Earth Day

Each year, Earth Day — April 22 — marks the anniversary of what many consider the birth of the modern environmental move-

ment in 1970.At the time, Americans were slurping leaded

gas through massive V8 sedans. Industry belched out smoke and sludge with little fear of legal consequences or bad press. Air pollution was commonly accepted as the smell of prosper-ity. “Environment” was a word that appeared more often in spelling bees than on the evening news. Although mainstream America remained oblivious to environmental concerns, the stage had been set for change by the publication of Rachel Carson’s New York Times bestseller Silent Spring in 1962.

The book represented a watershed moment for the modern environmental movement, selling more than 500,000 copies in 24 countries and, up until that moment, more than any other person, Carson raised public awareness and concern for living organisms, the environment and public health.

Earth Day 1970 capitalized on the emerging consciousness, channeling the energy of the anti-war protest movement and putting environmental concerns front and center.

The idea came to Earth Day founder Gaylord Nelson, then a U.S. senator from Wisconsin, after witnessing the ravages of the 1969 massive oil spill in Santa Barbara, Calif. Inspired by the student anti-war movement, he realized that if he

could infuse that energy with an emerging public consciousness about air and water pollution, it would force environmental protection onto the national political agenda.

Senator Nelson announced the idea for a “national teach-in on the environment” to the national media; persuaded Pete McCloskey, a conservation-minded Republican Congressman, to serve as his co-chair; and recruited Denis Hayes as national coordinator. Hayes built a national staff of 85 to promote events across the land.

As a result, 20 million Americans took to the streets, parks, and auditoriums to demonstrate for a healthy, sustainable environment in mas-sive coast-to-coast rallies. Thousands of colleges

Earth Day: The history of a movement

Earth Day: The history of a movementand universities organized protests against the deterioration of the environment. Groups that had been fighting against oil spills, polluting facto-ries and power plants, raw sewage, toxic dumps, pesticides, freeways, the loss of wilderness, and the extinction of wildlife suddenly realized they shared common values.

Earth Day 1970 achieved a rare political alignment, enlisting support from Republicans and Democrats, rich and poor, city slickers and farmers, tycoons and labor leaders. The first Earth Day led to the creation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of the Clean Air, Clean Water, and Endangered Species Acts. “It was a gamble,” Gaylord recalled, “but it worked.”

As 1990 approached, a group of environmental

leaders asked Denis Hayes to organize another big campaign. This time, Earth Day went global, mobilizing 200 million people in 141 countries and lifting environmental issues onto the world stage.

Earth Day 1990 gave a huge boost to recycling efforts worldwide and helped pave the way for the 1992 United Nations Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. It also prompted President Bill Clinton to award Senator Nelson the Presidential Medal of Freedom (1995) — the highest honor given to civilians in the United States — for his role as Earth Day founder.

As the millennium approached, Hayes agreed to spearhead another campaign, this time focused on global warming and a push for clean energy. With 5,000 environmental groups in a record 184

countries reaching out to hundreds of millions of people, Earth Day 2000 combined the big-picture feistiness of the first Earth Day with the interna-tional grassroots activism of Earth Day 1990.

It used the Internet to organize activists, but also featured a talking drum chain that traveled from village to village in Gabon, Africa, and hundreds of thousands of people gathered on the National Mall in Washington, DC. Earth Day 2000 sent world leaders the message that citizens around the world wanted quick and decisive action on clean energy.

The fight for a clean environment continues in a climate of increasing urgency, as the ravages of climate change become more manifest every day.

— Adapted from “Earth Day: The History of a Movement” (www.earthday.org)

MICHAELE WHITE PHOTO

Tree planting: Gov. Bob McDonnell participated in an Earth Week tree planting and nature hike on Friday with elementary school students at Pocahontas State Park in Chesterfield County. On the nature hike, they identified trees including red oak, birch, poplar, sweet gum and sassafras. Pocahontas State Park is Virginia’s larg-est state park at 7,950 acres. It was originally developed by the Civilian Conservation Corps as a federal recreation area and became Pocahontas State Park in the 1940s. The name was chosen through a naming contest among school children.

