by Gloria Allen

Created on: November 15, 2008   Last Updated: December 22, 2010

The trick to solving these two looming problems is to make each issue the solution for the other: The over-consumption of goods leading to massive waste, much of it filling our landfills, polluting our waters, fouling our air, often caused by the overuse of chemicals in business and medicine must now become the job-solution for this recession and gloomy economic outlook.

Employment downsizing in growth-of-goods-businesses, must reinvent itself by creating jobs that solve the problems causing greenhouse gases or that find other alternatives for our energy needs. So far, government has failed to address these issues in a timely manner. I have faith though that President to-be Barack Obama and his administration will show considerable more interest and creative initiative to overturn the bad practices leading to global warming than the previous Republican administration that has instead, helped to encourage.

UCLA professor Jared Diamond's book "Collapse" (a must-read in my opinion) clearly demonstrates how practically all civilizations across the globe throughout millennia, have collapsed and gone extinct, simply for their failure to wisely use and recycle their resources - mostly by over-using wood from cutting down too many trees, used for building huts and making fires for cooking. Civilizations have used the planet's natural resources faster than nature could replace their losses, drying up rivers and streams without the shade provided by trees, creating arid zones and ultimately, desert wastelands. If planet Earth does not learn how to implement sound ecological practices, then we are probably doomed for extinction. At present there is only about 5% of fresh water left on the planet! Is planet Earth destined to become a giant microwave where we all bake to death, or can we dramatically reverse our bad habits and save our planet? We must start now.

If every state and city and town in America would recycle whatever is no longer usable, we would have so many more resources at our disposable for free, while at the same time, addressing our energy needs. Everything starts with wise use of resources and ends with recycling.

The general public across America should become more involved in recycling. Other than the weekly recycling of plastics, glass, paper and metal which many of our cities are now thankfully doing - food-garbage is yet another means of recycling that should be seriously considered. Methods of compensation for each food-garbage participant donor

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