Let's talk trash (seriously!)

 Today, Clean Air Cab's blog has the pleasure of having a guest writer from Arizona State University. Danielle Barrs is a junior in Earth and Environmental Studies with a minor in Sustainability. She just transferred to ASU this past August from a University in Montreal, Canada. Danielle was born in the United States but grew up in Canada, and in so doing, was blessed with dual citizenship. Her most recent accomplishment was volunteering for the World Wildlife Fund of Canada doing business outreach for Sweater Day and Earth Hour. She did a blog post concerning her volunteering experience that you can read here. Currently She is working with Environmental Health and Safety at ASU on a project called Green Labs/Green Offices which encourages labs and offices across campus to become "green certified" and more sustainable, through a checklist of accomplishments and regulations. Without further ado, I give you Danielle's thoughts on the plastic Island, recycling, and our part in it all...

We all know that ocean currents are responsible for climate change phenomena like El Nino and La Nina (well if you didn’t before, you do now), but did you know that it is also responsible for an island of floating debris in the middle of the Pacific Ocean called the Great Pacific Garbage Patch? Of course, the currents can’t shoulder all of the responsibility, now can they? In the United State alone, approximately 65 lbs. of plastic per person is dumped into landfills every year, and only 5% of that ever gets recycled.

            The ocean is especially vulnerable to plastic pollution for many reasons. Because most plastic floats near the surface, it is often mistaken for food by birds and fish. Oceanographer Charles J. Moore recently discovered a fourth month old albatross chick (below) with a full stomach of cigarette lighters, bottle caps, and other trash on a Northwestern Hawaiian Island called Kure Atoll.

Also, plastic - like diamonds - are forever! Traditional plastics do not biodegrade, meaning organisms cannot break them down. Sunlight breaks the material down as far as specs of plastic dust, but it still persists in the environment.

            There are plenty of corporates that aren’t helping these types of environmental tragedies either. Just last month, Coca Cola was blamed for halting plans to ban the sale of plastic water bottles in the Grand Canyon, probably due to their role as a Dasani bottled water manufacturer and distributor. Need I bring up the Exxon-Valdez and BP Oil Spills or The Love Canal chemical waste dump?
            Are these events unfortunate? Yes. Are they irreversible? Maybe. Are they uncontrollable? No. The good news is, there are plenty of things that we as individuals can do on a daily basis to help control, regulate, and manage all kinds of environmental pollutants. Need some ideas? Well that’s what I’m here for!

1. Make smart consumer choices! Opt for a stainless steel canteen instead of the conventional plastic water bottle. For avid hikers, attach a carabiner to hook on to your bag for extra portability.

2. Join a great cause! Every September The World Wildlife Fund assembles The Great Shoreline Cleanup to encourage shoreline rehabilitation areas through annual litter cleanups.

3. Get involved with your school! Arizona State University has recently launched a Green Labs/Green Offices program aimed at encouraging labs and offices across campus to become "green certified" and more sustainable through a checklist of guidelines and accomplishments.

4. Give back! Treasures 4 Teachers is an organization that collects unwanted (but reusable) materials and makes them available to teachers at  little to no cost, relying on the generosity of the community to continue to do so.

5. Stay informed! Environmental blogs such as TreeHugger, Planet Forward, and EnviroLite provide great mediums to stay connected with environmental current events.

Become Part of the Solution.

Because We Love Youth, Books, and Christmas...

It always seems that the last month of the year is also the hardest. Pennies are pinched and budgets are tight while the holidays seamingly sneak up on us. Yet somehow, we manage to scrape up just enough money to have a little Holiday celebration; perhaps children are the reason as they emanate untainted joy at this time of year.

However, inevitably this year, some child somewhere will be unable to experience Christmas. This may be due to economic hardship that so many of us find ourselves in, or perhaps these children are homeless, or unclaimed and belong to no family~ orphans we call them, abandoned by society and those who gave them life. The term 'orphanage' seems so obsolete these days.

When I think of the word "ophanage" this is the kind of image I get in my head.

something old, of the past, nonexistent in my universe.....

However, they do exist.

In Arizona, we just like to slap another name on it to make it sound a little less bleary, and dark.

We use the word "shelter."

Yet, regardless of what it is called, it is our community's duty to reach out to these institutions and give the children in them hope and the means for a better life.

This year, we want to make a difference for the girls and boys at the Lighthouse Shelter in Phoenix ran by seven loving co-workers (monica, Rosie, Blanca, Anna, Ana, Andrea, and Avis) as well as Sheri Wang, who owns a nonprofit organization dedicated to changing lives. Clean Air Cab plans to volunteer at this year's Christmas party and we were hoping we could share the experience of bring joy to children with you. If you would like to make a donation to bring Christmas to this makeshift family, just read the list below and drop off any donations to the Clean Air Cab main office located at 1600 W. Main Street in Mesa, Arizona.

The Girls

Arayah, age two, wears size (3 years) and desperately wants a Little Tikes Princess Cozy Coupe

Ynica, age three, wears size (4) and hopes to find a Little Tikes Bumble Bee Buggy under the Tree

Monique, age 11 months, wears size (18mo) and would love a V Tech care and learn Teddy

Toryanna, age six, wears size (7) and wishes for a Girl Scooter for Christmas

Joline, age fourteen, wears size (small in juniors) and hopes to jam out to Yule-tide carols on a new I-pod.

The Boys

Kayden, age one, wears size (2) and yearns for a Little Tikes Go & Grow Lil Rollin Giraffe (ride-on)

Aaron, age five, wears size (4) and hopes to find K'Nex Mario Kart Brewser's Castle (Mario and Luigi at the starting line)

Andrew, age three, wears size (4) and would love to find a Fisher Price Grow with me Trike on Christmas

Derrick, age five, wears size (6) and wishes for the Leap Frog Leapster 2

Joziah, age three, wears size (4) and hopes for a Hot Wheels Criss Cross Crash Set

Xavier, age seven, wears size (10) and longs for an Air Hogs Hyperactives Radio Control Vehicle

Sean, age eight, wears a size (10) and wants a Nerf Vertex Nitron

Devin, age five, wears a size (6) and would be delighted to get a Racio flyer Lights & Sound Racer

Harley, age five, wears a size (6) and would be grateful to receive a Lego Harry Potter- The Knight Bus

Rico, age seven, wear a size (8) and wishes for a Lazer Stunt Chaser Dragon Fire

Devin, age four, wears a size (5) and longs for a Bayblade Metal Fusion Spiral Blitz, 2pk Earth Virgo



In addition to this Christmas project, we would also like to collect donations of books for the Extreme Library Makeover project in San Carlos as the non-profit organization Learning Through Literacy works with  tribal leaders and the Bureau of Indian Affairs. If you would like to find out more about Loving Through Literacy, click here... if you would like to read about the San Carlos Library project just click the link.

Every child in our community deserves access to the tools neccessary to receive the best of educations.

Be part of the Solution.