Download as KEY, PPTX
Sgp keynote presentation to upload
- 1. RECYCLING BY: TIMSCHWEIDEL
- 2. OVERVIEW Importance of Recycling Consequences/benefits HowUpper Merion recycles Application Class Activity Conclusion
- 3. Thesis Pollution ischanging the planet more and more because of neglecting to take action of our lifestyle decisions and being ignorant of our surroundings; this is why we need to learn about recycling, take responsibility of our actions, and learn how to live an eco- friendly lifestyle without majorly changing our ways of living.
- 4. Personal Relevance Passion ofthe outdoors Important for our generation
- 5. Why should wecare about recycling now?
- 6. Plastic never goesaway! Clogs waterways Harmful chemicals Eco-Systems Landfills BookCalhoun, Yael. The Environment - In the News. New York, NY: Chelsea House Publisher, 2007. Print.
- 7. Pacific Garbage-Patch 2x the size of Texas Pollutes International Islands Dead zones Berton, Justin. "'Garbage Patch,' a continent-size swirling stew of plastic trash, fouls Pacific Ocean." San Francisco Chronicles 19 Oct. 2007: n. pag. EBSCOhost. Web. 2 Dec. 2009
- 8. More about thePacific... 21,000 per sq/mi. 15,000 6 packs in TX Heavy Metals Mulvaney, Kieran. Endangered Oceans. Ed. William Dudley. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press , 1999. Print. Berton, Justin. "'Garbage Patch,' a continent-size swirling stew of plastic trash, fouls Pacific Ocean." San Francisco Chronicles 19 Oct. 2007: n. pag. EBSCOhost. Web. 2 Dec. 2009
- 9.
- 10.
- 11. SPI Numbers Divided into7 number categories Identification Level of Safety Web link"What do the Plastic Recycling Numbers Mean?" www.ecovillagegreen.co. Joseph Barrios, 2008-2010. Web. 1 Mar. 2010. <http://ecovillagegreen.com/2009/ 04/what-do-the-plastic-recycling-numbers-mean/>.
- 12. Poly(ethylene terephthalate) most common easiest to recycle unsafe after multiple use widely accepted "What do those Recycling Numbers Mean?" pslc.ws. Department of Polymer Science, 1998. Web. 1 Mar. 2010. <http://pslc.ws/macrog/work/recycle.htm>.
- 13. High-density Polyethylene Safer more durable Low risk of leaching widely accepted "What do the Plastic Recycling Numbers Mean?" www.ecovillagegreen.co. Joseph Barrios, 2008-2010. Web. 1 Mar. 2010. <http://ecovillagegreen.com/2009/ 04/what-do-the-plastic-recycling-numbers-mean/>.
- 14. POLY(VINYL CHLORIDE) Tough plastic unsafe around food contains chemicals rarely accepted to recycle "What do those Recycling Numbers Mean?" pslc.ws. Department of Polymer Science, 1998. Web. 1 Mar. 2010. <http://pslc.ws/macrog/work/recycle.htm>.
- 15. Low-density Polyethylene abundant safe often not accepted to recycle Web link"What do those Recycling Numbers Mean?" pslc.ws. Department of Polymer Science, 1998. Web. 1 Mar. 2010. <http://pslc.ws/macrog/work/recycle.htm>.
- 16. POLYPROPYLENE Safe commonly used increasing acceptance Web link"What do those Recycling Numbers Mean?" pslc.ws. Department of Polymer Science, 1998. Web. 1 Mar. 2010. <http://pslc.ws/macrog/work/recycle.htm>.
- 17. Polystyrene Can leak toxic chemicals difficult to recycle not accepted try avoiding Web link"What do those Recycling Numbers Mean?" pslc.ws. Department of Polymer Science, Web link"What do the Plastic Recycling Numbers Mean?" www.ecovillagegreen.co. Joseph 1998. Web. 1 Mar. 2010. <http://pslc.ws/macrog/work/recycle.htm>. Barrios, 2008-2010. Web. 1 Mar. 2010. <http://ecovillagegreen.com/2009/ 04/what-do-the-plastic-recycling-numbers-mean/>.
