Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Recycling at the United Federation of Teachers and the UN

Here are two places that probably break New York City laws: The United Federation of Teachers (which represents New York City Public School Teachers) and the United Nations.

In the last monthly meeting for this school year (June 16th 2010) the Environmental Committee of the UFT declared that they have been unable to convince the head custodian at 52 Broadway that the union's headquarters is worthy of recycling bins. George Altamare, a union official, said we should continue to fight the status quo and set up a petition. About twenty mostly non-teacher environmental activists came to network and I sensed a need to increase teacher activists. A program was in place as well as an end-of-year party at a neighboring restaurant.

At this meeting an organization which recycles pencils and next to everything was recommended:
http://www.terracycle.net/ .

The two main organizers, Coquille Houshour and Micki Josi, are Park Slope Food Coop members
http://www.foodcoop.com/ I promised to try to get an article into the coop newspaper, The Linewaiter Gazette. Contact the diligent teachers at uftgreenschools@gmail.com .

Likewise, in the United Nations Cafeteria, where several thousand UN staff dine daily, you can not seperate the plastic juice bottles they sell. You must just leave them on the tray and hope workers will recycle. Employees say they do.

1 comment:

  1. Thanks for your comments.

    I can't retract my comments either. Brits have as much free time as you report the Scandinvaians having, but do not learn languages and are generally uninterested in doing so. It isn't a matter of time as much as of interest. i feel certain Americans find time for what they want to do!!

    No, I have no special affinity for either of the churches you mention. I am one of Jehovah's Witnesses and we have no links with other religions or with any sort of political involvement, either directly or via pressure. We believe peace on earth can only be achieved through God's kingdom and so we follow both Christ's example and his command to stay totally out of secular affairs. We're not aloof, just support the only real and realistic solution to mankind's problems. For this reason, I can't find any reason to support the Esperanto movement as it falls outside of the divine arrangement and relies on humans.

    Thank you for your continued interest, but I'm really not interested in constructed langauges etc beyond that brief exploration. It's just a matter of linguistic interest for me and that really isn't going to change. I'm also totally neutral as to such things as Chinese policies etc. The only one of real interest to me would be religious freedom as in *real* freedom, not the sham than surrently exists.

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