November 23, 2009 5:45 AM
By ELYSSE JAMES
THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
TUSTIN Tustin's recycling program through CR&R Inc. is diverting 50 percent of the city's waste to recycling facilities instead of landfills.
The company also has given 613 recycling bins and 86 recycling carts to businesses in Tustin and has a goal of giving recycling carts or bins to all businesses by April.
Information: 714-573-3000 or www.tustinca.org.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Recycling centers close, eliminating 'green' jobs
This is really a tragedy! I had heard about how "our" state had dipped into the recycling fund to pay back its debts. I found the story to confirm it.
Reminds me of the parents that "borrow" money from their children's piggy banks to pay off their debts, which they used their own money to pay for drugs. The words, "hard-up" come to mind.
Recycling centers that provided troubled youth and some of society's former renegades, jobs, have now displaced the very ones this program was helping to get back on their feet.
It's really disgraceful that California has resorted to means, such as this in order to scramble to pay off a huge debt. And of course, at the expense of, what was once known as one of the most beautiful states, is now cluttered and trashed with bottles along the side of roads and freeways and gang-banger writing for the backdrop of our once picturesque landscapes.
At this point, it seems that all that California has left to offer is its four-season-a-year summer weather to attract the many transplants that continue to go west in search of the "California dream".
By Shane Goldmacher November 30, 2009
Operators are suing the state over its raid on deposit funds, and regional conservation groups have eliminated jobs for at-risk youths.
Reporting from Sacramento - Recycling centers across California are closing, and scores of troubled youths are being tossed from "green" jobs onto unemployment rolls in the wake of Sacramento's raid on bottle deposit funds.
California's recycling treasury, filled by consumers' nickel and dime deposits on drink containers, had hummed along successfully for two decades until state officials left it nearly bankrupt after taking $451 million out to help balance the budget.
The unredeemed deposits that subsidized recycling facilities and such projects as a local conservation corps are virtually gone, leaving the programs in the lurch.
Now operators of recycling depots in many supermarket parking lots are suing the state. Without the subsidies, Tomra Pacific Inc., a leading depot company, has closed at least 33 recycling sites -- more than 8% of its total, said company president Adrian White.
"Finding a location to recycle is going to get harder," White said.
Lacking a nearby redemption center, consumers can return containers to the grocery store. But the obscure state law permitting that is as unfamiliar to consumers as it is to most store employees.
"If . . . you have to be in the know just to get your deposit back," then the promise at the core of the bottle program -- pay a deposit, get it back when you recycle -- is voided, said Susan Collins, executive director of the nonprofit advocacy group Container Recycling Institute.
Beyond the recycling program are the regional conservation groups that employ at-risk youths -- high-school dropouts, former gang members and parolees.
Scott Dosick, spokesman for the California Assn. of Local Conservation Corps, said that the state's 12 programs typically employ 4,000 but that cutbacks this year have eliminated roughly 500 of those jobs.
"We are their last resort," Dosick said of corps members. "If we lay them off, they're pretty much back on the street.
"Once they're gone," he said, "the odds of getting them back are extraordinarily slim."
Lawmakers tried last summer to increase deposits or impose new ones on roughly 5 billion drink containers to replenish the recycling fund. Opponents called the effort a back-door tax increase; Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed it. On July 1, the Schwarzenegger administration cut 85% of the state subsidies, and this month it eliminated them entirely.
White said the governor had cast "a veto against green jobs."
H.D. Palmer, a spokesman for the state's Finance Department, said he "would defy anyone to find a governor in this country more committed to the green jobs agenda than Arnold Schwarzenegger."
The governor will propose a plan to refill the fund in January, when he unveils his next budget proposal, Palmer said.
A hint of the fight to come was in Schwarzenegger's veto message, which chastised lawmakers for trying to expand the deposit program without including liquor and wine bottles. Requiring deposits on those items would pit lawmakers against the powerful alcohol lobby, a major source of political contributions that has scuttled similar efforts in the past.
Schwarzenegger also demanded in his veto message that legislators pass a law forbidding future raids of the deposit fund. It was Schwarzenegger himself who first proposed taking $100 million from the fund in early 2009.