- 18. Other couldcontain any #s 1-6 potential danger around food difficult to recycle Web link"What do the Plastic Recycling Numbers Mean?" www.ecovillagegreen.co. Joseph Barrios, 2008-2010. Web. 1 Mar. 2010. <http://ecovillagegreen.com/2009/ 04/what-do-the-plastic-recycling-numbers-mean/>.
- 19. Cutting down onPlastic 1. Reusable Bags 2. Avoid BookCalhoun, Yael. The Environment - In the News. New York, NY: Chelsea House Publisher, 2007. Print.
- 20. Other recyclable materials Paper Aluminum Metal Glass Giovetsis, Christopher, Mr. Telephone interview. 16 Nov. 2009.
- 21. What’s the worstthat can happen?
- 22. What Global Warming? El Niño Ice caps Climate Change "El Niño had a role in US snow storm, expert says." www.google.com/news. N.p., 5 Feb. 2010. Web. 2 Mar. 2010. <http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/ article/ALeqM5hOMT99CyfOsuNNKI4p5im39YrfHw>. Barbour, Scott. The Environment. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press Inc., 2000. Print.
- 23. How Eco-Friendly areAmericans? Not Very... 30% of world’s garbage 63,000 garbage trucks everyday 2% is recycled "A Recycling Revolution." www.recycling-revolution.com. SolarFlair Web Designs, 2005-2010. Web. 27 Mar. 2010. <http://www.recycling-revolution.com/ recycling-symbol-history.html>.
- 24. Facts Sunday Newspaper 1 billiontrees thrown away 25,000,000,000 styrofoam cups 1 million sea creatures 500 year old soda can 1/3 of the average dump is packaging material Web link"A Recycling Revolution." www.recycling-revolution.com. SolarFlair Web Designs, 2005-2010. Web. 27 Mar. 2010. <http://www.recycling-revolution.com/ recycling-symbol-history.html>.
- 25. Benefits of Recycling Recycling costs less than waste collection The more people recycle, the cheaper it gets New York City 1.1 million jobs Less trash the better "A Recycling Revolution." www.recycling-revolution.com. SolarFlair Web Designs, 2005-2010. Web. 27 Mar. 2010. <http://www.recycling-revolution.com/ recycling-symbol-history.html>.
- 26. Beyond The Basics Anythingcan be recycled! Clothing Appliances Toys Furniture Cash Return!
- 27. Act 101 ofPA Reduce PA’s waste volume Recycle 25% Educate Public Use Recycled Materials "ACT 101." www.dep.state.pa.us. Bureau of Land Recycling and Waste Management, July 1988. Web. 24 Nov. 2009. <http://www.dep.state.pa.us/dep/deputate/ airwaste/WM/Recycle/FACTS/act101.htm>
- 28. HOW UPPER MERION RECYCLES 2 main categories Residential curbside pickup guaranteed Leaf & Yard waste drop- off Rudzinski, Bob, Mr. Personal interview. 29 Mar. 2010.
- 29. 2009 RECYCLING REPORT Residential Commercial 3500 2802 2104 1406 708 10 Single Stream Cardboard Mixed Materials Office Paper Rudzinski, Bob, Mr. Personal interview. 29 Mar. 2010.
- 30. Future Plans ForU.M. Education Larger recycling bins more cooperation of businesses Rudzinski, Bob, Mr. Personal interview. 29 Mar. 2010.
- 31. How Pennsylvania IsHelping 5 million tons in 2005 Cut 2.5 million metric tons of CO2 Equal to closing 3 coal plants 1.7 million cars off the road "Recycling in Pennsylvania." www.portal.state.pa.us. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, 2010. Web. 30 Mar. 2010. <http://www.portal.state.pa.us/ portal/server.pt/community/recycling/14060>.
