County leading charge to preserve planet 4-19-12

Pontiac, Ill. - For Pontiac Township High School science teacher Paul Ritter, Earth Day, Sunday, is one of the greatest days of the year. Historically, it is a day meant to increase awareness and appreciation of the Earth's natural environment. However, Ritter believes Livingston County has been leading the charge in preserving the planet for years. Livingston County now has: A recycling drop-off; a battery disposal program, which began in Pontiac and has been continued in Fairbury and Dwight; the Livingston County Environmental Association cleaning up the environment with its river clean up program and other endeavors; a storm sewer stencil project, keeping garbage out of the sewers; people in Humiston Woods working hard to preserve the natural habitat within the grounds; and a common understanding in the county to not throw trash away if it can be recycled. “Livingston County is showing what it means to be great stewards of our world and I can’t be more proud to be a resident. This is my home and as an environmentalist I look at the things that are going on and all I can say is, ‘Wow.’” This year, Ritter said Earth Day is as exciting as it’s ever been. Increased fuel prices have caused people to pay attention to how much gas they use and many car manufacturers across the board have been affected in a positive way. Manufacturers are reporting their best quarterly sales since 2008 due to people wanting to trade in their gas-guzzlers. “You look at what is happening with the cars and they are getting better gas mileage now,” said Ritter. “That is part of people wanting to do the right thing, but also economically people need to get more efficient. I think these are great examples of things that are going on which really do add to the current state of the environment and the current state of our communities. I would like to see us continue to get better and I think the whole thing will continue to evolve and technology will allow us to do that.” Another effort that people are starting to take more seriously these days is in recycling. Livingston County now has recycling systems in places where they didn’t exist before. Not only are they popping up in schools, but also in the businesses. People want to make sure options for recycling are available. “A lot of times we talk about the three Rs, reduce, re-use and recycle,” said Ritter. “I think we’ve even gotten one better here at the high school. We’ve got the fourth “R” too, which is re-think. We are re-thinking some of our decisions.” A lot of businesses are starting to look at standard operating procedures to see where things could be done more cost effectively. Some wonder if their desire is truly environmentally driven and others are sure it is because businesses want to feel good monetarily. Ritter believes it’s a little of both. He believes people see monetary returns as a very positive reason to recycle. However, he said there is also a good feeling people get from knowing what they are doing in their business is also giving back to the planet. “Look at Pontiac Correctional Center, even the prison is recycling,” said Ritter. “A couple years ago, the prison said they wanted to be a part of recycling, so we did a project with the prison to look at their garbage system and how we could improve it and now the inmates are recycling.” A quote Ritter often uses to explain his views on the environment comes from a Native American proverb that says, “we do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.” To Ritter, this quote means that if people learn how to be sustainable and conserve the resources and learn to be good stewards, the world will be preserved for future generations. “It also reminds me of another quote by Thomas Fuller,” said Ritter. “In 1732 he said, ‘We will never know the worth of water until the well is dry.’ I think people are realizing, we need to be mindful of what we do.” The next generation of children are learning about and celebrating Earth Day at a young age. Kindergarten students in Rita Mackinson’s class at St. Mary’s Grade School planted both Marigold and Soybean seeds in Styrofoam cups as an example of steps they can take to help beautify and enhance the world they live in. After the kids colored their cups, they were taken to a potting station where they used fresh soil to fill their cups, planted seeds in the soil and then topped the cup off with a little bit more soil before setting them by the windowsill to get some sun. People often ask Ritter if his love for recycling gives him a negative view towards the ADS Livingston Landfill. He explained that in his opinion, Allied Waste have been given a task and there will always be garbage. He also said that he has worked closely with them in the past and they are doing their best. “I think they do as good a job as they can do,” said Ritter. “Obviously, I would like to live in a world where they would not have as much waste, but when resources start to get a little limited, maybe they will start mining those landfills for resources. If they know where the material is at and it’s valuable enough, I think it could happen. Hopefully one day we will become so efficient that we have zero waste.” For PTHS freshman Hannah Dunlap, recycling is so commonplace for her, she can’t imagine a time when people didn’t recycle. “It’s good to recycle,” said Dunlap. “It’s important to me that there isn’t a bunch of garbage lying around and that our resources are still here for the next generation.” To people looking to make a difference, Ritter offered that even the littlest thing can be a step towards a cleaner Earth. Even something as simple as unplugging unneeded appliances or turning the light switch off when natural sunlight is available, the little things mount up. “Everybody has the potential to be a part of this,” said Ritter. “We have one planet and one Earth.”