Neighbor Spotlight
My name is Julie Akstulewicz. I grew up in Oklahoma, where much of my family still resides. My father was a Boy Scout leader for years, where I gained much of my respect for nature and the firm belief in leaving things better than how you found them.
As I learn about our planet and all the changes it’s going through, I begin to realize all the things I can do to counterbalance my contribution to further polluting it. I’ve been recycling for years, well before they had curbside pick-up. With a simple multi-drawer storage bin from a local hardware store, I can sort my recyclables – paper, plastic, glass, and metal. And there are recycling drop-off sites throughout Knoxville and closeto Scripps. We actually only put our trash can out once every other month, since so much goes into the recycling bin.
Last year, I participated in Keep Knoxville Beautiful’s recycling drive at Sundown, literally digging through the trash cans in Market Square to retrieve the recyclables. Keep Knoxville Beautiful is an affiliate of Keep America Beautiful, the nation’s largest volunteer-based community action and education organization.
I try to turn lights off on my way out of the building every night, I made sure our graphic designers had recycling cans under their desks, and asked for a local green car service company to be used for Scripps and got it – Green Car & Courier.
In short, I try to be as earth-minded as I can, and try to help others be conscious of simple things they can do slow our contribution to the landfills. Make life… earth conscious! Start at home.
