With all the planet's dwindling forests, contaminated waters and changing climate, it might take a 2012-themed recycling rally to scare new people into recycling more.
But with Earth Day coming up, the city went with a "1960's style Rally for Recycling" today at the Whole Foods in Lakewood -- an event teased in an epic memo sent from City Hall yesterday, announcing that their plans to "drop some knowledge and rap about wicked waste diversion opportunities in Dallas." (Jump to read the whole thing, if you dare.)
Sure enough, a little after noon today, a crowd of 15 tie-dyed city employees were in the Whole Foods parking lot, passing out daisies and flyers about recycling. Some were assigned to accost shoppers directly, letting them know about the city's "Recycle roundup" on Saturday. Others took a softer approach, shaking rain sticks and tambourines, and singing about Mother Earth.
City Waste Diversion Manager Sheila Overton says they'd originally planned an even more eye-catching '60s-style protest, marching around with big signs and slogans, but that Whole Foods balked, thinking it might look bad to folks driving past. They settled on a more peaceful-looking "recycling rally for Mother Earth," Overton says. "Tie-dye's really coming back, so we thought, wow, that'd be really cool."
The volunteers mostly passed out flyers about this Saturday's "Recycling Round-Up," where you can drop off any recycling that's been building up around your place -- including old TV's and computers, Styrofoam and other stuff that won't normally get picked up curbside.
Overton said they were also there to share other aspects of the city's award-winning recycling program, like brush composting.
Hard to imagine there's any better place in the city to find people more on-board with recycling already, but Whole Foods' Karen Lukin said they were glad to host the rally, and help bring attention to their own lesser-known recycling efforts -- like a collection spot for old kitchen grease they'll send to the city to process into biodiesel for Dallas ISD buses.
City Stages 1960's style Rally for Recycling at Whole Foods Market in Lakewood
WHAT: City of Dallas Waste Diversion Team's 1960's style Rally for Recycling at Whole Foods Market. Sanitation employees and volunteers will drop some knowledge and rap about wicked waste diversion opportunities in Dallas. All of the groovy cats and hip chicks will dig it! The 1960's style recycling rally is a far out chance for squares, flakes, and kooks to score some knowledge that will help them to stop being a sponge when it comes to the environment. This event is presented by the City of Dallas and supported in part by the Whole Foods Market in Lakewood and Mother Earth Radio.