- 32. RED GOES GREEN Phillies take initiative of cutting their Carbon Footprint purchased 20 million kilowatt-hours of clean e-energy Cutting down Concession stand trash Eco-friendly stadium Recyclable collection containers Fan awareness "Phillies to lead the way in clean energy movement at professional sports venues." www.philadelphia.phillies.mlb.com. MLB Advanced Media, 30 Apr. 2008. Web. 2 Apr. 2010. <http://philadelphia.phillies.mlb.com/news/ press_releases/press>.
- 33. RECYCLING CAREERS Economicgrowth More jobs Increased value of recyclables "Recycling Means Business." www.ilsr.org. Institute of Local Self-Reliance , 2006. Web. 5 Mar. 2010. <http://www.ilsr.org/recycling/ recyclingmeansbusiness.html>.
- 34. What We CanDo ❖ Cut down on plastic ❖ Reusable water bottles ❖ Save papers for recycling ❖ Drive less ❖ Save $ on gas ❖ Plant trees, flowers, vegetables, etc.
- 35.
- 36. iMovie VIDEO “Waiting on the World to Change” -John Mayer
- 37. GREEN THUMBS choose any of the three Morning glory Watermelon Sunflower One Tribe: Black Eyed Peas
- 38. WORKS CITED 1. "ACT101." www.dep.state.pa.us. Bureau of Land Recycling and Waste Management, July 1988. Web. 24 Nov. 2009. http:// www.dep.state.pa.us/dep/deputate/ airwaste/WM/Recycle/FACTS/act101.htm 2. Barbour, Scott. The Environment. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press Inc., 2000. Print. 3. Berton, Justin. "'Garbage Patch,' a continent-size swirling stew of plastic trash, fouls Pacific Ocean." San Francisco Chronicles 19 Oct. 2007: n. pag. EBSCOhost. Web. 2 Dec. 2009. 4. Calhoun, Yael. The Environment - In the News. New York, NY: Chelsea House Publisher, 2007. Print 5. Dasmann, Raymon F. As We Live and Breathe: The Challenge of our Environment. N.p.: The National Geographic Society, 1971. Print. 6. El Niño had a role in US snow storm, expert says." www.google.com/news. N.p., 5 Feb. 2010. Web. 2 Mar. 2010. 1. Giovetsis, Christopher, Mr. Telephone interview. 16 Nov. 2009. 2. "How Recycling Works." www.howstuffworks.com. Discovery Communications, 30 Oct. 2008. Web. 20 Nov. 2009. <http:// science.howstuffworks.com/ recycling2.htm>. 3. Mulvaney, Kieran. Endangered Oceans. Ed. William Dudley. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press , 1999. Print. 4. "Phillies to lead the way in clean energy movement at professional sports venues." www.philadelphia.phillies.mlb.com. MLB Advanced Media, 30 Apr. 2008. Web. 2 Apr. 2010. <http://philadelphia.phillies.mlb.com/news/ press_releases/press>. 5. "Recycling in Pennsylvania." www.portal.state.pa.us. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, 2010. Web. 30 Mar. 2010. <http://www.portal.state.pa.us/ portal/server.pt/community/recycling/14060>. 6. El Niño had a role in US snow storm, expert says." www.google.com/news. N.p., 5 Feb. 2010. Web. 2 Mar. 2010.