That struck recycling advocates, such as Californians Against Waste Executive Director Mark Murray, as more than a bit hypocritical.
Murray, in an analysis of the veto, said the governor's demand was akin to yelling, "Save me from myself!"
shane.goldmacher
@latimes.com
Reminds me of the parents that "borrow" money from their children's piggy banks to pay off their debts, which they used their own money to pay for drugs. The words, "hard-up" come to mind.
Recycling centers that provided troubled youth and some of society's former renegades, jobs, have now displaced the very ones this program was helping to get back on their feet.
It's really disgraceful that California has resorted to means, such as this in order to scramble to pay off a huge debt. And of course, at the expense of, what was once known as one of the most beautiful states, is now cluttered and trashed with bottles along the side of roads and freeways and gang-banger writing for the backdrop of our once picturesque landscapes.
At this point, it seems that all that California has left to offer is its four-season-a-year summer weather to attract the many transplants that continue to go west in search of the "California dream".
By Shane Goldmacher November 30, 2009
Operators are suing the state over its raid on deposit funds, and regional conservation groups have eliminated jobs for at-risk youths.
Reporting from Sacramento - Recycling centers across California are closing, and scores of troubled youths are being tossed from "green" jobs onto unemployment rolls in the wake of Sacramento's raid on bottle deposit funds.
California's recycling treasury, filled by consumers' nickel and dime deposits on drink containers, had hummed along successfully for two decades until state officials left it nearly bankrupt after taking $451 million out to help balance the budget.
The unredeemed deposits that subsidized recycling facilities and such projects as a local conservation corps are virtually gone, leaving the programs in the lurch.
Now operators of recycling depots in many supermarket parking lots are suing the state. Without the subsidies, Tomra Pacific Inc., a leading depot company, has closed at least 33 recycling sites -- more than 8% of its total, said company president Adrian White.
"Finding a location to recycle is going to get harder," White said.
Lacking a nearby redemption center, consumers can return containers to the grocery store. But the obscure state law permitting that is as unfamiliar to consumers as it is to most store employees.
"If . . . you have to be in the know just to get your deposit back," then the promise at the core of the bottle program -- pay a deposit, get it back when you recycle -- is voided, said Susan Collins, executive director of the nonprofit advocacy group Container Recycling Institute.
Beyond the recycling program are the regional conservation groups that employ at-risk youths -- high-school dropouts, former gang members and parolees.
Scott Dosick, spokesman for the California Assn. of Local Conservation Corps, said that the state's 12 programs typically employ 4,000 but that cutbacks this year have eliminated roughly 500 of those jobs.
"We are their last resort," Dosick said of corps members. "If we lay them off, they're pretty much back on the street.
"Once they're gone," he said, "the odds of getting them back are extraordinarily slim."
Lawmakers tried last summer to increase deposits or impose new ones on roughly 5 billion drink containers to replenish the recycling fund. Opponents called the effort a back-door tax increase; Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed it. On July 1, the Schwarzenegger administration cut 85% of the state subsidies, and this month it eliminated them entirely.
White said the governor had cast "a veto against green jobs."
H.D. Palmer, a spokesman for the state's Finance Department, said he "would defy anyone to find a governor in this country more committed to the green jobs agenda than Arnold Schwarzenegger."
The governor will propose a plan to refill the fund in January, when he unveils his next budget proposal, Palmer said.
A hint of the fight to come was in Schwarzenegger's veto message, which chastised lawmakers for trying to expand the deposit program without including liquor and wine bottles. Requiring deposits on those items would pit lawmakers against the powerful alcohol lobby, a major source of political contributions that has scuttled similar efforts in the past.
Schwarzenegger also demanded in his veto message that legislators pass a law forbidding future raids of the deposit fund. It was Schwarzenegger himself who first proposed taking $100 million from the fund in early 2009.
That struck recycling advocates, such as Californians Against Waste Executive Director Mark Murray, as more than a bit hypocritical.
Murray, in an analysis of the veto, said the governor's demand was akin to yelling, "Save me from myself!"
shane.goldmacher
@latimes.com
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Eight O.C. cities want to recycle uneaten food By: FRED SWEGLES THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
On a local front.
