Denver Magazine / July 2010 / Glo Knows ... Recycling!

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Glo Knows ... Recycling!

Preserving the environment is a full-time commitment.

I know how to spell “recycle,” but I will admit to being recycling challenged. I know it’s about producing less waste, but I don’t think I’m meeting the quota. I know it helps the planet, but there’s got to be something else I can do. Don’t misunderstand. I love living in the age of the recycle cycle, but I don’t do well reading trashcans.

If the word “recycling” makes you think of people who wear khaki pants, those Velcroed Teva sandals, and puka-shell necklaces, you’re not alone. Don’t get me wrong; some of my best friends wear beige clothing and earthy necklaces. (I brag about their footwear and wrinkly clothing, and I’m sure they brag about having a Black friend who they’re helping to save Mother Earth — honey hush!) I love ’em to pieces, but I wonder where in the hell they find time to separate paper from glass from plastic from food.

According to recycling-revolution.com, it takes 500,000 trees to make this nation’s Sunday papers. That’s every Sunday. An aluminum can that is thrown away today will still be a can 500 years from now. We use more than 2.5 million plastic bottles of water an hour in this country, and most of those get thrown away. The statistics are alarming, and I want to do the right thing. Hell, I stand in front of the recycle bins at Whole Foods sounding out vowels and consonants while looking for examples! I look around and hope no one is watching me figure it out. Shouldn’t I get credit from the green gods for doing that? I mean really. I’m reading trashcans for crying out loud!

Maybe this recycling thing is generational? But then I think of Al Gore, and I know he’s older than me (especially since he invented the Internet). I was recently at a friend’s house, and there were several recycling bins in her garage. I asked, “How do you keep it all straight? What goes where? And how did you train your kids to get it right?”

She said, “It’s all they know.” How simple is that? I hate her! Maybe if my mom and dad had started recycling when I was 3, I would be more earthy today. However, that wasn’t my reality. My parents were too busy trying to keep me fed, clothed, and educated. Besides, when I was coming up, everything from your plate that you did not eat went into the trash. Afterwards, the dishes went in the sink and the old-fashioned dishwasher (aka me and my siblings) took it from there.

Today, it’s very common to see folks haul out their green and blue canisters and to compost leftover food. There is even a recycling directory for folks living in the Denver area (check out redirectguide.com) plus Waste Management has single-stream recycling so you don’t even have to sort. Soon, there will be recycle parties. It’s like Tupperware for the 21st century. You think I’m joking? I’ve even heard some ladies talking about the neighbors because they saw recyclables in their trash. The pressure!

Don’t beat me with that cardboard box just yet. I am trying. I return my cart to the corral at the supermarket. I also changed the light bulbs in my house to those swirly ones because they last longer and are better for the environment (at least according to my earthy, beige friends). I also recycle newspapers and have a programmable thermostat. See? I am doing something! At the end of the day or meal, recycling is like being half pregnant, either you are or you’re not. Guess it’s time to get pregnant (figuratively speaking of course). How ’bout you?

Gloria "Glo" Neal is an award-winning journalist and a commentator and special assignment reporter for CBS4. Glo is very involved in the community and says her passion for writing is matched only by her love of having someone appreciate what she writes.