My 15 minutes of fame! hee hee!
Open to greeners everywhere!
http://www.cochranetimes.com/Community/414450.html
Yahoo for Recycle at Home effort
Wednesday August 13, 2008
by James Emery
Frustrated by mounting recyclable garbage piled behind her condo unit, a Cochrane woman started an online discussion forum aimed to help people become more “Green friendly” from home.
Candace Carnie started the Yahoo group Recycle At Home in an effort to provide area residents a contact list of recycle organizations in town and a forum for people to discuss Green ideas, alternatives and share their thoughts.
http://images.bowesonline.com/edopt/45/story/140282.jpg
Candice Carnie started the Yahoo group Recycle At Home to give people eco-tips.
“I called it that because it’s intended to be an exchange of ideas of things that people can do at home to be Green without being overwhelmed with everything that’s out there,” Carnie said.
“There is a list of everywhere in Cochrane where you can take everything you need to get rid of. Some of the places even have pick-up service.”
The site is intended to provide an outlet for those who under normal circumstances may not be as Green as they would like to be.
“Maybe, for example, somebody has got a whole bunch of bottles but they don’t have the time or the inclination to take it to the depot,” Carnie said.
“There might be a neighbour or someone else on the forum that says ‘if you want to take my bottles, you can keep the cash.’
“So you’re still doing the recycling and reusing and there’ll be a mutual benefit.”
Statistics Canada reported that Canadians who live in single detached homes are more likely to have access to recycling services than Canadians living in mobile homes or apartments.
In an article published on their website titled Recycling in Canada, they reported that in 2004 Canada produced 13.4 million tonnes of waste, of which 3.6 million tonnes – or 27 per cent – was recycled.
But at that time, Alberta was dubbed as a province that lagged in access to recycling programs the report said, adding our province was below median.
However, recycling is gaining popularity. The average Canadian recycled 112 kg of material in 2004 compared to 71 kg in 2000, Statistics Canada reported.
Having only started a few months ago, web traffic to Carnie’s group has been admittedly sparse, but she’s hoping the site’s popularity takes off.
“I’d like to see the Cochrane community be the envy of other communities,” she said, adding that she understands some people’s resistance to going Green.
“I have a theory about why there might be some resistance to green: Change. I know there are a number of individuals who think it should be done by the big companies, and that’s where the problem is.
“I know when we were all kids, one of the things we hated was to be told to clean up our rooms and to clean up after ourselves.
“We looked forward to being grown up so we wouldn’t have to do that anymore. Well, we still have to do that. Being a good citizen means cleaning up after ourselves and looking after our fellow people, and it can be very simple.”
In 2006, 89 per cent of Alberta households had access to a recycling program, of which 96 per cent utilized at least one, Statistics Canada reported.
For more information visit: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/RecycleAtHome.
