Burb's Eye View: Learning how to live greenBurbank Leader: 4.09.2013 by Bryan Mahoney
The white, discarded barrels at the food-processing plant may have looked like junk. To Justin Okin, they were a means to harvest the sky.
Three of the 60-gallon barrels came home with him one day for less than $10; their previous owner was happy to see them go. With a little MacGyver ingenuity, the plastic canisters were hooked up to a homemade rain collection system, ready to eventually feed Okin's backyard garden.
"It's amazing how the plants respond to water saved from your roof," the Burbank resident said. "There's a noticeable difference. They perk up immediately."
Okin is a first-time homeowner whose goal is to never fill the green bin with waste. He says he has trained himself to ask a simple question when he's at the store or working around the home: "How am I affecting the environment?" And as the answers led to "greener" choices, Okin found himself building a sustainable, close-to-zero-waste lifestyle.
He shared this lifestyle with attendees of Burbank's Earth Day party last year, teaching homeowners how to compost and how to recycle more of what goes into a landfill. Okin and his family are part of a growing number of Burbank homeowners who, with guidance from the Burbank Recycle Center, are finding small ways to re-use the excess junk that adds to the landfill every year.
On April 20, the city will present its annual Earth Day event from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Recycle Center, 500 Flower St. It's a combination of eco-festival and educational conference, a day to display what resources are already available that you may not know about. READ MORE !
