Recycling is not a new concept but why don’t we see more blue bags on the curb?  Last week, I noticed our house was one of only five on our block that had any blue bags waiting for Stutzman’s.  I’ll admit living green hasn’t been a passion of mine and I’m writing this knowing my household didn’t start really recycling until this year.  I don’t know why it took so long—but we started and that’s what’s important, right?  Some people have been doing this for years—which is great—but it’s apparent that not everyone in Hutch takes advantage of the program.  According to KDHE, every year, each Kansan produces an average of more than 3/4 of a ton of trash. Yet we recycle only about 20% of this waste. This compares to a national average of 28%.  I wonder what Reno County’s average is?

Since I started recycling more, I’ve noticed that I’m constantly thinking about what I buy and how I use certain products…asking, “Can I recycle this?” or “Is there a more ‘green’ product I can buy?”  It’s a little addictive and I do feel better about my very small effort.  I don’t drive a hybrid or have solar panels on my house but maybe I don’t use so much bleach or print out that 20-page document at work.  Again, a lot of people think this way already but many others don’t and it’s been interesting to see my thought process change. 

We’ve seen an increase in attention to environmental issues nationally as global warming is a “hot” topic this election (no pun intended) and even locally…check out Dave Stephen’s “Ask Dave” column in the Hutch News today.  There, he answers a reader’s questions about recycling in Hutch; read the full article here.  And recently, Jessica Miller, a fellow YPer, also wrote in the News as a community columnist about the importance of recycling; check out her column here.

Young Professionals of Reno County wants to continue the conversation of reducing, reusing and recycling.  Our first Lunch and Learn is November 14^th at Dillon Nature Center and we would love to have you join us!  Check out more details and RSVP information here. 

You tell me--can we make every day a Green Day?

Comments 

Since we're hosting a "green friendly" topic, it seemed important that we consider how we could make as many aspects of the Lunch and Learn green friendly. We're not going to have take home handouts - relevant links and information will be posted on the website. That was an easy solution. However - lunch was trickier - have you thought about all the packaging used to prepare take out meals? We nixed using businesses that package in styrofoam. We're trying to use as few products as possible, and those we do use, we want to recycle. Consider how many things you can reuse or simply go without. We're giving away some canvas shopping bags from Smith's Market - that's a good start for when you're grocery shopping. The list continues ... there are many areas in my life that I can improve. Reduce, reuse, recycle - that's the focus!!

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