Greening the Ghetto

Living in public housing is an exercise in frustration. Broken door locks, leaky windows and cracked pipes are a way of life. But there's one thing that residents can control on their own: what happens to their trash. That's why resident volunteers at a public housing project in Morningside Heights, N.Y., are having such success as they push recycling education.

One at a time, the volunteers knock on doors. Person by person, they raise awareness — explaining that recycling and trash reduction can make a huge difference in quality of life.

There are problems, of course. For example, recycle bins are poorly marked and often hard to find in public housing. Some residents are concerned that recycling bins will attract vermin. Still others are apathetic. Little by little, though, the movement is making process — and there's more.  According to an article in the New York Times:

On other environmental fronts, efforts are under way by the city housing authority to make the apartment units more energy-efficient, using federal stimulus money to replace old boilers, water heaters and appliances. More than two dozen resident "green committees" have also been formed to help with projects like planting trees and recruiting workers for green jobs.

For volunteers in public housing, successful recycling is a source of pride. While some dismiss poverty-stricken neighborhoods as unconcerned about environmental issues, they know better. People may not have money to repaint their apartments or fix their own windows. But with the right education, they can make a difference to the environment.

Photo courtesy of Flickr.