This morning I took my dog for a walk. It's trash day, and I couldn't help but notice how few of my neighbors actually recycle. I could see soda cans and plastic salad dressing bottles poking through the plastic bags. House after house, there is was: evidence that no one is taking the time to recycle. In my community, recycling is very easy. We all have blue plastic bins and all that's required is that we fill them, place them on the curb by Monday morning, and wait. We don't even have to sort. It's impossibly easy, so I am completely befuddled. Why isn't anyone recycling? One of my neighbors, in particular, is usually a recycler. I know this because I usually have to take their bin from my yard and walk it back to their house. But this morning, their blue bin was nowhere in sight, and their cans were brimming with cardboard and plastic #1 and #2 and cans. It was heartbreaking.

Naysayers will claim that one person recycling isn't going to make that much of a difference. No, it probably won't. But if everyone recycles, we can make a huge difference. And really, recycling is the easiest thing we can do to help.  Little by little, we can make a difference.