Michael Youdelman '89 addresses 170 Maine residents at the recent Recycling Forum. Photo by Darrold Dorr. urged, are ones we need to embrace if we are to deal with garbage responsibly. His advice to MDI planners was "planning COA NEWS and cooperation." To be successful, a recy- cling program must be simple, clean, con- venient and require resident participation. He stressed the importance of developing MARCH 1989 COLLEGE OF THE ATLANTIC BAR HARBOR, MAINE markets and keeping sorted recyclable materials as clean as possible to assure a Association, the Hancock County Plan- high market value. Recycling Forum ning Commission, the Mount Desert Is- Youdelman's presentation was followed land League of Towns and Worcester by a panel discussion and an hour's ques- Draws Overflow Crowd Associates. tion and answer period moderated by To a standing-room-only crowd of 170 COA Trustee Donald Straus. The first MDI residents, students, town officials panelist was Sharon Treat, staff attorney "I'll find my career in trash," COA senior and off-islanders, Youdelman opened the of the Natural Resources Council of Michael Youdelman reassured his father, Recycling Forum with a slide-tour of recy- Maine, who addressed the issue of "the in a story he told during his opening cling operations in Maine, Vermont, New compatibility between resource recovery remarks at the Recycling Forum held at Hampshire, Rhode Island and in Smith- facilities (incinerators) and recycling". COA on Sunday, Jan. 8. With a long his- town, New York, his home town. He This is a very important issue in Maine, as tory of involvement in recycling, Mike showed examples of programs ranging it is in many New England states because coordinated the forum as part of his from small, simple drop-off facilities that incineration is used increasingly to deal senior project which included visiting recy- rely upon volunteer participation, to with the mounting waste management cling programs throughout New England. curbside pickup with a recycling garbage crisis, she said. The two are not "fun- The forum was intended to help area resi- truck called "Eager Beaver" and par- damentally incompatible" but some com- dents and town officials learn more about ticipation mandated by town ordinance. plex problems exist. For example, many recycling options. Co-sponsors of the "Garbage just doesn't go away," Mike towns have long-term contracts with in- forum included COA's Environmental commented, "we have to reduce; we have cinerators that require certain waste ton- Awareness Resource Network to change our all-consuming lifestyle." nage levels. Also, it is those products that (E.A.R.N.), Hancock County Extension These "basic concepts," Youdelman are most easily recycled, paper and plas- Continued on page 2 1 Continued from page 1 tics, that have the highest BTU value. state is also involved in assisting towns trash, Bath hopes to achieve 95%-98% Another serious problem is the toxic ash with the technical and financial issues of compliance and save considerable tax dol- generated by these incinerators, Treat putting together recycling and compost- lars and dwindling natural resources, said added. This material, often deemed to be ing programs. Outerbridge went on to say Treat. hazardous waste, must be land filled that "recycling will not take 100% of the Upon the completion of Treat's which is "beginning to cause serious en- waste stream" so whatever program is es- presentation, Straus opened the floor to vironmental problems". Incineration tablished "must be compatible with cur- questions. Andy Schultz '91 asked, "How could play a role in an integrated waste rent means of disposal", either a land fill do you change people's attitudes about management system that included recy- or incineration. "Recycling shouldn't be recycling? People are locked into narrow cling, she concluded, but it requires plan- developed independently of the rest of attitudes about trash: burn it, bury it, ning and foresight. your waste management system," he said. dump it." "You let them know," Treat Thomas Outerbridge from the Maine An enthusiastic presentation was given responded, "the cost savings and you get State Office of Community Development by the final panelist, Bath City Council into the schools. People may be irritated then explained the educational role that member Ruth Lawson-Stops, about her with it but they tend to listen to their State government hopes to play in recy- city's experience with establishing a recy- kids." Outerbridge added, "There will al- cling and composting programs. cling program. "The goal was to reduce ways be people who don't want to "Markets are important, equipment is im- waste, save landfill space and save recycle, but that's why you have mandates portant, collection systems are important, money," she said. Lawson-Stops went on and ordinances." but without citizen participation no to stress the importance of looking at the Treat concluded, "This is the year of program is ever going to achieve a sig- financial savings recycling can offer in solid waste. The question just doesn't nificant reduction of the waste stream light of a recent study that suggests solid seem to go away." As the communities of through recycling," he stressed. To ad- waste budgets for municipalities may ex- Mount Desert Island grow they will be dress this, Outerbridge's office is helping ceed education budgets in the not too dis- faced with increasing waste management school systems develop curriculums that tant future. Both will soon be problems. Thanks to Youdelman, island "get kids thinking source reduction, com- implementing its mandatory curbside planners have a better understanding of posting, recycling, packaging and the pick-up program. With its efforts in the recycling option. whole range of issues" with the hope that public education, community involvement - Bennett Verbeck it will "trickle up" to the parents. The and the threat of not picking up unsorted SUMMERTIME, SUMMERTIME: Dates to Remember Graduation Day. Summer Lecture Series. Wednesday Maine Association of Student Financial Saturday, June 3, 1 p.m. evenings in July and August. Aid Administrators. Annual meeting. Confirmed speakers: June 14-16 Field Studies by the Sea. For high school Mr. John Wilmerding, Professor of teachers and environmental educators. American Art, Princeton University. Family Therapy and Deafness Course. July 2-15; July 16-29 Offered by Gallaudet University. July 30- August 12 Mr. Gilbert M. Grosvenor, A graduate level course. President of the National Geographic June 18-23 Summer Field Studies for Children. Society. For youngsters entering grades 4, 5 and Other speakers and dates to be an- Ongoing summer programs at the 6. Beginning and advanced sessions. nounced. Natural History Museum. July 4-7 and 11-14 Everyday at 11 a.m.: July 18-21 and 25-28 Bureau for Children with Special Needs. Whales on Wheels or August 1-4 and 8-11 June 12-14 the Naugahyde Whale. August 15-18 and 22-25 Afternoon Programs: Elderhostel aboard the Harvey Gamage. Birds on Wings, Running Camp. Sponsored by Bob For adults age 60 or over. Footprints and Owl Pellets. Booker. June 25- July 1 June 25- July 1 Wednesday Evening Speaker First International Symposium on the Series: Speakers to be announced. German Week. Sponsored by the Molecular Biology of the Potato. For further information about summer American Association of Teachers of Sponsored by University of Maine. programs, call (207) 288-5015. German. August 20-26 August 13-19 - Gina M. Platt 2