MAKE A PHONE CALL
Let your fingers do the walking...
BACKGROUND. This may be cheating a little bit‑it doesn't effect the environment
directly‑but when you get started on a
project as important as this, it's good to know what assistance is available.
As the head of one organization told us, "What's the use of getting people
excited about saving cans and bottle for recycling, if they don't know where to
take them.Ó
We think
that's a good point, so we encourage you to do a little research on your own.
Familiarize yourself with some of the subjects we'll be dealing with in the
book, and check them out locally. You may be surprised at the diversity of
services available. For example:
Call Your Local Electric Utility:
Check on availability of energy audits.
Ask about free information (conservation booklets, etc.)
Call Your Local Water Utility:
Check to see what water conservation devices (low‑flow shower heads, faucet aerators,
etc.), services, or information they offer.
Call your Local Recycling Center:
How do you find it? Look it up in
the Yellow Pages; get the infor
mation from your local city
government; or call 1‑212‑505‑2100
and ask the Environmental Defense
Fund for assistance in locating
the nearest center.
Ask what materials they collect,
whether they have curbside
pickups (and what days), or whether
you need to bring the materi
als in, where the nearest drop‑off centers are, etc. (see pp. 60‑65).
Check out the Yellow pages; see
what's listed under
¥ Recycling,
¥ Environmental agencies (or groups)
¥ Car Pool (or Van Pool)
¥ Diaper Services
¥ Heating Services
¥ Plumbing / Electrical Supplies, etc.