Being that I am a native of Orange County CA and we have probably the worst litter problem in the country, I found this news article about one of our local cities very encouraging.
OC November 20, 2009 12:10 AM
Think of all the trash in south Orange County's Prima Deshecha Landfill that began as food that people left on their plates at area restaurants.
Not very appetizing, is it?
Food waste from some of San Francisco's finest restaurants bakes in the sun at B&J Sanitary Landfill's compost-production farm near Vacaville. "It's black gold," said Greg Pryor, manager of the facility.
Eight cities are preparing to team up this month for a one-year pilot program to see how much food waste can be kept out of the landfill by trucking it to a facility that can turn it into compost.
The cities reported to be lining up are San Clemente, Dana Point, San Juan Capistrano, Laguna Niguel, Rancho Santa Margarita, Laguna Hills, Aliso Viejo and Tustin. San Clemente is the lead agency, and its City Council approved the pilot program this week.
The plan is for each city to approach its biggest food businesses (mostly restaurants and grocery stores) and invite them to participate.
The experiment offers multiple benefits, officials say:
• It can help cities meet a state mandate to reduce the volume of trash sent to landfills.
• With less trash filling up landfills, space in landfills will last longer, putting off the day when other places will be needed to dispose of trash.
• Recycling puts food waste to use again.
• Restaurants and grocery stores produce a lot of food waste – typically about 45 percent of their trash load.
• Businesses that volunteer for the pilot program will get a reduced trash bill for a year, a result of sending less gunk to the landfill.
"Over 15 tons of food waste is generated every week by the top 20 food businesses in San Clemente," said Tom Bonigut, San Clemente's assistant city engineer. He is coordinating the eight-city project.
HOW IT WORKS
CR&R, the cities' trash hauler, will provide participating businesses with collection bins and will collect the waste, taking it to a composting facility. OC Waste & Recycling, the county agency that runs Orange County landfills, is underwriting the experiment with a $400,000 grant.
"We're hoping to learn some exciting things here that could turn into a long-lasting program beyond the pilot period," Bonigut said.
WHAT THEN?
When the pilot program is over, cities expect to know what it costs to collect and recycle food waste and whether it's feasible to continue once the grant money runs out.
Food-waste recycling might be increasingly attractive to businesses when trash-disposal rates at county landfills jump to nearly $30 per ton next summer from $22, Bonigut said in a report. At the same time, he said, legislation may force cities to divert more of their trash from landfills.
Could there eventually be an extra recycling bin at home for Orange County residents to fill with breakfast, lunch and dinner scraps? Bonigut says yes, but for now, the focus is on business-generated waste.
Being that I am a native of Orange County CA and we have probably the worst litter problem in the country, I found this news article about one of our local cities very encouraging.
OC November 20, 2009 12:10 AM
Think of all the trash in south Orange County's Prima Deshecha Landfill that began as food that people left on their plates at area restaurants.
Not very appetizing, is it?
Food waste from some of San Francisco's finest restaurants bakes in the sun at B&J Sanitary Landfill's compost-production farm near Vacaville. "It's black gold," said Greg Pryor, manager of the facility.
Eight cities are preparing to team up this month for a one-year pilot program to see how much food waste can be kept out of the landfill by trucking it to a facility that can turn it into compost.
The cities reported to be lining up are San Clemente, Dana Point, San Juan Capistrano, Laguna Niguel, Rancho Santa Margarita, Laguna Hills, Aliso Viejo and Tustin. San Clemente is the lead agency, and its City Council approved the pilot program this week.
The plan is for each city to approach its biggest food businesses (mostly restaurants and grocery stores) and invite them to participate.
The experiment offers multiple benefits, officials say:
• It can help cities meet a state mandate to reduce the volume of trash sent to landfills.
• With less trash filling up landfills, space in landfills will last longer, putting off the day when other places will be needed to dispose of trash.
• Recycling puts food waste to use again.
• Restaurants and grocery stores produce a lot of food waste – typically about 45 percent of their trash load.
• Businesses that volunteer for the pilot program will get a reduced trash bill for a year, a result of sending less gunk to the landfill.
"Over 15 tons of food waste is generated every week by the top 20 food businesses in San Clemente," said Tom Bonigut, San Clemente's assistant city engineer. He is coordinating the eight-city project.
