Earthday
is Everyday!
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Friendly Faces from Mountain People's - Photo galleries of your coop in action
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Mountain People's elected officials
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EARTHDAY IS EVERYDAY!!!!
by Melissa Rollins
REDUCE-REUSE-RECYCLE.We've all heard it a thousand times.Earth Day 2005
made me think that maybe we all need a gentle reminder of just of just
how important that really is. Our population is growing and the landfills
are piling up.
A great way to show respect to Mother Earth is by recycling. The Mon Recycling Center is now run by the MCSWA, and is in the process of major updates. They are really organized and they're keeping the center clean. Mon Recycling (Now the MCCRC) is located on the river road. Just cross the Westover bridge and make a left turn, then make the first right by the Dog Pound. Their downtown offices are on Walnut Street under the PRT, and their website promises soon to come satellite drop sites throughout the county. It's a great alternative for those things the BFI service doesn't want to deal with, and it gives a real sense of satisfaction to recycle it yourself.
For those further south, Fairmont also has a thriving recycling center, Northern Mountain State Metals on Morgantown Avenue. They do not yet accept plastics, but accept glass, newspaper, cardboard, and food cans, and buy many more esoteric scrap metals including aluminum, copper, brass, steel, and car parts. For more information, their phone # is (304)367-1207.
While recycling is a very important part of being earth conscious, many feel that reducing and reusing are a better focus. There are many ways to implement this while shopping at the co-op. We have many items available in bulk. You can bring your own bags and containers or jars to reduce the amount of plastic packaging used. Why not use the same jar each visit to refill your bulk soy sauce?
The truth is, much of what you pay for in the cost of an item is the packaging. You buy it and take it home and take it out of the package to put it away, and the packaging ends up in the garbage. By reusing the same container each time, you greatly reduce the amount of garbage. It doesn't have to happen all at once. Just pick one or two things that you buy each week and find a jar or container that you like. You'll find that you look at containers in a new way. That salsa jar may be just the right size for bulk peanut butter and your shampoo bottle may end up as your new biopac dish soap container.
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