Recycling

There is a foundation in La Paz dedicated to helping communities recycle, Fundación para el Reciclaje (FUNDARE). They provide information about recycling, help you organize your efforts, and actually pick up your recyclables and give you educational supplies in return.




Last Tuesday, Mario Aguayo from FUNDARE's Programa Hormiga came to give a talk and set up the program. It is part of a bigger effort to keep campus and the community clean, lead by Sister Jean Morrissey and a small group of dedicated students and community members. A group of students at Siena College and the Universidad Privada Boliviana are also contributing to the effort as part of their on-line Rural Sustainability in Latin America class.




Keeping communities clean requires a lot of education, reminding people of their history of love for Mother Earth and respect for themselves. I remember the Do Not Litter campaigns of the 1970s in the U.S., signs encouraging people to report cars who throw trash from their windows on the highway, and Iron Eyes Cody in the Keep America Beautiful public service announcement shedding a tear because of the pollution.

It is a process. But it is one that we are doing full-force right now at the College. Keep us in mind as we raise consciousness.