Will the new recycling carts be rolled away just as Chicagoans were getting used to their benefits?
Since recycling helps the environment, cuts back on landfill waste and promotes a sustainable lifestyle, you would think cities would make it as easy as possible for businesses and residents. In Chicago, think again.
According to the Chicago Reader, city officials recently said they were willing to expand the bluecart program, but the verdict is out on whether the proposed expansion was incorporated in the new budget. Looks like the future of a greener city will come down to money the 2008 city budget and people are not reluctant to voice their opinions.
One blogger wrote:
If the plan is approved when the City Council votes on the 2008 budget ordinance Wednesday, the city’s source-separated recycling program, in which residents served by city garbage crews place all of their recyclables into blue containers in the alley, will be extended to an 131,000 additional households on top of the 81,000 already included. That would mean that about 30 percent of the 700,000 residences with city garbage service–all Chicago dwellings with four or fewer units, known as low-density residences–will be covered by the program.
In addition, The Chicago Tribune states, “If Daley is serious about going green, he should stop finding excuses to stick with the blue.”
The Chicago Sun Times weighs in with, “The city needs to deliver a recycling program that makes sense. It’s not rocket science — it should be easy being green. ”
You be the judge.
November 20 2007 | Green Lifestyle | No Comments »
Want to make your Thanksgiving a little more environmentally-friendly?
World Wildlife Fund offers some easy steps to make your celebration more sustainable:
1) Purchase locally grown, seasonal produce in the bulk bin. Locally produced products require less gasoline to ship to market — and usually taste fresher too. Local seasonal produce can include root crops such as potatoes, turnips, beets, rutabaga, parsnips, salsify, pumpkins and squash. Use bitter greens and hardy vegetables that are available in the fall, such as collards, kale and Brussels sprouts. They’re good for you and good for the planet. Look for them in the bulk bin to cut down on individual packaging waste.
2) Buy organic foods — turkeys, produce such as apples, celery, and many of the traditional Thanksgiving dinner trimmings are now available in organic version, usually better for the environment as they reduce the use of pesticides.
3) Shop online or order by phone and save the gas you’d burn driving from store to store. It saves the planet from exhaust emissions, which add to global warming.
4) Look for natural materials such as pinecones, dried leaves, Osage oranges, and other natural materials from your own backyard to make your holiday centerpiece.
5) Serve tap water instead of bottled at your holiday table and cut down on plastic bottles which will need to be discarded.
6) Purchase ingredients with a minimal amount of packaging around them. Cardboard and plastic packaging just ends up in the waste basket.
7) Serve wine sealed with a cork not a plastic stopper. Cork extraction is one of the most environmentally friendly harvesting methods, and cork production provides a sustainable livelihood for people in many parts of the world.
Although Thanksgiving is supposed to be a feast, don’t prepare more food than will be eaten. American’s throw out nearly 40 percent of their food. This year, encourage guests to clean their plates.
9) Remember — leftovers are half the fun! Find new and interesting ways to serve leftovers.
10) Share food with those that have less and invite people for Thanksgiving that don’t have anywhere else to go. Sustainable societies are built on sustainable agriculture and food systems but also sustainable communities — be part of one.
With these tips, the holidays can no longer be an excuse to flush your green lifestyle down the toilet.
November 20 2007 | Green Lifestyle and Green Food | No Comments »