- 39. WORKS CITED CONTINUED 7. Giovetsis, Christopher, Mr. Telephone interview. 16 Nov. 2009. 8. "How Recycling Works." www.howstuffworks.com. Discovery Communications, 30 Oct. 2008. Web. 20 Nov. 2009. <http:// science.howstuffworks.com/ recycling2.htm>. 9. Mulvaney, Kieran. Endangered Oceans. Ed. William Dudley. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press , 1999. Print. 10. "Phillies to lead the way in clean energy movement at professional sports venues." www.philadelphia.phillies.mlb.com. MLB Advanced Media, 30 Apr. 2008. Web. 2 Apr. 2010. <http://philadelphia.phillies.mlb.com/news/ press_releases/press>. 11. "Recycling in Pennsylvania." www.portal.state.pa.us. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, 2010. Web. 30 Mar. 2010. <http://www.portal.state.pa.us/ portal/server.pt/community/recycling/14060>. 12. "Recycling Means Business." www.ilsr.org. Institute of Local Self-Reliance , 2006. Web. 5 Mar. 2010. <http://www.ilsr.org/recycling/ recyclingmeansbusiness.html>. 13. "A Recycling Revolution." www.recycling-revolution.com. SolarFlair Web Designs, 2005-2010. Web. 27 Mar. 2010. <http://www.recycling-revolution.com/ recycling-symbol-history.html>. 14. Rudzinski, Bob, Mr. Personal interview. 29 Mar. 2010. 15. Ruml, Erin. "Too Much Plastic." Skipping Stones Mar.-Apr. 2008: 1. Microsoft Word file. 16. Russell, Helen Ross. Earth The Great Recycler. Illus. Gene Garone. 1973. New York, NY: Thomas Nelson Inc., 1973. Print. 17. Shore, Michael, et al. "Recycling Means Business." www.ilsr.org. Institute for Local Self-Reliance, 2006. Web. 13 Mar. 2010. <http://www.ilsr.org/ recycling/recyclingmeansbusiness.html>. 18. "What do the Plastic Recycling Numbers Mean?" www.ecovillagegreen.co. Joseph Barrios, 2008-2010. Web. 1 Mar. 2010. <http://ecovillagegreen.com/2009/
- 40. Final Thoughts Anything can be recycled Time doesn’t stop Electricity, Gas, etc. Individual contributions Volunteer Time to take action Reduce carbon footprint is NOW "A Recycling Revolution." www.recycling-revolution.com. SolarFlair Web Designs, 2005-2010. Web. 27 Mar. 2010. <http://www.recycling-revolution.com/ In My Life: The Beatles recycling-symbol-history.html>.
- 41. Final Thoughts Time doesn’t stop Time to take action is NOW "A Recycling Revolution." www.recycling-revolution.com. SolarFlair Web Designs, 2005-2010. Web. 27 Mar. 2010. <http://www.recycling-revolution.com/ In My Life: The Beatles recycling-symbol-history.html>.
Editor's Notes
- #5 I chose the topic of recycling because I&#x2019;m passionate about the outdoors. I enjoy being outside any season enjoying different activities such as walking or exercising, swimming, and just sitting out on my back porch reading a book or listening to music while enjoying the nice weather. I also love animals and learning about different eco systems. Learning about recycling is also very important for all of us to know because in this day and age, our world is changing dramatically, some for the good and also for the bad. We&#x2019;re growing up and entering the real world soon where we have to deal with real life issues. Some we might know how to handle and some we wont. We need to know about our environment in order to fix the problems we and our ancestors caused to make a bright future for us and the next generations. That goes for just about anything too. If we learn how the problem happened, we can then fix that problem to make a brighter future, like the economy for example.
- #6 Now that question comes that everyone asks. &#x201C;Why should we care about recycling now?&#x201D; We never usually think about where our trash goes after we throw it away. It&#x2019;s out of our lives for good and we will never see it again. But most people aren&#x2019;t aware that a fraction of our trash never goes away. It sits in a landfill and stays preserved for years. Why should we care now you ask...
- #7 First of all, Plastic never goes away! It can be reused, but plastic takes over 1,000 years to fully breakdown. Plastic clogs waterways such as rivers and streams because they are improperly disposed of. When plastic starts breaks down, which is called leaching, it releases harmful synthetic chemicals into the ground and water that can make plants and animals sick. With more litter and chemicals exposed, it harms local wildlife and food-chains. Animals start eating it, then getting sick and dying. Plastics also take up a lot of room in the landfills too.
