NEWS

Environmental Eye
April 29, 2007

April was a great “Earth Day” month. The awareness of our environment has been in the forefront with all the media attention about global warming. With these concerns Earth Day was more significant this year. There were Earth Day Festivals across the country, as well as, in Iredell County. The North Carolina Litter Sweep attracted more attention, including Iredell County efforts. Iredell County hosted its biannual Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day and the news papers featured ideas about how we call can make a difference everyday.

I hope this is a turn in social attitude about caring for the environment. A time of change for all, to being more aware and a time when we decide to do more individually. I have always said that recycling is the easiest way for us to help our environment. We can all do it, from small children to great grandparents; we can all choose the recycle bin.

Iredell County residents and businesses have worked hard to increase our waste diversion efforts. Last year the county was thirteenth in the states 100 counties in per capita waste reduction. Last weekend Keep Iredell Clean, the Keep America Beautiful affiliate, the Statesville Tree Commission and Iredell County hosted the Earth Day / Arbor Day Festival at Lakewood Park teaching children and families about our earth. The city of Statesville continues to improve their curbside recycling, the town of Troutman now has two recycling locations for their residents, the town of Mooresville is researching recycling in their future and the county offers everyone five locations for recycling throughout the area. All these efforts in partnering, education and increasing recycling have made Iredell County among the best recycling programs in the state.

With that appreciation to the towns, the businesses and the people of Iredell County, I would like to say that I will be making a change too. I will be leaving the position of Iredell County Recycling Coordinator May 1, 2007. I am retiring then and will be opening another door. Thank you to all of the readers of this column who always let me know you were out there helping and trying to do your best by asking questions. Thank you especially to the “Charlotte Observer Neighbors of Lake Norman” and before that to the “Iredell Neighbors” and Joe for providing this column. I will continue to try to help our environment by making my own contributions and hope you will continue to do the same.

Keep up the good work… keep recycling!

Carla Parks
Iredell County Recycling Coordinator

Scenes from Earth Day 2006 at Lake Norman State Park