Gov. McDonnell during Earth Week

www.suffolknewsherald.com

If you’ve noticed the bright blue cans multiply-ing on the streets of Suffolk, you’re not the only one. The bins mark the arrival of the TFC

Recycling program to Suffolk. TFC rolled out the bins to more than 29,000 homes last August. Company officials say the recycling program has become a success.

“Suffolk has surprised us. We were a little wor-ried, but as it’s gone on, it really has turned out amazing,” said Kristi Rines, public relations event manager for TFC.

Since pick-up began in September 2011, tons of recyclables have made their way from Suffolk’s homes to the processing plant in Chesapeake.

“Suffolk’s done really well. Those trucks come back full. Even the drivers are noticing how well the neighborhoods are doing,” said Rines.

With that in mind, here are a few facts about what you can — and can’t — recycle and what recycling means for Suffolk residents.

WHAT CAN YOU RECYCLE? Steel, tin and aluminum cans; glass bottles; #1

and #2 plastic bottles, including water, shampoo, detergent, lotion and milk containers; mixed paper; cereal and snack boxes; and any cardboard, as long as it has been flattened. Only shredded — as opposed to cross-cut — paper can be recycled, and TFC asks that shredded paper be placed in a paper bag so it doesn’t fly around during process-ing.

WHAT CAN’T YOU RECYCLE?Aerosol cans, plastic bags, motor oil,

Styrofoam, electronics, wood products, paint cans, yard waste and containers that held corro-sive agents, like bleach.

SHOULD RECYCLABLES BE RINSED?Not necessarily. “We just ask that they be as empty as possible,”

explained Rines. Since everything is eventually compacted at

the plant, anything left in the recyclables may get squeezed out and can sometimes make an unwel-come — and potentially dangerous — mess.

WHAT ABOUT BAGS?For several reasons, bagging is not recommend-

ed, with the exception of shredded paper. First, the items are scanned as they come in. Items in bags cannot be recognized or sorted automatically and so must be hand-sorted by workers, increas-ing the cost and time needed to recycle. Second, plastic grocery bags, Ziploc bags and shrink wrap are not recyclable by TFC.

“It’s like the Willy Wonka of facilities. We have conveyor belts that go up and down and over and under — it separates the items. It’s an amazing process to see everything coming down the line perfectly separated because of this huge crazy system of conveyor belts,” said Rines. But any product that is light, such as plastic bags, shredded paper, cellophane and Ziploc bags, can throw a wrench into the process. “Air catches the plastic bag, and it will wrap around the machin-ery. Then we have to shut it all down and send somebody in to clean it off.”

Most grocery stores will accept these items for recycling.

The dirt on recycling

WHAT ABOUT THOSE PESKY BOTTLE CAPS?Bottle caps can be recycled and even left on

empty bottles. If that sounds wrong, there’s a reason.

“Recycling companies have spent all this time training people to take off the caps, because they couldn’t be processed,” Rines said. “Now the companies that receive plastic bottles have figured out how to process the caps, so they are recyclable.”

WHAT IS THE MOST COMMON NONRECYCLA-BLE ITEM THAT SHOWS UP AT THE PLANT?Plastic bags, Styrofoam and electronics. TFC

can’t process them and while they do their best to get these items to places they are supposed to go, it’s not always possible.

WHAT HAPPENS TO THE RECYCLABLES ONCE EVERYTHING IS SORTED?TFC sells units to other companies that pro-

cess the items into something else. For example, water bottles are often broken down and turned into fibers that are then used to make carpeting and clothing. Paper can be recycled seven times before new pulp needs to be added to replenish the fibers.

“Aluminum cans are my favorite. Aluminum is 100-percent recyclable,” Rines said. “So in 60 days, once it leaves our facility, it’s back on the shelf as an aluminum can.”

WHAT IS THE WEIRDEST ITEM THAT HAS COME THROUGH THE PROCESSING PLANT?Rines’ short answer: “We get everything.” Often, people either don’t know what they

can’t put in the cans, or they treat them like another trash can.

