Earth Day 2008

Going green today?  Well, you should be.  Today is Earth Day.  Savannah celebrated on Saturday with more than two thousand neighbors in Forsyth Park.  We spoke with some folks about what they are doing to go green.

Will Lynch, Recycling With Family:

"We're trying to recycle more as a family and also be more conservative about our gas usage because the prices are so high.”

Richard Guerard, Doing His Part By Planting Plants:

“I planted plants.  I plant lots of plants at my house.”

Avis Coleman, Teaching Her Kids About Going Green:

“We started recycling for the first time in my house and we recycled all of our news paper and all of our cans and the tops of the cans and it's been fun, it's a good thing to teach your children."

NEWS 3'S Tristan Tully spoke with one recycler about the importance of Earth Day, and a city official who tells us it's going to be easier for everyone to do their part in about 8 months.

Phillip Scott has been a recycler since he was in high school, so it's fitting that on Earth Day he's out at the bins doing his part, "Try to!  You know, little things add up, just do what I can.  I'd like to do more but sometimes you just take it one step at a time."

And according to city officials, the rest of Phillip''s Savannah neighbors are following suit.  Between things like recycling and dump the pump, Bret Bell with the city of Savannah says it's safe to say that the city has gone green.

Bret Bell, City of Savannah, Public Information Director:

"Absolutely.  I mean, you know, it's all about green.  There's T-shirts out there, green is the new black and I honestly feel that that's true.  We're seeing it all over."

And before you know it, it's going to be easier for you to do your part too.  In January of 2009, there will be a city-wide curb-side recycling program coming to a neighborhood near you.

Bret Bell, City of Savannah, Public Information Director:

"As we're moving down this road, we need our citizens to move with us together.  It can't just be the city moving forward with recycling and that's it and everyone waiting on us.  This really has to be a partnership with our residents, and we're seeing that right now, we just hope it continues."

As for Phillip, he thinks the curb-side program will be a great step in the right direction and has an Earth Day message for all of us, "I think it's important that people recycle, you know, there's only one place that we can live and we've got to take advantage of the opportunities we have to take care of our earth."

As for the curb-side recycling, you should expect to see your recycling container sometime before the January start of the program.  Also, Bret Bell with the city of Savannah tells us every household in the city will receive one container that you put all of your recyclables in.  They will be sorted out at the plant.