Between the Bridges

Between the Bridges in Broad Channel

Posted on September 10, 2015 by Peter Mahon in Arts

It’s Not Easy Being “Green”

Do you have any old electronic equipment laying around that you are looking to get rid of?  A word to the wise – as of January 1^st   this year, it is illegal to include electronic “e-waste” with normal trash and recycling curbside disposal.  If you are caught doing so you are facing a $100 fine for each violation.  That being said, while the city no longer provides curbside pick-up of e-waste there are some 90 locations throughout the city, including Best Buy and Staples stores and the Salvation Army that will accept discarded electronics.  The nearest “e-waste” collection center to our area is the Staples located over at the mall just off the belt Parkway Erskine Street exit.

Of course it is up to you to transport your “e-waste” to one of these authorized disposal centers, either by car or public transportation but make sure to call ahead to the collection center because not all disposal sites accept every brand of e-waste.  To avoid the hassle, anyone out there with any electronic waste they are looking to get rid of should be aware that there will be a “free” e-waste recycling event sponsored by Sen. Joe Addabbo and the Lower East Side Ecology Center this Saturday, September 12^th in the St, Camillus Parking Lot in Rockaway, rain or shine, between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

Now if you will excuse me, I have to go dig through my clutter to find my Commodore 64 computer and Radio Shack TRS-80 Color Computer (affectionately nicknamed “CoCo”), both of which I should have thrown out when they stopped working a couple of decades ago, in order to arrange for their transport to St. Camillus this weekend.

Due diligence requires that, in closing, I also add that if inclement weather intervenes or my EZ Pass goes missing, I may cross over to the “dark side” and simply take a hammer to the damn things and throw the pieces in a thick black plastic contractor bag along with the used kitty litter. 

God knows, it’s not easy being green.

During a community memorial service back on September 11, 2013, the below words were spoken by Josette Correa-Tuchio on behalf of the Broad Channel VFW.  Josette’s words still ring true today as we approach the 14^th anniversary of that awful day back in 2001.  

"For all Americans, for all time, the phrase 9-1-1 will evoke a special meaning, a memory of a moment in our history when the world as we knew it changed forever. It is fitting then that every year on September 11th all Americans join together to honor the memory of the more than 3,000 people who perished on that day, those who subsequently died from related causes and our military personnel overseas fighting for our freedom today.  Iit is also fitting that we observe a moment of silence as a tribute to those many lives cut short, and as a symbol of the empty places left behind in the hearts and memories of those of us still living. Americans will be meeting like this every September 11th, I am sure, to refresh our national memory of what we learned that day in 2001 - not only that we have enemies in this world who want to destroy us but also that duty, loyalty, self-sacrifice and love still have meaning."

Broad Channel – why would anyone want to live anywhere else?    

Contactinfo: rtbetweenthebridges@gmail.com