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This is something I truly truly support. I have been able to see the eco-systems in the Great Lakes Region of the United States and on the Gulf Coast. Both areas of the country worry about how to maintain healthy eco-systems. One life supports another life and so on and so on. When this breaks down because of our polluting air, land and water, we have problems.

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Okay, I'm trying to get off my soapbox now.

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Help in some small way-- RECYCLE.