I never considered myself a "green" person until I moved to St Joe. I was appalled to hear that we routinely dump overflow sewage into our river. I have never seen such a disgusting river before! I cannot fathom how people boat, swim or even enjoy the sight of the Missouri River; we have such blatant disrespect for keeping our rivers clean!
I cannot tell you how many times I have seen store employees dumping their dirty cleaning water down the drain. Obviously they do not realize that they are contaminating our water table with their chemicals, let alone our streams and rivers.
The idea that there is no community-wide recycling program is also disturbing. No wonder our landfill is overflowing! We cannot contain our waste.
We often take for granted that we have relatively clean air here. Too bad our city refuses to create a single disposal company that would reduce the emissions and trash that the several other companies spew throughout our neighborhoods. Why can't our City take this initiative by the reigns and create a single trash disposal company? Residents would be assured that their trash would be picked up on the same day, same time, every week. We wouldn't have to hear the grumbling of trash trucks every single day in our neighborhoods, and litter would be drastically reduced. This same entity could potentially be responsible to implementing and maintaining a recycling program as well. Did you know there are federal funds that will support any community who whole-heartedly embraces recycling as a lifestyle?
Accurately-timed signal lights would reduce idling, contributing to better air quality. Additionally, a reduction in Sonic restaurants would help eliminate idle time as well.
An efficient sewer system would make our air much more pleasant to breathe. There are times of the year when I avoid specific parts of town simply because the stench is too overwhelming.
Our local paper continues to tout demolishing and rebuilding as an environmentally-friendly alternative to restoring our existing structures. Instead of demolishing, why not maintain your buildings? Why wait for them to become so decrepit that they are nearly beyond salvaging?
Many times I see farmers or land owners burning their wood to remove unwanted growth. I am sure almost any family who uses firewood would gladly take this superfluous wood off of their hands. It would be a much cheaper alternative to purchasing wood from a wood cutter.
Why aren't stores using energy-efficient lightbulbs? This would not only cut their costs, but help to conserve energy as well.
There are simply too many ways we can cut down on air pollution, water pollution, litter, energy consumption and give our children a bright future in a clean and efficient environment. Wake up, St. Joe! The future is now!!!