- #8 Most people are not aware of the litter and pollution that occurs in isolated areas of the planet. There is a huge problem in the oceans, but especially the Pacific ocean. -It&#x2019;s called the Pacific Garbage patch. and that&#x2019;s exactly what it is. A huge dump in the middle of the ocean between the west coast and Hawaii. It&#x2019;s land area is equivalent to twice the size of Texas, which is a huge area. From all the pollution from the west coast, Asia and other countries, the ocean currents move all this garbage into a central area, where it sits. Other garbage and debris make its way to other islands in the south pacific and Hawaii from the water currents. Dead zones are also formed where life can no longer be substained because of heavy pollution.
- #9 In the pacific garbage patch, the concentration of plastic pellets is at a concentration of 21,000 pieces per square mile! There&#x2019;s 7 million tons of floating plastic debris. Another occurrence of plastic pollution is found along the the Gulf of Mexico along Texas. There were 15,000 6 pack soda rings found along a 1.8 mile of coastline. The heavy metals that are present in the ocean from the plastic releases toxic chemicals that affect the fish populations Less fish larvae are being hatched. There are more chromosomal abnormalities found in all sorts of fish species and also many fish are becoming sick and dying.
- #10 During spring break, I went to Atlantic City to document the polluted beaches and boardwalk. I saw a lot of washed up debris that could&#x2019;ve come from anywhere. I noticed that New Jersey is becoming stricter when it comes to littering, especially around the shore points. The beaches are the main source of income for the state and affecting one of their most praised natural landscapes is something they&#x2019;re not tolerating. There were plenty of signs warning tourists that littering will result in a heavy fine. Polluting the beaches not only affects the natural eco-system, but also affects us because all the trash washes up in the ocean and can infect drinking water and tourists at the beach.
- #11 No we&#x2019;re moving on to the differnt types of plastics.
- #12 Plastic is broken down into numbered categories. They&#x2019;re called SPI numbers. That stands for society of the plastics industry. SPI numbers came into affect in 1988 to allow d to differentiate the different types of plastics. The recycling symbol and the number must be placed on the bottom as close to the middle as possible and the word &#x201C;recycle&#x201D; is not allowed to be on the container. The symbol and number is supposed to be small because manufacturers don&#x2019;t want the number to influence the consumer with their purchase.
- #13 Recycling number 1 is the most common type of plastic to consumers. It&#x2019;s made into plastic bottles and 2 liter bottles. It&#x2019;s the lightest, least dense and easiest to recycle. This type of plastic is not the safest because it wasn&#x2019;t designed to be used after multiple use. After a while it can release pieces of itself and a also bad taste. Plastic number 1 is widely accepted for recycling, but reusing these bottles frequently can give you cancer.
- #14 This type of plastic is also considered safe for consumer use. Because it&#x2019;s high density, it&#x2019;s more durable and used to package heavy duty things. HDPE is used in containers for laundry detergent, shampoo, milk, motor oil and also used in some bulletproof vests. It is safe around food and liquids and is also widely accepted for recycling curbside pickup. It has a low risk of leaching, which is when the material starts wearing down and contaminating the product.
- #15 Also known as PVC, Poly vinyl chloride plastic is considered one of the tougher plastics made. PVC is found in common items such as shower curtains, PVC pipes, meat wraps, shrink wraps, and medical tubing. It&#x2019;s unsafe to cook food around it because it does contain harmful chemicals that interfere with hormonal growth if exposed to it. PVC is rarely accepted for recycling.
- #16 LDPE is widely used by consumers throughout the United States. LDPE is used as plastic bags which are used by many, if not all businesses, retailers and grocery stores. It is a safe plastic to use around food and it is durable. LDPE is not accepted for recycling curbside pickup, but some grocery stores and businesses do accept used bags to be reused.
