Show less than two years the Guardian Angel Settlement's kids— Angels — a group of St Louis Mo inner-cit- y reclaimed and recycled more than 850000 aluminum cans -- In and 65000 pounds of glass They used the money they earned for environmental projects such as creating city wildlife habitats They gave money to help save forests in the Pacific Northwest and rainforests in Brazil and Bolivia and to send poor children to environmental summer camps Each year they plant trees in memory of every child who was killed in St Louis the year before old-grow- toss it Fix it And while you're at it sew that button back on your pants V huirth Anyth have recycled more than cunt They me the money they earn to fund eminmmenttd ptejertt th Of course for the Earth Angels recycling cans and bottles was just the beginning The rest of us can do more too 1) REDUCE The average American creates about 45 pounds of trash a day up from 27 pounds in 960 So just b) Find new uses for old objects In Gone with the Wind Scarlett O'Hara turned some old green curtains into a great dress Today making old jeans into shorts is easy What else can you think of? ’ c) Can it bottle it jar it If you eat yogurt at school every day buy a large carton instead of individual ones Then take exactly the amount you want in a reusable container Rechargeable batteries are also a good idea 1 as programs try toreduce the sources of crime environmentalists now urge precycling— stopping trash before it starts How? crime-preventi- on a) Don’t buy stuff that you'll use just a few times — say that tux for the junior prom or that snowboard (if you live in Florida! Rent borrow or share them instead b) Avoid items with too much packaging If similar has less something packaging buy it instead Or choose items with recycled or recyclable packaging Write to the makers to let them know why you made your buying decisions c) Choose double-side- d copying if you have to photocopy your report on Dracula or tornadoes (or anything else) You'll use half as much paper d) Just say no to junk mafl If your family agrees write to the Direct Marketing Association’s Mail Preference Service PO Box 9008 Farmingdale NY 1 1735-900- 8 Ask to be taken off their mailing lists To learn more visit d) Use it again Sam You can buy cool vintage clothes at a thrift shop your favorite mysteries or Stephen King novels at a used bookstore auto parts from the junkyard You’ll probably find something to do with the money you save 3) RECYCLE The amount of American trash has gone up But the good news is that the amount of trash recycled has gone up too— from 017 pounds a person in 1960 to 33 pounds a person in 2000 1 a) Trade sell donate swap When you get tired of a CD (or a jacket or sunglasses or ) trade it in at a used CD store Sell it Give it to your sister Donate it to a charity or aq environmental group’s rummage sale Or swap with a friend Some young people even oiganize their own swap meets and turn it into a party your car waste Recycle used motor oil and transmission fluid at a gas station You can antifreezer get recyclers to haul away that dead car and use it fra: scrap ' or parts b) Collect i 2) REUSE You can do this in lots of different ways Here are just a few: a) Repair When a CD player or TV set breaks don't c) Take care with toxics Don't toss batteries paint cans household chemicals and other toxics into the trash Most cities have special collection places for them to keep them from contaminating the soil air and water Better yet buy less toxic and biodegradable alternatives |