HOW IT WORKS
CR&R, the cities' trash hauler, will provide participating businesses with collection bins and will collect the waste, taking it to a composting facility. OC Waste & Recycling, the county agency that runs Orange County landfills, is underwriting the experiment with a $400,000 grant.
"We're hoping to learn some exciting things here that could turn into a long-lasting program beyond the pilot period," Bonigut said.
WHAT THEN?
When the pilot program is over, cities expect to know what it costs to collect and recycle food waste and whether it's feasible to continue once the grant money runs out.
Food-waste recycling might be increasingly attractive to businesses when trash-disposal rates at county landfills jump to nearly $30 per ton next summer from $22, Bonigut said in a report. At the same time, he said, legislation may force cities to divert more of their trash from landfills.
Could there eventually be an extra recycling bin at home for Orange County residents to fill with breakfast, lunch and dinner scraps? Bonigut says yes, but for now, the focus is on business-generated waste.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Another Day Trashed
OK, today as I was driving home, along our quaint street was a strung of trash, someone had decided to make our street his/her trashcan. We've all seen it, a familiar fast food bag and it's left over contents...niiiice! I know that's just what I wanted to see.
Recycling went up in cost, so now, perhaps, we more people will think twice, well maybe, one can only hope, before throwing their bottle or can in the trash and take it to their local recycling center.
Since our state has managed to make a mess of our budget, like some people do to our planet, our recycling fund has gone to help them get bailed out.
Recycling went up in cost, so now, perhaps, we more people will think twice, well maybe, one can only hope, before throwing their bottle or can in the trash and take it to their local recycling center.
Since our state has managed to make a mess of our budget, like some people do to our planet, our recycling fund has gone to help them get bailed out.
Saturday, November 7, 2009
"The Bad"
"The bad" is trash. Unlike Oscar the Grouch, most of us, don't like trash. I'm all about recycling. For instance, if I have an item that I no longer want, but it's still useable, I would put it in the "Give Away" bag cause someone else may want it.
Being a single mom of four children who were seven years old down to 11 months old and living in a two bedroom two bath apartment, we didn't have a whole lot of room. Also, I am the Felix Unger of the "Old Couple", so I like to have my house in order. Not being very creative but very structured presented a problem with the everyday stuff accumulating in the house. I taught my kids to go through their stuff at least once a month. There were three bags. Well the third wasn't really a bag.
1. Give Away
2. Throw Away
3. Keep
It kept us in the mode of keeping up with our stuff and keeping our small place in order. I had hoped this lesson would go into their adult years, as they are in now. Well, I don't think it's as good as when I had been the "Coach of Keeping up and Picking Up", but at least they have the foundation. That's what I keep telling myself anyway.
I found an awesome link about trash and recycling facts. It still blows me away when I read about landfills and what goes in them.
In the drop-down menus there are all sorts of help topics and scary recycling facts.
For instance, under:
Cash from Trash
Recycling cell phones, printer cartridges, aluminum, newspapers, even fund raising ideas.
There is a lot of information out there, should any of us choose to look it up and act upon it.
Most of us spend our time looking at trash in not your typical trash form that you would expect to find it in.
I mean "surfing", as they say, "trash sites" on the Internet. Get my drift?
If we spent more time doing our part to end or at least get a better handle on the trash situation, we'd be much better off. We should not leave it to the folks who work in the Sanitation Department of our cities.
Disease, that comes from not properly sanitizing would be better under control.
When I took my Cosmetology course back in 1992-1993, I remember our instructors stressing, "sanitize, sanitize". It was so important, that our State Board exam was primarily based on "Patron Protection and Sanitation", they figured, if you can follow rules then you will do well at your skill and perfect your craft out in the field. Do you really want a talented hairdresser or any kind of service professional, operating on you without sanitizing their tools? Not I.
http://www.recycling-revolution.com/recycling-facts.html
Being a single mom of four children who were seven years old down to 11 months old and living in a two bedroom two bath apartment, we didn't have a whole lot of room. Also, I am the Felix Unger of the "Old Couple", so I like to have my house in order. Not being very creative but very structured presented a problem with the everyday stuff accumulating in the house. I taught my kids to go through their stuff at least once a month. There were three bags. Well the third wasn't really a bag.
