RECYCLING

I went to an environmental meeting last night where the featured speaker addressed recycling. It may have been the best presentation I have ever heard. It was intelligent, informative and was geared to involve the audience and get them aboard. Then, why was I mildly frustrated? Why wasn't I more involved and excited?

Here in Minnesota, we were first introduced to recycling in the late Sixties. As I remember, my first attempt at recycling was about 1968. There were very few outlets for the glass, cans etc. that were produced and everything had to be divided into categories; clear glass, green glass, brown glass etc. Cans had to have the labels peeled and the bottoms removed so they could be squished. Then, we thought, this was a stopgap measure to protect the planet until the real work could be done.

The real work started with attempts to reign in this growing monstrosity through legislation. Several attempts were made to regulate the container industry. The last one, I remember, was an attempt to curtail the use of aluminum cans. It had a lot of support and it looked like it might be passed by the legislator. Continental can was able to rally their fellow manufacturers and with union support they were able to kill the bill. Since then I don't know of any significant legislation that attempts to get at the heart of the problem.

Then the propaganda machine cranked up and attempted to promote recycling as the answer to the problem. I never agreed with this. As far as I was concerned it was like giving aspirin for a headache and ignoring that there might be a brain tumor. Now our patient, Mother Earth, is gravely ill and we, still, are only treating the symptoms.

Hey! I am not against recycling. It keeps our minds in the game and I agree; what else can we do? Every attempt at dealing with the problem is shot down and smothered by those who are gaining from this current nightmare. However, our patient might become comatose if we don't deal with this problem soon! The problem, of course, is greed fostered by this system, we know as capitalism. It is not free enterprise! It is a system where those who have the money, have the power and they do exactly what they want. If they can't make money they won't do it.

If the indications are correct, capitalism is coming down. {I hope to write more on this tomorrow} We will have a chance to reinvent the system. Let's remember. We don't want to make anything we can't dispose of gracefully and without damage to our Mother. Almost all food containers can be reused, not recycled which is a waste of energy, but reused until they are worn out. Glass last and lasts and lasts. If we think we need plastic, we are certainly smart enough to make plastic that is reusable.

A much more lethal problem to Mother Earth is the chemical pollution that is created directly and indirectly by manufacturing, agriculture, war etc. We don't need any of this, do we?

Tomorrow I want to write about the changes that are taking place that are not being addressed by the media.

It is a beautiful day. Enjoy it.

Love and Peace,  Gregg