Progressive Wednesday

I See Trees of Green: Recycle

Recycle:

Sometimes recycling seems easier said than done. In our continuing effort to make your life more like Okay, Oklahoma and less like Difficult, Tennessee, here's a site for you: Earth911.org. We've even added a banner on our sidebar for your convenience and as a reminder string tied around your computer's finger.

When I lived in Columbus, for a nominal fee, you could get recycling pick-up at your home or apartment. In my corner of Western New York, we have free curbside recycling pick-up. In other locations, you might not be so lucky. But recycling ain't as tough as timber.

Through Earth911.org, you're able to find recycling centers near you or learn if there's the potential for folks to snag your recyclables (in this Wednesday's case, paper products) right from your home.

But why recycle paper you ask? Well, the benefits are, quite frankly, too numerous and detailed to describe in full here, but here's a partial list. Recycling paper does all of the following:

• Preserves forests
• Reduces solid waste, whether measured by weight or volume
• Generates less air pollution
• Reduces greenhouse gasses
• Improves water quality
• Reduces the release of nitrogen oxides
• Reduces the release of air particulates
• Creates jobs
• Improves the economy
• Saves energy
• Sustains the environment
• Reduces absorbable organic halogen emissions to water
• Protects biodiversity
• Reduces the need for new landfills
• Stimulates the development of greener technologies
• Preserves the planet for future generations

All this information is sourced from nonpartisan governmental organizations: the EPA, the State of Pennsylvania, and the Office of the Federal Environmental Executive. Feel free to check it out for yourself.