1. Give Away
2. Throw Away
3. Keep
It kept us in the mode of keeping up with our stuff and keeping our small place in order. I had hoped this lesson would go into their adult years, as they are in now. Well, I don't think it's as good as when I had been the "Coach of Keeping up and Picking Up", but at least they have the foundation. That's what I keep telling myself anyway.
I found an awesome link about trash and recycling facts. It still blows me away when I read about landfills and what goes in them.
In the drop-down menus there are all sorts of help topics and scary recycling facts.
For instance, under:
Cash from Trash
Recycling cell phones, printer cartridges, aluminum, newspapers, even fund raising ideas.
There is a lot of information out there, should any of us choose to look it up and act upon it.
Most of us spend our time looking at trash in not your typical trash form that you would expect to find it in.
I mean "surfing", as they say, "trash sites" on the Internet. Get my drift?
If we spent more time doing our part to end or at least get a better handle on the trash situation, we'd be much better off. We should not leave it to the folks who work in the Sanitation Department of our cities.
Disease, that comes from not properly sanitizing would be better under control.
When I took my Cosmetology course back in 1992-1993, I remember our instructors stressing, "sanitize, sanitize". It was so important, that our State Board exam was primarily based on "Patron Protection and Sanitation", they figured, if you can follow rules then you will do well at your skill and perfect your craft out in the field. Do you really want a talented hairdresser or any kind of service professional, operating on you without sanitizing their tools? Not I.
http://www.recycling-revolution.com/recycling-facts.html
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Grafffiti Deterrent "Tagbak" for "The Ugly"
I've blogged about keeping our oceans clean and ways to conserve water , aka "The Good", and given some helpful website resources. Now is the time I am going to focus on "The Ugly". I will get back to "The Bad" next time.
I found this interesting website for a "Graffiti Deterrent", and it sounds safe as well as effective.
Tag Back The Taggers
Stop graffiti before it happens
Safe, reliable, inexpensive
Graffiti control
Finally there’s a new and effective way to combat the ever-present threat of graffiti tagging. The system is called Tagbak, and it does just what the name implies…it tags back!
How is this possible? Unlike passive ways of dealing with the problem such as using cameras, special film coatings, sandblasting or repainting, Tagbak actively defends your property with the best repellant nature has to offer; water.
As the would-be tagger approaches your wall or monument, Tagbak senses the motion and triggers a dedicated line of sprinklers to come on. The startled, would-be vandal beats a hasty retreat to avoid getting soaked. The wall gets a good dousing too, making it a non-desirable target.
Tagbak offers safe, effective and inexpensive damage control. It operates at low voltage and conserves water because it only comes on only when it needs to. Best of all, it’s proactive, stopping the crime before it happens.
Let Tagbak provide you with maximum protection for your greenbelt areas.
Water, paint and tagging don’t mix.
A wet wall does not lend itself to tagging.
A wet tagger won’t stick around either.
Environmentally friendly
Tagbak only comes on when it needs to and can be set to go on for as little as 5 seconds, just enough time to create wet conditions while conserving water. Tagbak will only stay on if motion persists.
Annual graffiti control costs in the U.S.:
$12 billion
By preventing the tagging to begin with, Tagbak could save government agencies,businesses and property owners, substantial money and effort in removing and repairing unsightly graffiti tagging.
Municipalities
Tagbak costs much less than camera-based systems and does not tie up police responses. Cameras simply snap a picture and then require investigations. Tagbak actually interferes with the would-be taggers attempt to vandalize.
Other Tagbak advantages:
Minimizes the need to paint over old tags (an often unsightly solution)
Preserves appeal and marketability of new home developments
Harmlessly repels rabbits, dogs and other trespassers.
http://www.tagbak.com/graffiti_products.php">
I found this interesting website for a "Graffiti Deterrent", and it sounds safe as well as effective.
Tag Back The Taggers
Stop graffiti before it happens
Safe, reliable, inexpensive
Graffiti control
Finally there’s a new and effective way to combat the ever-present threat of graffiti tagging. The system is called Tagbak, and it does just what the name implies…it tags back!
