Saturday I plunked down $20 at the door of the Progressive Reading Series, a monthly literary benefit for progressive political causes. Jonathan Franzen, Tom Barbash, Matthew Eck, and April Sinclair read to benefit this month’s cause: helping out our friends in Houston. Stephen Elliott, who runs the series, read in the New York Times that Houston is the worst recycling city in the country, with an abysmal 2.6% recycling rate (compared to San Francisco’s nearly 70%).
Why such a problem getting residents to pitch in? The answer is complex, but in part because the city won’t supply recycling bins. Some parts of Houston have up to a 10 year wait for bins, which cost just $6.25. That night we raised $1,729, enough for 276 bins for Houston. As Stephen pointed out in his Huffington Post article, Houston-based Exxon, the most profitable company in the world, could wipe out that wait list by donating the profit it makes in one minute.
While we wait for Exxon to make the right decision, you can support the Houston recycling program by mailing a check for $6.25 to the address below. In your letter, let them know that the money intended to fund a recycling bin and that you are not affiliated with a political candidate: City of Houston P.O. Box 1562 Houston, TX 77251 Colleen lives, works, writes and eats in San Francisco is part of the 70% who recycles. She keeps a blog about jam-making at Delights and Prejudices. Colleen will take us into the weekend with her column appearing every Friday at Tonic News Network.