We believe that every day should be about recycling. It’s one easy action that everyone can do to help our environment. But America Recycles Day, celebrated Nov. 15 this year, is designated to educate and motivate people on recycling.
This year, we encouraged people to take the “recycling pledge” online at www.americarecyclesday.org and share selfies of themselves recycling. There were some hilarious ones at our Recycle It! Fair on Nov. 15 and also in the schools.  
Some of the activities this year, in addition to the Recycle It! Fair, included a series of reading and game-activity programs in the elementary schools provided by Jaime Rearley, media specialist coordinator for the school system.
The book Rearley used as the centerpiece for the programs was “Just a Dream” by Chris Van Allsburg. She presented the programs dressed in her pajamas. The programs and games, which were provided for 1,000 students, were engaging, and the enthusiastic audiences were pretty knowledgeable about recycling.  
We also held a recycling-display competition for school media centers. Liberty Elementary won first prize. Liberty Elementary’s Recycling Committee worked with Mrs. Kristi Craven in the media center to create a winning display, featuring books about recycling and examples of reused crafts. The school received an ecosculpture of a dolphin as a prize for their display.
The media centers at Taylors Creek and Joseph Martin elementary schools received honorable-mention awards for their creative displays that certainly encouraged students to think about recycling. TCE Media Specialist Mary Peacock illustrated how to recycle and had several books on display. Elaine Walker and Kristin Stone at Joseph Martin created an informative book display featuring items that can be recycled.
Another activity this year was participation in a new state education effort called Read for Recycling, sponsored by the Georgia Recycling Coalition. GRC encouraged students from around the state to read at least five books on recycling during the week of America Recycles Day. We had 50 students complete and turn in the “assignment” this year. We appreciate the students and the teachers who participated in this activity.
We also held a drawing of the local participants’ entries, with Kayla Walls winning a Walmart gift card. Lily Pope, the reading teacher with the highest student participation in the reading-log competition, also received a gift card.
Thanks to all the elementary schools and several local family restaurants for sharing our annual America Recycles Day placemats created and designed locally each year by us at Keep Liberty Beautiful and the creative staff at the Liberty County Chamber of  Commerce, Leah Poole and Amanda Scott. The restaurants that share the placemats to their young customers are Applebee’s, Chili’s, McDonald’s, Huddle House, Captain Joe’s and Pizza Peddler.
Recycling is one of those activities we can celebrate all year long no matter what our age, so take the pledge today to recycle where you live and work and play. Don’t forget to check out our website, www.keeplibertybeautiful.org, as well as Facebook to keep up with KLB activities.

Swida is director fo Keep Liberty Beautiful.