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Comment from Thanh
Time: July 18, 2008, 8:48 am

BTW, the video I think is about 7 minutes long.

Comment from Melissa
Time: July 18, 2008, 8:52 am

Thanks for posting this… a very interesting local look.

Comment from Dave Briggman
Time: July 20, 2008, 8:51 pm

Yeah, maybe the new PIO for the HPD will post an equally interesting video/sell a DVD of what happens to a speeding ticket once it’s issued.

What a waste of Miriam’s talents and city taxpayer dollars.

“Great for local teachers, university professions, and their students”? Yeah…maybe once they’ve passed their SOLs.

Comment from Thanh
Time: July 20, 2008, 9:24 pm

Dave, I’m sorry that you think that the video is a waste of taxpayer dollars. However, I believe that the more citizens know and understand where their trash goes, and the more they understand the costs associated with disposal of trash, the more they would reduce consumption (and reduce making trash) and the more they’d recycle - which would SAVE MONEY for all taxpayers.

Here’s an excerpt from a story from July 2008’s issue of Blue Ridge Outdoors. “Recycling Myths and Truths”, “Corrugated cardboard almost always has a good market for it—between $50-100 per ton. Newspaper is a different story and the price paid ranges from $0 to $30/ton (that is after collection and processing.) Since it may cost $50 a ton to collect and process newspaper, some people may say it is not worth it if you can only sell it for $25 per ton. However, throwing it away is not free. It cost an average of $50 to collect and dispose of trash. If you enter that into the equation, it costs less to recycle.” http://blueridgeoutdoors.com/content/July-2008/Recycling-Myths-and-Truths/.

I also believe that this video can help students with their SOLs. If you take a look at Science SOL Curriculum Framework, http://www.doe.virginia.gov/VDOE/Instruction/Science/ScienceCF-Complete.doc, knowledge of recycling, natural resources conservation, etc is a part of the SOLs. Recycling is a part of the curriculum for kindergarten and second grade, and I know its been useful to Harrisonburg HS’s Ecology Club and JMU’s health and environmental science classes (DVDs were given to teachers/professors who had asked for copies).

Its my opinion that a local look at an issue like recycling is better than watching a video produced by some national recycling group or even the US EPA. Although the other groups have created good educational materials, they’re generally broad and don’t always apply to how things operate in a specific locality.

Additionally, I’m glad that we agree that Miriam is talented. :)

Comment from Emmy
Time: July 20, 2008, 10:18 pm

Thanks for posting this Thanh. I took a field trip to the recycling center with my son and was amazed at all the things I learned about the facility and the things that can be recycled just from that short field trip. I think its good to know about the inner workings of the city because it helps you know why things are the way they are and appreciate some of the people you see out doing their job. I learned a lot that day and I heard a lot of the kids on the bus talking about recycling at home while we rode back to the school.

It’s useful information and I find it a good use of the PIO’s talents. Some people must look for the bad in everything. Keep posting this good stuff!

Comment from kai
Time: July 20, 2008, 11:03 pm

I saw this video in the basement of Clementine (aka “The Lounge”) when about 60 people were happily crammed in to see a documentary called Garbage. The video, in combination with the well done documentary, added a richness and relevance to the event and did, indeed, leave more people aware of one of the huge service operations their consumption necessitates and their tax money supports. I particularly like that the video doesn’t only inform, but also asks viewers to make decisions that will make the process run more efficiently and save us all money. It’s a perfect way that some of the great information from the Citizen Academy can be disseminated beyond the course.

Comment from Thanh
Time: July 28, 2008, 11:52 am

An NPR All Things Considered piece on recycling in the metropolitan Washington area aired last Friday. Interviews in Arlington County, Montgomery County (MD), Prince George’s County (MD), and RecycleBank are featured. You can read and hear the story at the link below.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92913195