Environment/Recycling
My views on the environment and recycling have changed over the years. There was a time when I didn't even consider recycling, nor did I care much about the environment. To me that was for someone else to worry about. But that has changed. Maybe this has come with age, I'm not sure. But I think that I should admit to myself and to you that the people known as "environmental whackos" and "tree huggers" probably had something to do with it. Their influence has affected me, and indeed, the whole nation. The environmental movement has awakened many to what is happening to our world. This includes me. And maybe those whackos aren't as whacko as we think.
Though some of the views and methods of the fanatical environmentalists may be extreme to the rest of us, they have sure gotten our attention. Any movement of people has an element of truth behind their cause. It's no different in this case. There is a lot of truth to what they are saying. It is becoming apparent just how much we, collectively, are damaging the earth and our environment. And I suppose that we should thank the environmental movement for giving us the wake up call.
Now days I recycle about everything since my city has a recycle center. I started out a few years ago just recycling cardboard and then gradually found myself looking at everything that was going to be thrown away as something that I might be able to recycle. These days that includes plastic and glass bottles, steel cans, phone books, magazines, newspapers, non-corrugated cardboard, and even my old engine oil. In time there are probably other things that will be added to the list. I'm learning - it's just taking a while.
As for the environment, these days I find myself driving a four cylinder powered truck - something that I never, ever would have predicted. Being raised around cars in the 1960's I have always been a V8 kind of guy. But that has changed. I'm glad it has turned out this way because of the price of gas. I've saved a lot of money on fuel over the last 5 years because of this more fuel efficient vehicle. And I've helped the environment in the process without much sacrifice. My primary car remains (and will remain) a four cylinder vehicle.
I'm sure that I'm only doing half of what I could be doing to help the environmental cause but I'm getting better. I'm coming to the conclusion that I have to do my part as a responsible citizen. I guess my days of expecting others to do it are over.
As the next president I plan on addressing this problem a little more aggressively than previous presidents - at least on a personal level. I'm not too concerned with American businesses because they have had just about all of the life choked out of them thanks to government regulations and being forced to compete with a global competition. My policy is to leave them alone. But instead I will attempt to put an emphasis on cities and towns building their own recycle centers.
Recycle centers are preferable over curb side recycling because it is free to the taxpayer and voluntary. Those who use the service do most all of the work of sorting, so city paid employees are kept to a minimum. That means less taxes for the citizens. Besides that, people who use the recycle center don't typically make special trips to do it unless it is a very large amount. They tend to combine trips to the store, the bank, or shopping with a stop by the recycle center. The fuel used for these trips is not really a factor - especially with the federally mandated emission standards for cars.
On the other hand, those big trucks that run around the city picking up recyclable material curb side are quite inefficient, not being restricted by emissions standards like cars are. They run all day, 6 days per week - which means a lot of stuff going into the air. Consider also the cost of the trucks, the cost of fuel, the cost of maintenance, and the tax money used to pay drivers. That's a lot of tax money that could be avoided by having a central recycle center for everyone to use as they see fit. Less tax money means smaller government. Curb side pickup seems to be an inefficient system compared to having a recycle center.
I have seen what a change our city's recycle center has made in the citizens of our town (Kirkwood, Missouri; population about 27,000). Our recycle center has become so popular that it has been expanded a number of times. Sometimes it's hard to get into because it's so busy. I'm sure that it has paid for itself, because the city makes a lot of money from the tons of stuff that people drop off. And to think that people would have continued to throw their recyclables away if the recycle center had not been built!
The recycle center in the city of Kirkwood handles about 4000 tons of material a year. Wow, what a success story! This is material that would have been thrown away on trash day if there had been no recycle center. Can you imagine if every American town and city had a recycle center? Or if even half of the towns and cities in the U.S. had one? Since a recycle center eventually pays for itself it would be a great investment of local and/or state taxes. And just think of the good it would do the environment. Since it's a voluntary system, everyone wins. There are no drawbacks.
I'm sure that the same thing that has happened to Kirkwood has happened to other towns that have built recycle centers. And it should happen to every town and city in America. It's completely voluntary but even people like me who used to scoff at recycling find ourselves joining in. I can't speak for others, but in my case I feel like I'm giving back just a little of what I've taken. I don't know that I'll ever be a fanatic about it but our town's recycle center has sure had an impact on me.
You can see why I think that recycle centers are the wave of the future. As president I plan on using my influence to push the idea. Municipalities not large enough to warrant a recycle center could combine resources with neighboring communities to build one centrally located. Other obstacles could be overcome if we put our mind's to it. It's just a matter of making it a priority. And we are eventually going to have to make it a priority.
I realize that this small step towards helping the environment may not be enough for those who consider themselves to be the "environment police", but this is my plan for now. This may change with time, but there are too many other pressing issues that need to be addressed before environmentalism becomes my personal priority.
Since the responsibility of maintaining and enforcing environmental policy will fall on the administrator of the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) I will leave this to him/her while I attend to the other domestic issues that are talked about on this website. I will keep abreast of new developments in this department since the EPA administrator will be attending cabinet meetings. The EPA administrator that I will be looking for would be passionate about the environment and especially about recycling, but would have to guarantee me that no more strangle holds would be put on American businesses (especially small businesses).
[For more information about the recycle center in the city of Kirkwood, please Google, "Francis Scheidegger recycle depository".]
[At this time I must admit that I do have a much less fuel efficient high performance automobile - but I seldom drive it. Since I only put about 500 miles a year on it I don't feel too guilty. Many "car buffs" must have at least one "toy" to play with. That's just life when you love cars. I don't expect environmental fanatics to understand this. But I do hope they will not condemn us for it. To many of us it's just part of being American.]
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