“We get stuffed animals, bowling balls, water hoses, extension cords and tents. We get Barbie dolls. I couldn’t figure out why we got so many Barbie dolls,” Rines said. “Then I realized, people think it’s plastic. They say, ‘Oh, I can recycle this plastic, so I can recycle any plastic.’ But that’s not true. Those items are better donated to Goodwill.”

WHAT’S THE MOST COMMON ARGUMENT YOU HEAR AGAINST RECYCLING?“The idea that everything ends up in the land-

fill anyway, so why bother,” Rines said. “But when you recycle, it goes to the TFC facility and it stays there until it goes off to the companies who reuse it. What recycling can do is divert as

much waste from the landfill has possible, and that is good for Suffolk.”

WHAT DOES RECYCLING DO FOR THE COMMU-NITY BESIDES REDUCE WASTE?TFC firmly believes that recycling is nothing

but a boon for the community. “It creates jobs and it’s better for the environ-

ment,” said Rines. “It’s the little things people don’t think about. It’s not just the driver, but the mechanics, the guy we bought the fuel from, the employees who sort and process the items, and then more drivers who transfer the units to the companies who make them into something else. It creates jobs in the community, and its way bet-ter for the environment over time.”

Another economic boost comes to Suffolk through the Recycling Perks program.

“It’s an incentive-based recycling program,” explained Rines. The program offers the hom-eowner 50 points every time their can is put on the curb. As points accumulate, they can be redeemed for coupons to Farm Fresh, the Virginia Zoo and the Aquarium, just to name a few.

Visit www.recyclingperks.com/Suffolk to get rewarded.

On Earth Day, we are reminded of the importance of finding sustain-able and environmentally friendly

energy solutions for ourselves and future generations. One simple step you can make toward a more energy efficient home is with the air conditioning system.

“Many people don’t realize that more than half a home’s energy is used by the heating, ventilation and air conditioning system,” said Vinie Copeland, of the Aire Serv of Suffolk franchise.

“By managing energy usage, reducing waste by fixing air leaks in the duct work and maintaining their HVAC with sea-sonal tune-ups, families can cut monthly usage of fossil fuel-generated electricity by to one-third. That means saving money and helping the environment without sac-rificing comfort.”

Rising utility and overall energy costs are concerns for most homeowners today. Fortunately, you can save money while being “greener” and stay comfortable.

Follow these suggestions from Aire Serv to create a more energy efficient

home:Install programmable thermostats that

adjust the temperature when home or

away. Why keep the house cool when

nobody is home?

Use high efficiency air filters to help the air

conditioning system stay cleaner longer.

Plant trees or shrubs to shade the air

conditioning unit, but not so close that they

block air flow.

Have a professional air conditioning

provider clean the unit’s coils regularly —

about every six months — to prevent dirt

and dust build-up.

Check the attic, crawl space or basement

to make sure it’s properly insulated.

Reduce the use of phantom energy by

unplugging appliances and electronics

when not in use.

Turn off the ceiling fan when leaving the

room. Running the fan doesn’t lower the

temperatures, but it does increase evapora-

tion from your skin to help you feel cooler.

Scan the ductwork and vent registers,

electrical connections and doors for air

leaks. When all windows and doors are

shut and fans are turned off, light an

incense stick and pass around areas where

there may be leaks. If smoke is sucked out,

there may be a draft.

Look for a high Seasonal Energy

Efficiency Ratio number on air conditioners

if installing a new unit. Some units manu-

factured about 10 years ago were in the 10

SEER range, while units today can go as

high as 20 SEER or above. Going from a

10 to 20 SEER can cut your cooling costs

in half.

If installing a new HVAC unit, consider

donation or recycling. There are various

components that need to be handled with

care, such as the copper, oil and refrigerant

in the old system. A unit in working order

can be donated and non-functioning pieces

can be picked up by the municipal solid

waste agency or Steel Recycling Institute.

Talk to your HVAC contractor about the

best local options.

Ten energy-saving tips for the home