Environment & Energy

My rationale for a "NO" no vote is only that we already have so many attention-starved, showboating, bot-like contrarians on DU in the last couple of years, this is one of those hot-button issues that seems to bring out the worst in some DUers.

I, for one, signed up for DU back in 2004, but the expertise back then was so abundant and humbling, I didn't feel I had much to contribute at the time. I continued to lurk in awe for a couple of years. But by 2006, most of the experts had bolted, presumably to other, more suitable and productive forums.

As the respect level devolved at DU, seemingly without much monitoring, I too left in frustration for other forums or venues. I returned in 2016, driven by the Trump election disaster to join the "adults in the room" to assume the sort-of "Den Mother" role to purvey messages that are driven by factual information, unity, encouragement and hope.

Since my rejoin, I have learned to avoid topic threads populated by negativity and confrontation, and have tried very hard to temper my own responses even when I felt like I wanted to knock somebody's block off. And so far so good, I'm still here.

Climate change and global pollution are topics that have recently become near and dear to my heart. And since the China recycling crisis which has yet to be resolved, I have anointed myself the "Queen of Garbage" as I aspire for appointment to the citizen Volunteer Waste Management Advisory Board in our county, which is vastly-neglected and cash-starved but sorely in need of waste reduction/recycle-right community outreach and education. Somebody's got to step in to ignite the correction of all the "wishful recycling" bad habits that are contaminating recycled material hauls which are so dirty and filled with garbage waste that all are going directly into landfills that could have otherwise, been recycled. That SOMEBODY may as well be me. So as I gain my "wings of expertise", I'm feeling there is a lot to be learned from all of you on that journey.

Because we're almost out of time to temper (and maybe reverse) some of the effects of climate change, I would prefer my time here in this topic not be wasted on uninformed, inflamed responses, which deniers seem to have embedded in their DNA. Would I welcome alternative and different points of view? YOU BET! But I also feel like there are enough disruptive deniers and bots on the regular "internets" so I'd rather not burn precious time sparring with them here. Hope that's ok with everyone.

Blessings--KR (Kat Roach)