How is this possible? Unlike passive ways of dealing with the problem such as using cameras, special film coatings, sandblasting or repainting, Tagbak actively defends your property with the best repellant nature has to offer; water.
As the would-be tagger approaches your wall or monument, Tagbak senses the motion and triggers a dedicated line of sprinklers to come on. The startled, would-be vandal beats a hasty retreat to avoid getting soaked. The wall gets a good dousing too, making it a non-desirable target.
Tagbak offers safe, effective and inexpensive damage control. It operates at low voltage and conserves water because it only comes on only when it needs to. Best of all, it’s proactive, stopping the crime before it happens.
Let Tagbak provide you with maximum protection for your greenbelt areas.
Water, paint and tagging don’t mix.
A wet wall does not lend itself to tagging.
A wet tagger won’t stick around either.
Environmentally friendly
Tagbak only comes on when it needs to and can be set to go on for as little as 5 seconds, just enough time to create wet conditions while conserving water. Tagbak will only stay on if motion persists.
Annual graffiti control costs in the U.S.:
$12 billion
By preventing the tagging to begin with, Tagbak could save government agencies,businesses and property owners, substantial money and effort in removing and repairing unsightly graffiti tagging.
Municipalities
Tagbak costs much less than camera-based systems and does not tie up police responses. Cameras simply snap a picture and then require investigations. Tagbak actually interferes with the would-be taggers attempt to vandalize.
Other Tagbak advantages:
Minimizes the need to paint over old tags (an often unsightly solution)
Preserves appeal and marketability of new home developments
Harmlessly repels rabbits, dogs and other trespassers.
http://www.tagbak.com/graffiti_products.php">
Saturday, October 24, 2009
California Coastal Commission
"The California Coastal Commission's Public Education Program works to increase public knowledge of coastal and marine resources and to engage the public in coastal protection and restoration activities. We offer a variety of conservation, education and community involvement programs."
If you're interested in getting involved and making a difference in our coastline and cleaning it up. Go to this website.
Someone I had in one of my college classes just participated in the annual coast clean up event.
This link has pictures of folks cleaning up the coast and some of the interesting treasures they found. They also wrote about their experiences in helping clean up our coast.
coast4u.org
If you're interested in getting involved and making a difference in our coastline and cleaning it up. Go to this website.
Someone I had in one of my college classes just participated in the annual coast clean up event.
This link has pictures of folks cleaning up the coast and some of the interesting treasures they found. They also wrote about their experiences in helping clean up our coast.
coast4u.org
Monday, October 19, 2009
Water Conserving Link for "The Good"
Hello Fellow Water Conservers,
I got this link from a commercial that Fritz Coleman, NBC's channel 4 news, was on. He is the weatherman...
From the Metropolitan District of Southern California and the Family of Southern California Water Agencies.
It's a measuring gauge for our Southern California water levels.
There are tips on how to conserve water and shows our reserve.
And much more to help us to do our part.
bewaterwise.com
I got this link from a commercial that Fritz Coleman, NBC's channel 4 news, was on. He is the weatherman...
From the Metropolitan District of Southern California and the Family of Southern California Water Agencies.
It's a measuring gauge for our Southern California water levels.
There are tips on how to conserve water and shows our reserve.
And much more to help us to do our part.
bewaterwise.com
Monday, October 12, 2009
Website for water levels in California
California Water Science Center
This site provides monitoring data for our state's water levels.
http://ca.water.usgs.gov/webcams/modjeska/
This site provides monitoring data for our state's water levels.
http://ca.water.usgs.gov/webcams/modjeska/
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Did anyone catch on to the title of my Blog?
The 1967 old country western film title, "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly", inspired me to entitle my blog.
Water is "The Good", we need water for most everything, and with the water drought, which creates a shortage, here in California, it is a precious thing. Most people take water for granted, in that it doesn't matter if we run it for however long we need to. But what a rude awakening to some it has been to discover the water rationing we have. Our bill is now affected with the cost of running water. From the time of day, how much it costs, not being able to wash our cars or even water our lawns.