- #17 Polypropylene, number 5, is used in Tupperware items, syrup, ketchup and medicine bottles, and straws. It is considered safe around food, because it&#x2019;s main purpose it to store food. Therefore it is commonly used by consumers. fortunately, PP is becoming increasingly accepted for curbside pickup.
- #18 Polystyrene, also known as syyrofoam is ued to make plates, cups, and packaging peanuts. Styrofoam is one of the worst plastics made because it is the hardest to recycle and break down. When heated, styrofoam leaks toxic chemicals and can catch fire easily. Styrofoam can only be used for it&#x2019;s purpose one time and then it is thrown away. Unlike some plastics that can be reused, Styrofoam doesn&#x2019;t fit into that category. It will sit in a landfill until the end of time becuase studies show that the material shows no sign of decomposing. Try avoiding styrofoam as much as possible.
- #19 Number 7 is classified as &#x201C;other&#x201D; because it contains a mixture of any numbers 1 through 6. It can be made into iPods, computer cases or even binoculars. It is difficult to recycle because of its unknown mixture of plastic and there is a potential danger around food because the consumer doesn&#x2019;t know which plastics are in it.
- #20 Some ways to cut down on plastic usage and pollution is investing in reusable bags available at most grocery stores now and some retailers. Reusable bags are becoming more popular with more knowledge of the dangers of plastic bags. The best way to fight plastic pollution is to try avoiding it as much as possible. Getting in a habit of not using plastic will make it easier to not use it anymore.
- #21 Besides plastic, other materials are just as important to recycle. Paper is a key thing because everyone uses so much of it each year. Aluminum cans can also be recycled. They could be canned foods like soup or salsa containers. Metals can also be recycled.
- #22 What&#x2019;s the worst that can happen? We don&#x2019;t really worry about that &#x201C;worst&#x201D; If you don&#x2019;t think it&#x2019;s going to happen, and if it does, we&#x2019;ve always recovered from it in the past. And that thinking has been worked out for us so far, but now with 6 billion people and less resources, it&#x2019;s conceivable that there may be worst things that we wont be able to recover from, like Global Warming for example.
- #23 The &#x2019;09-&#x2019;10 winter will definitely be put in the record books for having the most recorded snowfall amounts in the Philadelphia area history. What caused all the atmospheric moisture over the northeast is called El Ni&#xF1;o, which is an abnormal warm stop in the pacific ocean. In simpler terms, El Ni&#xF1;o is a warm puddle in the Pacific sloshing around the equator. The water is more diluted (less salty) because warmer water creates atmospheric moisture and more rainfall over the warm spot. The warm water currents push the moisture eastward to the U.S. instead of The Philippines and Indonesia, which normally get heavy rainfall in our winter months. This then brings an abnormal amount of moisture and snow to our region. This &#x201C;warm spot&#x201D; may be triggered by global warming, predicted by some climatologists. Even when the northeast is blustery cold, the ice caps are still melting. The warm air contributed by the greenhouse effect in the ice caps push the cold air south and the warm air north. The glaciers and ice bring streams and rivers of fresh water into the oceans, diluting it and raising sea levels. The term, Global Warming, does not refer to the whole planet warming, it really means a slow moving trend in our climate. The better term to call this phenomenon is called Climate Change. There is a difference between weather and climate. Because of the warming of the oceans and ice caps, it impacts weather patterns and shifts normal climate jet-streams to different parts of the world.
- #24 How eco friendly are americans? Not very.... Americans represent 5% of the world&#x2019;s population, but generate 30% of the world&#x2019;s garbage. Americans throw away enough garbage everyday to fill 63,000 garbage trucks, which if lined up end to end for an entire year would stretch half way to the moon. Less than 2% of the total waste stream in the United States is recycled.
