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Book Report On The Book ' Club ' And ' Don 't Waste Utah '

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Introduction As a kid, I grew up down the street from a guy we called Max. Max was pretty normal; he had a wife, a few kids, and occasionally sang “Proud to be an American” at Boy Scout functions. Max was also in commercials. He was the guy in the “Don’t Waste Utah” campaign. Max drove a cool car, had a cool dog, and he hated littering. Garbage is for a garbage can; putting it anywhere else is bad for the planet. Don’t. Waste. Utah. Seeing as how I believe in proper environmental stewardship, I read Gone Tomorrow for this month’s book club. It is a thought provoking book about a subject that many people choose not to lose sleep over: garbage. We all make it, and we all throw it out. Garbage is something that gives meaning to the phrase “out of sight, out of mind.” As soon as the garbage man comes at his regularly scheduled time, our trash is whisked away to be properly disposed of. As long as we put garbage in the trash can and not on the side of the street, we’re doing the right thing (and consequently not wasting Utah). Incidentally, there are those of us who sometimes wonder if there is something inherently wrong with our quick and “proper” disposal of discards. I, myself, have felt the occasional pang of guilt when I drop something in the trash can. I recycle; isn’t that enough? Gone Tomorrow explores this question, and it sheds a dirty light on the reality of our disappearing garbage trick. Sanitation and Disease In the beginning trash was more

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