Trash is "The Bad", and trash is, just that, trash. It's gross, smelly, rancid, moldy, disgusting and I could go on and on with other adjectives to describe trash, as I'm sure most of you can too. There is nothing good about trash and I don't see why people think it's OK to throw their garbage everywhere. There truly is no respect for others when people put their litter wherever they feel so entitled to.
Graffitti is "Tne Ugly" Who can see beauty in that? It's totally unattractive. It's like a dog or a cat marking his or her territory with it's pee, and it stinks as well.
Well, what is the answer? What are we willing to do? What does it take to see that our whole world, our country, our state, is in a true State of Emergency on all three counts? The Good, The Bad and The Ugly? Can you hear the music now? What about the whistle?
Water is "The Good", we need water for most everything, and with the water drought, which creates a shortage, here in California, it is a precious thing. Most people take water for granted, in that it doesn't matter if we run it for however long we need to. But what a rude awakening to some it has been to discover the water rationing we have. Our bill is now affected with the cost of running water. From the time of day, how much it costs, not being able to wash our cars or even water our lawns.
Trash is "The Bad", and trash is, just that, trash. It's gross, smelly, rancid, moldy, disgusting and I could go on and on with other adjectives to describe trash, as I'm sure most of you can too. There is nothing good about trash and I don't see why people think it's OK to throw their garbage everywhere. There truly is no respect for others when people put their litter wherever they feel so entitled to.
Graffitti is "Tne Ugly" Who can see beauty in that? It's totally unattractive. It's like a dog or a cat marking his or her territory with it's pee, and it stinks as well.
Well, what is the answer? What are we willing to do? What does it take to see that our whole world, our country, our state, is in a true State of Emergency on all three counts? The Good, The Bad and The Ugly? Can you hear the music now? What about the whistle?
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Plastics in the Pacific
I share this link with you so that you may be aware of how harmful and utterly amazing our careless toss into the ocean ends up as some innocent animal's food.
http://www.mindfully.org/Plastic/Ocean/Sea-Plastic-LN-PG5oct05.htm
http://www.mindfully.org/Plastic/Ocean/Sea-Plastic-LN-PG5oct05.htm
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Why I chose to blog on water and trash
Greetings my Fellow Litterer Haters!
What my passion is about is the fact that there is so much litter in this country and I hate it and want it cleaned up. There are some areas that have more than others and some cities that take pride in keeping their towns clean.
My passion, if you will, first got ignited about this subject, in the fourth grade. Our class was shown a series of films on our environment that would change my life forever and become a part of my lifestyle.
The films were about pollution and the environment and how litter affects the fish and wildlife. Being an animal lover, that's what really drew me to be convinced that we must keep our country clean. Growing up in the 60s as a young girl, the movement was really about loving our earth and respecting it by doing our part to keep in clean. People were really starting to get into our planet and taking care of it. It may have been a hippie thing to take care of "Mother Earth" as they called it. For me, it was an awakening of just how much people can contribute to trashing our environment and its negative affects on our water, our animals, and people as a whole.
I have seen many people, as I'm sure most of you have, throw trash out of their cars while driving, flick ashes from their cigarettes, then the whole butt, and of course, people in their parked cars in a parking lot or along a curb in the street, cleaning out their vehicles by disposing their waste in the street.
I absolutely hate this with a passion.
We were also shown films on recycling and how that affects our environment as well. If we recycle then we don't have a bunch of bottles and cans in our lakes and oceans and we keep our country clean and are able to use the product again through the recycling process.
I have been recycling and conserving water and electricity since I was about nine years old. I have always thought that most people take it for granted that we will always have running water, and when we flip on a switch, we will have light.
As a So Cal native, I have seen how it has been quite challenging to keep up with keeping this area clean. Especially with the vast and diverse population growth and with many people not having the same convictions as mine in this area.
Most people have the attitude that "someone else will clean it up," and "that's what they get paid to do."
The graffiti started getting under control when murals were being painted as an effort to keep the random writing off the walls of the streets and where ever else it was found. But it is still a visual nightmare.
I have wanted the governor to appoint me "Water and Trash Commissioner" of the state of California where I would drive around in a special "environmentally friendly" vehicle specifically giving people tickets for littering, in all aspects of the word. I would have other people in my department, assigned to the north, central and south, ensuring our state was litter free and reprimanding those who are non-compliant.
