Here’s a heart-warming story about a great kid with an eco-conscience: “Recycle Boy to the Rescue.”
Featured on the blog at Modern Eco Homes, the story describes how a young boy in the Boston area has become a one-kid recycling industry.
Ben, a fifth-grader, spends his post-school afternoons and weekends bicycling around his neighborhood in search of bottles and cans. He’s become such a regular sight in the area that some residents put out all their recyclables in their backyards until Ben can come and pick them up.
While his motivation is mostly environmental — “I think a lot about how I can help the planet,” he says — Ben’s rewards have gone beyond mere feel-good: the money he’s earned from turning in recyclables has helped him pay for a wagon that helps with his recycling runs.
What a great kid. You can read the whole story at Modern Eco Homes.
Hmmmm. We have people in our neighborhood who do the same thing, mostly homeless people with ‘borrowed’ shopping carts. The local police routinely tell them to get out of people’s yards and trash. (That is trespassing, after all.) Homeless people trying to survive aren’t as cute as eco-friendly 5th grade boys, i guess.
Jeff,
Good point. I can’t tell you how many times I have lectured Ben about private property and such. So far we’ve had no formal complaints. It is easier for some people to accept a kid doing this as opposed to a more destitute adult.
Another difference is that Ben will make sure that non-redeemable recyclables get put into recycling bins rather than the garbage. That is, he’ll sort out recycling if people haven’t done so themselves. He’ll also teach (or guilt) them to do it and help them get a recycling bin if they don’t have one. I’ll admit, it is a bit easier to do those things when survival is not your motivation.