Morgan Hill is full of opportunities for all people
– young and old – to make a difference. While some jobs are big,
stressful affairs that can become all-consuming full-time jobs,
others are simpler and more of the
”
short and sweet
”
variety.
Morgan Hill is full of opportunities for all people – young and old – to make a difference. While some jobs are big, stressful affairs that can become all-consuming full-time jobs, others are simpler and more of the “short and sweet” variety. I’m writing today to describe one of these easy-to-do opportunities that will give you a little exercise and a lot of satisfaction. I’m talking about marking your local storm drains.
By now, hopefully everyone reading this knows that water entering the storm drain system isn’t treated at all and goes directly into our local creeks and eventually out to the ocean. Our problem is the folks out there who aren’t reading this column. Some of the uninformed masses out there mistakenly think that storm drain water is purified before it is discharged into the environment. We need to mark all of our storm drains as the best way of educating the community.
The best part about this project is that it’s clean and easy. While we used to paint storm drains to mark them, we now use these cool medallions that last longer and are way easier to apply. You simply walk up to the curb, quickly brush off the curbface to create a clean surface, stick the medallion onto the curb, and pound the medallion a few times using a rubber mallet.
The city supplies each volunteer with a kit that includes everything you need including a map, safety vests, brush, medallions and mallet. It’s a great activity for a family to do together in teams of two or three, though it’s perfectly doable as an individual as well. Adult supervision, however, is required in order to remain safe. The best part of this project is the instant gratification you get as you view your marked curbs and know that you’re helping protect our local wildlife.
A storm drain marking event was held Saturday, but it is an ongoing job, so if you’d like to volunteer, call 778-6480.
RecycleBank News
RecycleBank is now active in the community. If you haven’t registered, you’re missing out on an assortment of great rewards that can save you money on a variety of gifts, services, and everyday purchases. As a reminder, here’s how the system works:
- Your recycling cart has a “smart tag” installed in it that enables the recycling truck to record the amount you recycle;
n Your recycling pounds get converted into points and credit your RecycleBank account each time you recycle. All you have to do is bring your recyclables to the curb on your recycling day. For every one pound that you recycle, you earn 2.5 RecycleBank Points.
- You go to RecycleBank.com or call 888-727-2978 to order your rewards (like custom coupons for things you actually buy), which then get mailed to you. In order to view and redeem your points, you must first register with RecycleBank. Visit www.RecycleBank.com or call 1-866-563-0114 to get started.
Eco-Web Pages of the Week: If you are interested in protecting our local creeks, the city’s Clean Creeks website is a good place to start. Go to www.morgan-hill.ca.gov/index.aspx?nid=89 to get basic information and links.
Anthony Eulo is a Program Administrator for the City of Morgan Hill who pounded lots of storm drain markers with his family over the past week. He welcomes your questions, comments, and thoughts and can be reached at 778-6480 or en*****@***********ca.gov.
