donations!
Did you know that 1 in 3 kids that live in our nation’s capital live in poverty? No you probably didn’t because you weren’t volunteering with me this weekend and are probably a bad person (just kidding). But seriously, those numbers are true: one third of all the kids in the capital of the richest nation in the world live in poverty. That’s worse than some of our countries poorest states, like Arkansas.
A Wider Circle (the organization I volunteered for this weekend) attempts to ease the tension of this economic disparity by collecting furniture, clothing, bedding, computers, tools and anything else to help fill the gaps in a needy house hold. Luckily, I was able to get involved this past weekend and collect enough furniture to furnish the homes of about five needy families. I also got to drive a 16′ super sweet box truck. It was a good weekend.
Although this isn’t technically a “green” issue I couldn’t help but thinking that causes like these wont be able to exist if we don’t get our act together with energy. A wider circle collects and dispenses furniture seven days a week and uses multiple trucks daily for pick up and drop off.
I know this isn’t necessarily a “green” topic of discussion, but I couldn’t help wondering while driving a 16′ box truck that causes like these will have to be put on hold if the transition away from fossil fuels isn’t as smooth as it could be.
Maybe high gas prices aren’t as awesome as I thought.
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August 5th, 2008 at 7:09 am
I recently came accross your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I dont know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog.
Tim Ramsey
August 11th, 2008 at 2:30 pm
Hey, think of it this way.
Your collection, salvage, and reuse offset the creation of more landfill with that furniture by putting it to good beneficial use.
A few gallons of diesel is OK for that.
We’ll never be totally rid of it, just need to reduce it and use it better.
BTW, social issues are definitey green issues. The poorest people often time create (inadvertently) localized environmental impact due to their inability to “lead a decent life”. Being repressed forces people to the least common denominator, and they’re not motivated to do anything… especially, it seems, to cultivate greenscape.