- #25 1. To produce each week's Sunday newspapers, 500,000 trees must be cut down. 2. Approximately 1 billion trees worth of paper are thrown away every year in the U.S. 3. Americans throw away 25,000,000,000 styrofoam cups each year! We also throw away 35,000,000 plastic bottles each year. 4. 1 million sea creatures die each year because of plastic bags and trash being thrown in the oceans. 5. Soda cans made from aluminum that are thrown away take up to 500 years to fully biodegrade. 6. 1/3 of an average American Dump is made of packaging material alone, such as styrofoam peanuts, tape, cardboard and paper.
- #26 Two years after calling recycling a $40 million drain on the city, New York City leaders realized that a redesigned, efficient recycling system could actually save the city $20 million and they have now signed a 20-year recycling contract. Jobs: $236 billion in gross annual sales and $37 billion in annual payrolls. Thousands of U.S. companies have saved millions of dollars through their voluntary recycling programs. They wouldn't recycle if it didn't make economic sense.
- #27 most of you would never consider just throwing your old household items into the trash, and it happens more than you think. Not only does this contribute to a huge amount of waste that winds up in a landfill, it is like throwing your money out of the window. A perfect way to recycle household items is to hold a yard sale. It can bring in all kinds of money and your trash becomes someone else's treasure.
- #28 Act 101 came into affect in July 1988 mandating PA municipalities of at least 10,000 people or more to have curbside pickup of recyclables by September 1990. The goals of Act 101 are to reduce Pennsylvania&#x2019;s landfill area and volume Recycle at least 25% of waste generated Educate the public about the importance of recycling and use recycled materials in state and government agencies.
- #29 Because of Act 101, every residential property must recycle. Everyone technically is supposed to recycle, but the township doesn&#x2019;t have enough money and resources to enforce that every household recycles. The Leaf and yard waste is when the township comes by with the big machines to suck up all the leaves on people&#x2019;s curves and natural trash to compost them at Heuser Park into mulch. It is free for pickup after compost to residents. These are the two recycling services the township offers for free.
- #30 From my interview of the Upper Merion recycling coordinator, I put together a chart to show how much Upper Merion residents and businesses recycle. The Y axis is measured in tons and the X axis is broken down into categories. The first is single stream, which is papers and containers processed together. The residential count is around 1500 tons and the business count is 2500. The next category is cardboard. As you can see businesses recycle a much greater amount of cardboard than residents in the township. Residents recycled around 6 tons last year and businesses recycled over 500 tons. The next category is mixed materials such as different plastics and metals, excluding paper. Residents recycled 70 tons while the businesses recycled 55 tons. The last one is office paper. Residents recycled 6 tons of paper and businesses recycled 526 tons of paper as a whole.
- #31 Upper Merion for the most part is successful when it comes to recycling. Every resident has access and is required to recycle. The township wants to bring recycling cirriculum into the schools to educate the young people about the dangers and benefits of recycling. A big reason people in U.M. don&#x2019;t recycle is because the recycling bins provided by the township are too small. When they get filled, people just throw away the extra in the trash. By having bigger bins, it&#x2019;s easier for people to recycle, so more people will recycle as a result. One of the jobs of the township recycling coordinators is to inspect local businesses to see if they are up to date with current expectations from ACT 101. Businesses can be fined if they&#x2019;re not cooperating.
- #32 Since the passing of ACT 101 in 1988, Pennsylvania has strived to improve on recycling. ACT 101 makes it law to recycle in PA for every town. An example of how ACT 101 helps is by looking at the data for a whole year time period. For 2005, PA recycled 5 million metric tons of recyclables and organic matter. With all that recycled, it took 2.5 million tons of carbon dioxide out of the air. That is equivalent to shutting down three active coal burning plants or taking 1,700,000 cars off the road. Just by recycling, PA is making strides to becoming a greener state and helping fight today&#x2019;s environmental crisis.
