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Here's your chance to go green
Keep Liberty beautiful
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Liberty County residents have several opportunities this week to go green and do something good for the environment.
There are still a few trees available for our community tree planting celebration in honor of Arbor Day on Feb. 20. To participate in this event, call Keep Liberty Beautiful at 368-4888 to reserve a tree and a time on our tree-planting calendar. Businesses, agencies, churches and organizations are invited to take part. We have several types of trees to choose from while supplies last, including yellow poplar, dogwoods, shumard oak and white oak. All trees are at least two years old.
We’ll provide planting and maintenance information for taking care of your trees. This is a great way to make a long-term difference in our community. I hope you will take advantage of this opportunity to increase the greenery in Liberty County.
KLCB also is holding a Recycle It! Fair around the county from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 21.
With the help of local volunteer fire departments, there will be drop-off sites at the old hospital in Hinesville on Highway 84 and throughout the county at each volunteer fire department. KLCB appreciates the hardworking firefighters who are helping with this effort. Thank you to all of you for being so community-minded.
We will be accepting a variety of items at the Recycle It! Fair, including:
• Televisions
• Electronics: computers, stereos and accessories
• Cell phones and accessories
• Printer ink cartridges
• Household batteries
• Old fluorescent lights
• Telephone books
• Clothing and other household items (in good condition)
• Car batteries
• Household paint (must be in clean, non-rusted cans or we cannot accept it)
• Automotive fluids (we can only accept these at the Hinesville site on Highway 84)
Recycling saves limited landfill space and also reduces the natural resources needed for new products. Often, the production process for new items from recycled materials saves times, money and energy. The above listed items are some of the worst offenders in leaching toxins in landfills, so make the effort to recycle them.
Best Buy will sponsor another area opportunity for recycling televisions and other electronics. Starting today, consumers can bring up to two units per day, per household, for recycling at any U.S. Best Buy store. The company will accept most consumer electronics, including televisions and monitors up to 32 inches wide, computer CPUs and notebooks, small electronics, VCR and DVD players, phones, and accessories such as keyboards, mouses and remotes.
A $10 recycling fee per unit will be charged for items with screens. Consumers will receive a $10 Best Buy gift card in exchange for the recycling fee.
The following items will not be accepted during Best Buy’s recycling event:
• Television or monitor screens wider than 32 inches.
• Console televisions
• Items containing freon, including air conditioners, dehumidifiers and mini-refrigerators.
• Microwaves, appliances.
Think green this week and make the effort to improve our community by taking advantage of these eco-friendly opportunities.

Upcoming Keep Liberty Beautiful events:
• Thank you for all the entries for the live oak photo competition and exhibition. The winners will be announced on Arbor Day, Feb. 20.
• Feb. 21, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.: Live oak tour and photo exhibit at Melon Bluff.
• Feb. 16-20, community tree planting. Sign up your business, group or agency to help plant trees in celebration of Georgia Arbor Day. Trees can be planted in honor or in memory of someone special. To reserve your tree(s), call 368-4888 or 368-4445.
• Feb. 21: Recycle it! Fair for recycling household hazardous items.

Swida is the executive director of Keep Liberty County Beautiful. For more information, contact her at 368-4888 or klcb@libertycountyga.com.
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Visit with children a real eye-opener
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One of my favorite activities as a state senator is when I get to speak to students at our local schools. This year, I spoke to third-grade students at May Howard Elementary and Marshpoint Elementary in Chatham County and Button Gwinnett Elementary in Liberty County.
The students from each of the schools had been studying civics and were familiar with the three branches of government — executive, judicial and legislative. I explained my role as a senator in the legislative process and told the children how the citizen legislature in the state of Georgia works.
Presenting each of the schools with a Georgia state flag, I explained the three principles for which the state flag stands — wisdom, justice and moderation — and had them recite the pledge to the flag with me. 
The students at all three schools were bright, respectful and well-disciplined — a tribute to their families and especially to their teachers, who had prepared the students for my visit with ideas for great questions.
The students in Ms. Hutchinson’s class at Marshpoint Elementary were impressive in singing the preamble to the Constitution during my visit. What a great way to learn such an important part of our nation’s history — another wonderful example of the great job our teachers are doing.
I was delighted last week to receive thank-you letters from some of the students. Here are excerpts from a few of their letters:
 
Dear Mr. Carter,
Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to come speak to us. I learned so much! I learned that there are two kinds of Pledge of Allegiances. That is pretty cool.
Do you travel all over the world do you? I really like that you taught me more about the three branches of government.
— Megan
 
Dear Sen. Carter,
Thank you for telling us about your job and your favorite thing about your job. I liked the Georgia state flag. I still have more questions. Do you have to work on Saturday and Sunday? Are you the only one who makes the laws?
Yours truly,
Ryleigh 


Dear Sen. Buddy Carter,
Thank you for coming and letting us have a little bit of your time. I want you to know that I learned something new. The Georgia pledge! Justice, wisdom and modesty! Thanks again!
— Liam
 
Dear Sen. Buddy Carter,
Thank you for coming and helping us learn more about the government and some of your job. Thank you for giving us a Georgia flag. It was fun when you came. Thank you for giving us some questions so we could answer them.
P.S. Did you ride in a limousine? I was going to ask you a question but then I forgot. But now I remember. How many rooms are there where you work? You can send me a note if you can.
Your friend,
Erin
 
I’m uncertain whether the students learned as much from me during my visit as I learned from them. One thing that I was reminded of was the honesty that comes from the innocence of childhood. I wasn’t quite sure how to interpret some of the questions, such as the one asked in this letter:
 
Dear Sen. Carter,
I loved your speech. Thanks for coming to our school. I think my favorite part was when we held the flag. It was so fun! I have a question: How many people voted for you?
Sincerely,
Shelly
 
I also was more than a little concerned about a recurring question in the thank-you notes that was posed to me during one of my visits by a beautiful, brown-eyed girl who, with a very serious look on her face, asked “Did you ever get re-elected be-fore?”


What a great group of young people! My faith and hope in our future has been reassured. What an amazing job our families and teachers are doing on a daily basis to support and encourage our next generation. Thank you for your dedication to teaching our leaders of tomor-row.

Sen. Buddy Carter can be reached at Coverdell Legislative Office Building (C.L.O.B.) Room 301-A, Atlanta, GA, 30334. His Capitol office number is 404-656-5109

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