As an Individual

You can make a difference in preserving our planet's resources and decreasing the amount of added pollution. Just look at the trends according to a report released 3/28/00 by the GrassRoots Recycling Network, the amount of recycled material has tripled since 1980. We now keep 28 percent of municipal wastes out of landfills and incinerators. More than 150 million Americans recycle at home or work. The amount of landfills have decreased from over 5,000 nationwide to under 4,000 in the last ten years. These trends are promising but with our increasing population we need to do more. So how can you help?

Reduce

Do you really need to paper bag inside a paper bag to hold your groceries? How about bringing a reusable bag every time you shop for food. What about transportation, do we always need to take the car? Everyday we are faced with numerous choices. Take a moment to think about how individual actions use resources and create wastes. Sometimes very simple actions can make a big difference in protecting our environment.

Simple choices:	Saves	X 6 billion people
Turning off the water while brushing your teeth	2.6 gallons	15 billion gallons
Not letting the faucet run until the water is cold	2 gallons	12 billion gallons
Recycling one aluminum soda pop can	Energy to run a TV for 2 hours	Energy to run a TV for 12 billion hours
A ten minute shower instead of a 20 minute shower	25 to 50 gallons	150 to 300 billion gallons
Recycling all of your home's waste newsprint, cardboard, glass, and metal each year	Reduces CO2 emissions by 850 pounds	5,100 billion pound

Recycle

1. It may not be the most convenient, but always recycle all of your recyclables. Find out what materials your city or state recycles and make sure you follow directions on how to separate your recyclables for collection. Common recycled products include: newspapers, white paper, aluminum, glass, steel, and most plastics. Look for the recycle symbol on the package to see if it is recyclable.
2. Purchase products made from recycled materials. Participating in local or regional recycling collection programs is only the first part of the recycling process. We need to purchase and use products made from recycled materials to complete the recycling loop. Products made from recycled materials are known as post-consumer recycled products. By purchasing post-consumer recycled products, you are creating a demand for the post- consumer material which creates markets for the same material you are recycling at home, work or school. Not all products that are made of recycled materials are marked. To find out if the product you are about to purchase is made from recycled materials ask the store manager or call the company that makes the product.

Reuse

If you can reuse a product before throwing it away or setting it out to be recycled, do it! Reusing a product that can be easily recycled wastes less energy and produces less waste.

Writing a letter of persuasion to your congressperson

Unfortunately events happen everywhere, all too often, that damage the environment. In Massachusetts a large shopping mall and parking lot are being built destroying a wetland and threatening the lives of red bellied turtles, an endangered species. A large section of northern Minnesota, once a protected state park, is now open to logging, threatening the habitat of the endangered timber wolf. A trash incinerator is being built a few miles up wind of a small town in Colorado. The builders say it is environmentally sound, but some local scientists disagree. Are you aware of something that is happening in your city or town that is threatening our environment? If you do, an effective way you can take action is to write your congressperson.

Your congressperson is your elected representative. He or she has a responsibility to listen to you and to act on your behalf. If you have an environmental concern you can write a letter to your congressperson and ask him or her to take action.

To find out who your congressperson is and his or her address, visit these web sites:

• http://www.two a.com/y_gov.htm
• http://www.congress.org

Tips for writing your congressperson.

1. Be clear on what the issue is. It is very important to get the facts straight before writing your congress person. It doesnŐt hurt to re-research the issue before writing about your concern.
2. Keep it short, concise and to the point. Long, rambling messages are ineffective. State your point near the beginning. Make the lead sentence of each paragraph the beginning of another point or sub-point.
3. It really helps to be polite and constructive. Representatives/Senators, like anyone else, do not like being abused or harangued. Assume they are going to help. At the same time, be firm and put forward a well thought through argument.
4. Include your mailing address onthe letter so the congress person can respond to your concern.
5. On the next page is a template for writing a letter of persuasion to your congressperson.

Your Address The Date The Honorable congressperson's name Dear (Senator) or (Representative) congressperson's name, Paragraph one: Make it clear at the beginning of your message that you are a constituent. State your concern. Be concise and to the point. State what actions you want your congressperson to take. Paragraph two: Supporting evidence. State how you discovered the environmental problem, what problems it possesses and what research have you done. Paragraph three: Restate what the congressperson can do and how his or her actions will result in a positive manner both for his or her constituents and the environment. Sincerely, Your Signature Your name

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