of Organics & Disabilities

-- Quote of the Day -- 

“…The Internet is a wonderful resource – but there is a lot of nonsense as well. You can do searches and find discussion boards, where you can describe what you are dealing with – they can often tell you not only what a doctor should be looking for but they may be able to refer you to a specialist near you. …We are talking about a relationship with the parent and the child. Accomplishing something will take an immense amount of effort, of sacrifice in trying to help. And there is this potential for this sense of masochism of sorts – where you are thinking ‘I won’t be happy until I accomplish this’. …Making the mistake of seeing your son as some kind of problem – don’t forget to be his daddy. …When someone is in great fear or pain, distractions don’t always work so well but it helps to know that someone loves you and is there for you. ”

~ Stephen Gallup

Today’s quote originatesfrom the Conscious Discussions Talk Radio episode that aired back on Nov 13… titled: Raising a Disabled Child

 (*Click on the title to access the full discussion)

--  Organic Waste -- 

You've heard me tout the benefits of keeping organics out of the landfill time and time again. Whether it is in the form of reuse (think: donating clothing) or recycling (think: paper and cardboard) or food waste - this is incredibly important - not just because we are reducing the volume of waste being sent to the landfill, not just because recycling creates jobs, nor because reuse of these organic materials reduces consumption of virgin materials (think: deforestation, mining, etc.)... but because it saves the community a heck of a lot of cash and reduces the amount of highly toxic greenhouse gases and leachates.

 I'd like to share a story of one community - Portland, Oregan (US) -  where they cut down 40% of the volume of garbage produced in that area within the first year of implementing a curbside food-waste collection system. 40%. That is a huge reduction! They were, instead, able to gather 85,400 tons of valuable organic waste and create incredibly rich compost, creating jobs all along the way from curbside services to transportation, to the compost facility and sales of the finished product.  Incredibly - 84% of the residents hopped on board of this initiative because of the positive perception created with successful communications from the city to its residents. They expect to increase the amount of organics collected by 51-70 percent, however, by including outlying areas, businesses and other sectors. 

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