Gadgets And Recycling

Yesterday I was walking down Central Avenue in Jersey City Heights, and as I’m passing a Mom with two children, I see the Mom drop some trash on the sidewalk beside her. I stop, turn and ask her if she’s going to pick that up? She just stares at me blankly. I’m not sure if she didn’t understand English, or if she was just surprised at what I was asking. She just stares and I start walking away when another Mom pushing a baby carriage is coming toward me. Now she’s looking at me and wondering what’s going on. I tell her the woman threw trash down on the sidewalk and I wanted her to pick it up and use a trash can which is nearby. The new Mom starts yelling at me, “What right do I have to tell her or anyone what to do?”

What right she asks? I live in this neighborhood also, and what’s so hard about being respectful of others and responsible for your own crap?

Today people just walk along and drop there crap as they walk, like there’s someone right behind them ready to pick it up. From empty chip bags and paper plates from the pizza place, to soda cans and water bottles.

This is the exact problem with trash and urban neighborhoods. What bothers me the most is the example this parent is setting for her own kids watching her. They will grow up thinking the same thing.

There isn’t anybody behind them to pick it up, and the trash just accumulates. Our cities have less garbage collectors, less trash cans and it’s getting worse everyday.

So how do we target these parents and kids and get them to be more responsible? Ideas?

Meanwhile, I’m going to continue to ask people to stop and of course conceptualize posters or t shirts with the right messages.

Lately with the iPhone, iTouch, Kindle and other assorted gadgets available, I’ve been thinking a lot about the gadgets that start piling up around and in drawers, and whether we’re being environmentally friendly.

Each time a new computer, gadget or phone comes out, we’re all eager to see them, buy them and use them, but what happens to the older models we already have. I have an older Apple desktop computer in the corner collecting dust and I’ve always thought, it’s my back up just in case these two explode someday, (which probably will never happen, because they’re also Apple…) but actually I would probably never turn it on because the software is now outdated. I also have an older scanner, and probably a few old cell phones in some drawer. Time to figure what to do with them… donate the Apple computer and scanner or look into a company that recycles parts.

Recently, I switched from Directv to Verizon FIOS and when I asked Directv what to do with the two old boxes and remotes, they had no real plan. They do not collect them or try to recycle them, which I thought was such a waste. They told me they belonged to me, I sure don’t understand this. They suggested I put them up on ebay. Are they kidding? Who’s going to buy this old equipment and for what, $5?

I do love the idea that by loading up my iPod Touch, I’m not buying paper books, plastic/paper containers of music or have to carry a laptop or portfolio, everything is stored within or I can connect via wifi. But to be honest, I really prefer reading a book with pages that I can hold with both hands, the same goes for a magazine.

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I’m always concerned about being eco-friendly and spend more time reading blogs and websites so I can purchase less newspaper and magazines, but perhaps it’s time to revisit the local public library. I haven’t been there in a while and it would be a much better way to read some of the latest or current books without buying them and adding even more books to my overloaded shelves.

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