Last Updated on April 17, 2016 by cassnetwork
There are two active ingredients needed to create progressive and united environmental efforts: Cooperation and participation.
Cooperation exists when local government officials empower citizens to work toward a shared vision. Our community seems engaged which makes efforts feel citizen-initiated, and we are lucky to be backed by governmental support. In this case, the shared vison brings awareness to the recycling efforts in Cass County. Mayor Kitchell agrees, “I have been impressed from the start — and continue to be impressed — with the level of cooperation that has emerged from city and county officials working together.”
Participation exists when folks in the community understand the need to recycle and they recognize that their contribution really does make an impact on reducing landfill waste. Saving the planet sounds like a big task, but it doesn’t have to be a chore. We can do it one day at a time. With a little guidance and instruction, each of us can do our part.
Cass County will join many communities around the globe by celebrating Earth Week, an entire week of activities focused on reducing our harmful ecological footprint.
At the local level, the Recycling District director created a community proclamation for 2016 and it’s supported by local city and county officials. On April 1st, Mayor Kitchell read the proclamation in his office accompanied by Commissioner Sailors. They are advocates of sustainability in Cass County and believe we should all work together for a better community. The proclamation can be viewed online as well as the reading of the proclamation on the Cass County Recycling District Facebook page and also on the City of Logansport Facebook page.
As stated in the proclamation, activities will begin on Monday, April 18th and will continue through Friday, April 22nd. We hope that everyone will participate.
The community activities are as follows:
Monday, April 18th is designated as ‘Yard Clean-up Day’. This is a day when we can all get outside and take a breath of fresh air while making a difference in our own back yard, literally. You can collect trash and debris as well as broken limbs and sticks. Perhaps you’ve wanted to start a garden or remodel your landscaping. Make a plan to accomplish those goals this summer. It adds value to your property and your neighborhood. And it doesn’t hurt to get a little exercise.
Tuesday, April 19th is designated as ‘Decluttering Our Home Day’. It’s very easy for us to designate small spaces in our home for storage of different things. Most of us have a place where mailings pile up, boxes get pushed aside, or the things we don’t know what to do with linger in open areas. Take this day to go through some of those areas and declutter. Junk mail can be recycled and old clothes can be donated. If you’re like me, you have a junk draw that only closes if all the items are strategically placed. Clean it out. Dispose of the junk that isn’t needed.
Wednesday, April 20th is designated as ‘Car Pool Day’. Organize a car pool with your coworkers. It saves on harmful gas emissions even if only for one day or you can make it a weekly occurrence, and you can take turns each week. It’ll be a fun adventure traveling to work with the people you see most often.
Thursday, April 21st is designated as ‘Energy Saving Day’. This is a great opportunity to have a discussion with everyone in our household about the importance of energy conservation. We can talk about shutting lights off when they aren’t needed. We can make plans to fix drafty windows to keep cold and hot air out to save on the electric and gas bills. It’s easy to add energy efficient light bulbs to our list of things to buy on our next trip to the store. We can save money every year by turning down the thermostat one degree in the winter and turning the air up one degree in the summer. It’s also possible to turn down the temperature on most water heaters. Also, when we are washing dishes or brushing our teeth, the simple act of shutting off the water will save on water depletion problems. There are lots of ways to save energy and it’ll save our budget.
Friday, April 22nd is designated as ‘Awareness Day’. Earth Day is celebrated on April 22nd every year all across our nation. In support of this, let’s all wear green. You could even start conversations about the three R’s (Reuse, Reduce, and Recycle) whether you are at work, at home, or among friends. There is always something we can learn from others. For those of you that use Facebook and Twitter, here’s a fun activity for you. Take a selfie of yourself or with friends or co-workers with a piece of paper that says ‘I recycle’. Post it on our Facebook page or tag us (Cass County Recycling District). If you use twitter, post it @CassCoRecycling. Let everyone know that you care about our planet and our community.
SOURCE: News release from Cass County Recycling District