Did you know that today is National Recycling Day? I didn't, until I came upon America Recycles Day, and decided to check it out. From perusing the website, I learn that
On November 15 each year, millions of people become better informed about the importance of daily recycling and buying recycled products. The purpose of America Recycles Day is to continue to promote the social, environmental and economic benefits of recycling and encourage more people to join the movement toward creating a better natural environment.
Gosh, what could be wrong with something so benign with such a cool patriotic logo? It's sponsored by Keep America Beautiful, National Recycling Coalition, and even has a couple of corporate sponsors. Follow me below the fold and into the dark underbelly of National Recycling Day.
Two corporate sponsors promote this event. The first is Nestle Waters, no stranger to controversy. From Stop Nestle Waters:
Why are we targeting Nestle Waters?
Because Nestle’s predatory tactics in rural communities divide small towns and pit residents against each other.
Because Nestle reaps huge profits from the water they extract from rural communities – which are left to deal with the damage to watersheds, increases in pollution and the loss of their quiet rural lifestyle.
Because Nestle has a pattern of bludgeoning small communities and opponents with lawsuits and interfering in local elections to gain control of local water supplies.
Because the environmental consequences of bottled water on our atmosphere, watersheds and landfills are simply too big to ignore.
Because no international corporation should have the right to pilfer the public’s water for profit.
The other sponsor is the American Chemistry Council, where a quick glance at Wikipedia tells me that the ACC opposed California's proposed ban on BpA and Seattle's proposed plastic bag tax. The ACC
"is assiduous about intervening in and shaping public policy discussions when necessary to defend its members' special needs from the effects of legislation. This has proven particularly true when the public interest points to changes in industry practice that might be detrimental to the relative financial success of members. By combining funds from the collective chemical industry as a whole and then using this money to steer public debate, the American Chemistry Council has repeatedly demonstrated its efficiency at obtaining outcomes favorable for the special interests of the chemical industry."
Sure enough, Open Secrets lists it as the third largest donor in the chemical industry.
I don't question the motives of Keep America Beautiful, founded in 1953 and famous for the 1971 "crying Indian" ad -- update: but please check out comment by the fan man and link therein. The website of the National Recycling Coalition contains some irony: along with announcements that Panasonic cares and that the Kerry-Boxer bill has some recycling promotion, it also has this tidbit: "The Board of Directors of the National Recycling Coalition, Inc. (NRC) voted yesterday to develop a reorganization plan over the next 30 days, suspending a previous motion to file Chapter 7 bankruptcy. As of yesterday, the NRC had not yet taken legal action." Well, I suppose bankruptcy is a form of corporate recycling.
With something as well meaning and sincere as Earth Day, my standard response is: "Every day is Earth Day!" The National Recycling Day may have been started with good intentions...or not, as the sponsorship isn't convincing me of pure motives. However, events like this give people a chance to recycle one day out of the year all the plastic water bottles they've accumulated over the last 364 days, pat themselves on the back, and go on buying stuff they don't need...but it's okay, because it's recyclable stuff.
So, in that spirit, I'm going to offer my own helpful hints for National Recycling Every Day, and please add your own in the comments:
Don't buy plastic water bottles. Get a steel water bottle , preferably one not lined with BpA, and reuse it.
Don't use plastic bags to tote your stuff. Buy a few canvas bags or mesh bags and reuse them.
Don't buy bottled water, ice cream treats, and other stuff made by Nestle that you don't need.
Recycle every day, not just November 15.
Ignore corporate greenwashing.
Update: Being on the rec list is cool, but I didn't want my rant to replace MinistryofTruth's far more important diary: World leaders gut climate reform, the watering down continues. Please read and rec that one, if you haven't already. Maybe we can have two green diaries on the rec list at the same time -- but if not, MoT's deserves it more than mine does.