32. Improved recycling in our apartment building

Less temptation to throw recycling down the chute. 

A lot of trash and recycling is generated in our 40-unit apartment building.  Trash is deposited into chutes, similar to the image, on each floor.   Previously, residents brought their recycling down to the maintenance room once a week. Now, they no longer have to keep their recycling in their apartment all week long.  To recapture more recycling (single-stream), management purchased 2-bin wheeled carts for several  floors.  The bins are emptied daily. Some garbage was placed in the bins in the beginning of the program but there is less contamination now. This low-tech program has been easy to implement and the convenience is appreciated by the residents.   

31. EPA Short Video for Earth Day 2012: Look Beneath the Surface

Visual imagery conveys the message: 
buy reusable beverage 
containers instead of plastic bottles.  

30. Rats, trash and strikes

Picture: NARA  poster c.1941-1945  

The current strike at Republic Services' Mobile location is drawing media attention. Sympathetic strikers in other locations have joined the protests. Workers' grievances concern health care benefits (pro-union press release) and other issues.

Although unions give a voice to workers, they are problematic because membership is not voluntary in union shops and when job openings are posted, union members are promoted based on seniority instead of merit.  That's not fair to employees or management. Workers have little motivation to excel under this system.

When the public's health is at stake, waste industry labor problems should be resolved without strikes or stalling on either side so that filthy conditions won't develop.  Think rats.  Think infectious diseases.  Solve the problems intelligently instead.  

29. Earth Day 2012--Sunday, April 22

NARA. Earth Day Event 2003

Earth Day activities are being planned across the nation as they have been since 1970.  This year many  kids will see The Lorax.  Another great eco-movie is Wall-E (2008), a gift we received from Kristen.  But what's more fun than digging in the dirt with kids and planting useful and beautiful things? We're hoping to get a community garden plot this year.  Hope we make the cut.