- #33 The Philadelphia phillies launched their new initiative to a cleaner environment 2 years ago. They are the first major league team to becoming more eco friendly. Phillies purchased 20 million kilowatt hours of clean e-energy and according to the EPA that is the largest single purchase of 100% clean energy in professional sports and is equal to planting 100,000 trees. Citizens bank park has also agreed to a new contract with their food and utensils distributers by making the plates, silverwear and left over food easily recycled and biodegradable. Citizens bank park has also been using environmentally friendly cleaners and LED lighting which cuts down on 80% of electricity used with their old lighting system. There are 35 oversized 80 gallon containers throughout the stadium for collecting used bottles, which fans are urged to use instead of trash cans. The Phillies also are setting an example for other professional teams and their fans. On april 30 when the phillies play San Diego, they will wear green caps to symbolize going green and the lucky 100 fans will recieve a &#x201C;Red goes Green Card&#x201D; which is a free 1 year credit on clean energy for their homes.
- #34 On a per-ton basis, sorting and processing recyclables alone sustain 10 times more jobs than landfilling or incineration Value is added to discarded materials as a result of cleaning, and sorting. Manufacturing with locally collected discards adds even more value by producing finished goods. For example, old newspapers may sell for $30 per ton, but new newsprint sells for $600 per ton. Each recycling step a community takes locally means more jobs, more business expenditures on supplies and services, and more money circulating in the local economy through spending and tax payment
- #35 There&#x2019;s a lot we all can do that helps tremendously that we don&#x2019;t notice. Cutting down on plastic alone can save room in a landfill. Investing in a reusable bottle is more convenient and durable that always having a plastic bottle around. Don&#x2019;t throw away paper, unless it has important information in it. If you don&#x2019;t have recycling, Then bring the stack to school and put it in the appropriate receptacle. Cutting down on driving saves you money and also cleans the air. Idling for 10 seconds uses as much fuel as starting the car initially. Trees and houseplants clean the air we breathe and is also a natural renewable resource.
- #36 For my application, I planned and organized a cleanup to Sweetbriar park. I got 6 other people to join me in my efforts to clean up the park from pollution and litter. We were only there for a few hours and didn&#x2019;t find much trash around, but we did clean up the area around the creek from some floating trash, pulled some bushes and broken tree limbs out of the way and put all the the trash in the right bins. It was just a small group of friends that I got together to help me and teach them how they can help out. I went out and talked to the park and rec. director of the township, Dan Russelll about my plans and he gave me good ideas. The township is losing money and doesn&#x2019;t have enough money to keep cleaning the parks, so its more responsibility for the residents to clean up after themselves.
- #38 For my class activity, we will each plant one of the three seeds provided. You can either have a morning glory seed, watermelon, or sunflower seed. Plants are important to the environment because their leaves clean the air and bees pollinate seeds from the petal to plant the seeds. Watermelon and other homegrown foods are organic and saves you money. These are easy to grow plants. Just water them at least once a day and make sure they get plenty of sunlight. The morning glories take a few weeks to grow and the sunflower and watermelon take a couple months to grow. They should blossom by the end of summer.
- #41 Remember, anything can be reused, I&#x2019;m not just talking about plastic and paper. Saving on electricity and gas is just as affective. Instead of leaving a television on or a light, just turn it off when leaving a room. Instead of leaving your car run, turn the engine off. 10 seconds of idling a car is equal to putting a pound of CO2 in the air. It may seem overwhelming that this burden is on our shoulders, but taking small steps at a time to become more eco-friendly can make a difference and save you money! Volunteer if you can to help clean public parks or just putting recyclables on your curbside also counts. Time doesn&#x2019;t have a stop watch. All these negative consequences are happening right now and will continue to happen. There is no reason for waiting. The time to take action is now to fight the climate crisis. It&#x2019;s our generation&#x2019;s time to fix what&#x2019;s been going wrong for years before it&#x2019;s too late.