I'm sure I would be not a popular person in the eyes of most that live in this state. But I tell you what, I would surely get us out of debt and bankruptcy with fines and community service work, for what else? Cleaning up other people's trash.
I open this blog up to those of you that are united with me in keeping our country clean and doing our part. I welcome your comments, your constructive and creative thoughts, ideas and ways we might work together to keep our state and other states in this country clean. If we all did our part then there wouldn't be such a mess.
I also welcome any facts you might want to share through posting links on this subject, pictures and videos.
Please no foul language or anger, we don't need emotional pollution and trashy talk, pun intended. It's not about getting emotional, however we can still have passion about something and be constructive in communicating our thoughts and ideas.
Welcome to the blog of creative trouble shooting on how to eliminate the crime of pollution in our state and in our country. Together we can do it!
My name is Kathy and I am actually writing this blog for a Multi-Media Journalism class. When our Prof asked us to blog on something we have passion about, I panicked. I don't seem to have much passion these days. I asked a friend that knows me pretty well what he thinks I have passion for, and without hesitation, he said, "water and trash". I smiled and said, "that's true."
I am new to blogging, so please bear with me as I struggle to learn a new feat.
I am new to blogging, so please bear with me as I struggle to learn a new feat.
What my passion is about is the fact that there is so much litter in this country and I hate it and want it cleaned up. There are some areas that have more than others and some cities that take pride in keeping their towns clean.
My passion, if you will, first got ignited about this subject, in the fourth grade. Our class was shown a series of films on our environment that would change my life forever and become a part of my lifestyle.
The films were about pollution and the environment and how litter affects the fish and wildlife. Being an animal lover, that's what really drew me to be convinced that we must keep our country clean. Growing up in the 60s as a young girl, the movement was really about loving our earth and respecting it by doing our part to keep in clean. People were really starting to get into our planet and taking care of it. It may have been a hippie thing to take care of "Mother Earth" as they called it. For me, it was an awakening of just how much people can contribute to trashing our environment and its negative affects on our water, our animals, and people as a whole.
I have seen many people, as I'm sure most of you have, throw trash out of their cars while driving, flick ashes from their cigarettes, then the whole butt, and of course, people in their parked cars in a parking lot or along a curb in the street, cleaning out their vehicles by disposing their waste in the street.
I absolutely hate this with a passion.
We were also shown films on recycling and how that affects our environment as well. If we recycle then we don't have a bunch of bottles and cans in our lakes and oceans and we keep our country clean and are able to use the product again through the recycling process.
I have been recycling and conserving water and electricity since I was about nine years old. I have always thought that most people take it for granted that we will always have running water, and when we flip on a switch, we will have light.
As a So Cal native, I have seen how it has been quite challenging to keep up with keeping this area clean. Especially with the vast and diverse population growth and with many people not having the same convictions as mine in this area.
Most people have the attitude that "someone else will clean it up," and "that's what they get paid to do."
The graffiti started getting under control when murals were being painted as an effort to keep the random writing off the walls of the streets and where ever else it was found. But it is still a visual nightmare.
I have wanted the governor to appoint me "Water and Trash Commissioner" of the state of California where I would drive around in a special "environmentally friendly" vehicle specifically giving people tickets for littering, in all aspects of the word. I would have other people in my department, assigned to the north, central and south, ensuring our state was litter free and reprimanding those who are non-compliant.
I'm sure I would be not a popular person in the eyes of most that live in this state. But I tell you what, I would surely get us out of debt and bankruptcy with fines and community service work, for what else? Cleaning up other people's trash.
I open this blog up to those of you that are united with me in keeping our country clean and doing our part. I welcome your comments, your constructive and creative thoughts, ideas and ways we might work together to keep our state and other states in this country clean. If we all did our part then there wouldn't be such a mess.
I also welcome any facts you might want to share through posting links on this subject, pictures and videos.
Please no foul language or anger, we don't need emotional pollution and trashy talk, pun intended. It's not about getting emotional, however we can still have passion about something and be constructive in communicating our thoughts and ideas.
Welcome to the blog of creative trouble shooting on how to eliminate the crime of pollution in our state and in our country. Together we can do it!
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