It was intended be just a brief, personal introduction. Last Saturday, when I took my recyclables to Recycling Services, Inc., I met the center's President, Jim Crater. I found it ironic that the sun blinded me as I talked with this solar power and waste reduction guru.
It soon became clear that Jim was not going to let me off with a quick "hello; I'm a writer; I'll be in touch." He had stuff to say -- words that should be said -- words that I almost couldn't keep up with -- and if I was going to listen, he was going to talk.
After 10 minutes, it was closing time, and I still had items to distribute into one of over 20 different bins. And Jim's volunteers were ready to wrap it up on the 50-degree, winter afternoon, so we agreed to talk again and said goodbye.
Afterward, his words swirled around in my head. Since 1971 he has been building this oldest community recycling center in Pennsylvania, and while he takes more types of material than any other in America, he'd really prefer we stop generating the waste in the first place. He has real solutions to our waste problems. He lives the philosophy, "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle"...in that order...saving recycling for the last resort.
You'll hear more about Jim from me in the near future. In the meantime, you can learn more about Recycling Services, Inc. by clicking here.
It soon became clear that Jim was not going to let me off with a quick "hello; I'm a writer; I'll be in touch." He had stuff to say -- words that should be said -- words that I almost couldn't keep up with -- and if I was going to listen, he was going to talk.
After 10 minutes, it was closing time, and I still had items to distribute into one of over 20 different bins. And Jim's volunteers were ready to wrap it up on the 50-degree, winter afternoon, so we agreed to talk again and said goodbye.
Afterward, his words swirled around in my head. Since 1971 he has been building this oldest community recycling center in Pennsylvania, and while he takes more types of material than any other in America, he'd really prefer we stop generating the waste in the first place. He has real solutions to our waste problems. He lives the philosophy, "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle"...in that order...saving recycling for the last resort.
You'll hear more about Jim from me in the near future. In the meantime, you can learn more about Recycling Services, Inc. by clicking here.
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