We traveled to Cincinnati. It's easy to see the difference between a Colorado mountain town and a city in the eastern United States. As I drove home, I looked for the signs of environmental progress I always see on my travels. Large and graceful windmills, solar gardens and green fields with adequate irrigation facilities. During his 10 days we were there, the sky over Ohio and northern Indiana was a uniform blue-gray, unchanging, no light, no sun, no clouds, even during afternoon thunderstorms. The air was heavy, thick, and constantly humid. The paper also reflected this, collecting moisture just by placing it on the table.
Two hours later, in western Indiana, the sky was full of clouds, each resting on a shelf of deep gray smog, with blue patches peeking out between the fluffy white clouds. The sun was still hiding, but as we reached Illinois, a little sunshine started to shine through. Gradually the gray evaporated except for some distant rain. The air became clearer and more breathable, and I no longer needed my inhaler. This long drive has made me grateful that I live in Estes Valley, where the air is still reasonably clear and the water clean.
But it also makes me aware of the future that lies ahead of us if we don’t learn from our urban predecessors. It’s hard to accept that dumping some things in landfills or burning coal to make cost-effective electricity could lead to that gray shade of pollution. Sure, it takes time to get to Estes. Our landfill is 50 miles down the valley, and that coal-fired power plant is out of state. Does this mean we can proceed as if they don’t exist? Is there anything I can do to make life better for my granddaughter in Fort Collins, or for the people of Wyoming? Is there more we should be doing than we do now?
Probably! I don't have an electric car yet. I haven't bought solar panels or batteries, or switched from a gas-burning furnace to a heat pump. Like many in Estes Park, my household income was reduced this year, delaying those projects. But we are doing all we can to keep trash out of the landfill. In our home, we reuse organic matter from the kitchen and plants. No metals go to the landfill. We store electronics on Estes Recycle Day (August 10th this year). We turn batteries in for our town/county biannual collection.
Glass bottles (clear, brown, amber) can be bulk processed at residential recycling centers, but we tend to take them to EcoCycle CHaRM glass-only bins to minimize both breakage and contamination. CHaRM bins can contain bottles, jugs, vases, dishes, trophies and awards, candlesticks, and other glass objects, as long as they are 100% glass. CHaRM cannot process glass that contains additives, such as mirror/mirror glass, light bulbs, laboratory glass, microwave dishes, Pyrex, or oven-safe glass cookware. https://ecocycle.org/services-and-facilities/charm In our home, chipped porcelain cups and bowls, or broken and discarded Corning products, work very well as a source of never-ending houseplants. (Plants improve air quality in the home by inhaling air, using carbon monoxide, and exhaling oxygen.) Timberline in Fort Collins also has source-segregated bins, but they are apparently limited to bottles. If you have materials other than bottles, please inquire first.
https://www.fcgov.com/recycling/dropoff
Of course, it should go without saying that anything that has been discarded but is still usable by someone should be donated to a thrift store, posted in a wanted ad, or offered at Estes Buy Sell Trade Donate. This includes any unnecessary glass.
Agree? Disagree? Have questions? Have comments? RRRcyc@signsandwishes.com
