Youth all over the World protesting over our Environment

[Old Ironmaker]

I'm watching some kids protesting in Boston. Many around 8 years young. These kids were in tears asking for breathable fresh air. In the 70's and 80's I personally sent so much crap into the air, into the water and the ground when I was at the plant it makes my stomach turn. I'm sorry, I really do feel that way. I knew better then but if it wasn't me doing it someone else would be while I looked for a great paying job, there wasn't any.

We can all do our best to try and curb the pollution we create. As simple as shutting off our vehicles when waiting in line at the drive through to taking out the wood burning units we have and go to renewable sources of energy. In our county we have Wind Turbines all across the akeshore and have a 1000 of acres of land with solar panels on it. Wshut down the largest source of C02 in North America, the Nanticoke Coal Generator. I could see the stacks and the yellow streak of crap going across the skyline from that plant for years. Shutting off our vehicles when idling is actually a law in Ontario for a few years now. We can all do our part. It might be too late for our grand kids but that's no excuse not to mitigate the damages we have already caused. I don't want to see everyone wearing a dust mask like I saw in Japan years ago.

Wolf Blitzer on CNN just said it was 4,000,000 across the globe today protesting, from students to Amazon employees walking out of school and their jobs both young and old.

 

[Old Ironmaker]

Can't seem to edit. Millions across the World not 4000.

 

[GA_Boater]

Can't seem to edit. Millions across the World not 4000.

Added the extra zeroes for ya, Iron.

I know I did my part to harm our home, but back then I can plead ignorance. Not anymore and I try. One thing that bugs me is recycling. I can't find find recyclers around me and it used to be an extra can at the curb. No longer.

 

[alldodge]

Wish plastic wasn't forever

 

[DeepCMark58A]

Recycling was the biggest lie that we were told, we were just exporting garbage to China. I have worked in the environmental field since 1987 and I can tell you our groundwater is cleaner, the air is cleaner than it was even back in the 80's.

 

[Old Ironmaker]

Thanks Georgia, what's a few zero's between friends?

I have come to learn that up to 70% of the recycle we put out here goes to land fill. Frustrating but at least 30% is better than nothing. Cleaning up this Iron ball we live on won't be cheap. And yes @DeepCMark 58A we have a far cleaner environment than before. We live on Lake Erie, it was declared "dead" in the 70's, not anymore. The crap we Steelmakers pumped into this lake was criminal, and we knew it. As early as the 90's we had to recirculate every drop of fresh water used in the plants we had here in Ontario. 1 single liter of water that went back into the water had to be reported to the Ministry of the Environment and those folks are a serious bunch.

I knew better. Just coming out of school we were aware of the consequences even in the early 70's. Our management would hear nothing of it. Mostly WW2 vets, production was King above all else, including profits. Their bonuses were quantity driven not profit believe it or not.

 

[Scott Danforth]

I try to avoid buying plastic in the first place

The local recycling program is a joke. I have been recycling for 40 years, however found out the local program just ends up in the land fill....because china wont take it.

We are supposed to toss Styrofoam..... However i mix it with gas and make napalm......it takes care of fire ant mounds....and starts bonfires in a rain storm

i remember the plastics council ads of the 70s saying paper was bad and plastic saved trees....

 

[Old Ironmaker]

Yes Scott, this recycling thing has become a joke. Apparently where ever we send our boat loads of waste, Indonesia for one I think is planning on returning it to British Columbia and charging us for shipping. I don't blame them one bit.

Our program won't take "Styrofoam" We bought a sofa chest last year made in Viet Nam of all places. I filled the box of my pick up and overflowing with foam, plastic and plastic straps. I had to lash it down and take it to our recycling centre with more plastic covering it. 17 bucks for the base tipping fee. It went right on top of the massive mound of green garbage bags. Clean steel is acceptable only. It can not have anything attached to it, i.e. plastic clips, or anything not steel. The landfill mounds are full of steel and aluminum, a few dozen gas BBQ's at a glance because it's mixed metals. It is a joke without a punchline.

I have a buddy that without him realizing it is a true environmentalist. When we had a real dump where you could get in and dig around for gold. I once found the molds for interlocking brick. I did an entire 6 car driveway for the cost of concrete only, then I sold the molds to a landscaper for a few hundred bucks. Anyway when Steve McQueen's (real name) truck came out the net was always higher than when it went in. He once gathered enough dimensional lumber to build a nice size garden shed, including shingles and a door.

I have a half dozen cans etc. of old bad gas. My wife mentioned they are having a paint and fuel collection this month at the dump. The killer is that gov. approved containers must be used to transport fuel. And you have to leave the container(s) at the dump. I wonder where the farmers with bad gas do with all their bad fuel, I wonder?

I need to find out where the guys at the dump live. Big yard sales for perfectly good gas cans I bet.