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Recently one of our regular contributing writers asked me why I have never
written anything for the site. I replied with a few lame excuses, and he persisted
with his question. Eventually, I said I would give the matter some thought.
Well, I thought about it today. I was driving alongside the Pacific ocean on my
way to the post office when the idea for a story hit me. You need to know that I
live in a community that is located inside the Golden Gate National Recreation
Area. My daily commute to work, and back home again at night, is my time to Meditate
on the beauty of Nature. Glorious sunrises over Mt. Tamalpias, and striking sunsets
over the Pacific begin and end my work day. Wildlife is plentiful. After a rain small
waterfalls appear alongside the road.
I noticed a few surfers in the water on the way to check my mail. I considered the idea
of a New Year's Resolution. And I thought it would be wonderful if we made resolutions
that we could actually keep. And it would be really wonderful if those resolutions pertained
to the way we treat our environment. I'm talking about a simple thing.
If your community has a recycling plan in conjunction with your regular garbage pick up,
and you haven't requested your designated bin for recyclable materials, get one. If there is
no organized recycling effort in your area, buy 3 trash containers, one for paper and one for
glass and plastic, one for metal, and use them. Some recycling businesses will buy your
aluminum by weight. I recycle everything made of paper, including the envelopes and literature
my bills come in. A box knife (razor blade handle) is handy for cutting up large cardboard
containers. I happen to buy dog biscuits in the 10 pound box, and it doesn't fit well in the
container my garbage company supplied. However, two of them (one for paper, one for plastic
glass and metal) inside the kitchen work well for receiving the recyclables before I haul them
out to the big blue receptacle.
I know this doesn't sound like a "big" thing, but if we all just made a small effort to recycle,
even if it's only your old newspapers, or using recycling refuse containers where they are
provided as a matter of habit, the planet will be better off.
I'll tell you a secret. It makes you feel warm and fuzzy when you do. ~ Denice Stoops (TN)
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