A VOICE FROM THE FACULTY
The positive effects of single-stream
ANN QUINN
/(’( f uit‘t in
There is not one person on
the green planet who wants to
spend excessive time with recy
clables. Single-stream recy
cling is making it easier than
ever to do your part to help the
environment.
The Greener Behrend Club at
Behrend collected data over the
month of Feb. 2010 to see if sig
nage coupled with encourage
ment given from RAs increased
recycling rates on campus. The
club made signs, bulletin
boards and updated stickers for
recyclable containers.
Behrend has recycling col
lected by Waste Management
(WM). WM began a single
stream collection process
which currently comprises 30
percent of their recycling facil
ities across the United States.
WM Recycle America is fo
cused on making it easier for
people to recycle - whether at
home or at work. In 2001, WM
became the first major solid
waste company to focus on res
idential single-stream recy
cling, which allows customers
mins
FUELING
'«CAN
DOPE WAPS?
Kr U g man slams Krugman?
ED MISETA
/<■< lun'i in i‘i i >ni>mii ■.
Everyone has their opinions
and the right to voice them.
That is probably one of the
greatest things America has
going for it.
The president can say he fa
vors government-run health
care. I can say the president is
acting like a socialist, and
someone else can tell me to
shut up. We are free to speak
our minds, something that mil
lions of people around the
globe cannot.
I enjoy reading all view
points, including the ones with
which I vehemently disagree.
The funny thing is that the
person whose views I find my
self constantly at odds with is a
fellow economist.
I am speaking about New
York Times columnist Paul
Krugman. Economists have al
ways had disagreements on
policy issues.
All economists will agree that
an increase in demand will
cause prices to rise, and that
countries specializing in what
they do best will make us better
off.
I may believe consumers
should determine demand and
that we should trade more,
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to mix recyclable paper, plastic
1 through 6 and glass in one
bin. Residential single-stream
programs have greatly in
creased the recycling rates, re
covering as much as three
times the amount of recyclable
materials.
Single-stream recycling is
made possible through the use
of various mechanized screens
and optical sorting technolo
gies. The issue at Behrend was
that, although the program was
in place, the recycle bins still
told students, faculty and staff
Before Single-Stream After Single-Stream
Lawrence Hall:
124.2 lbs of Trash
68.2 lbs of Recycling
Niagra Hall:
70.4 lbs of Trash
71.2 lbs of Recycling
while Economist B might be
lieve the government should
step in to change demand and
that we should not trade with
countries that have a lower
standard of living than us, even
if it makes us better off.
Despite these differences, I
sometimes will read articles by
Krugman and wonder on what
economic planet he was born.
Krugman apparently does
not like what is currently going
on in Washington, D.C. He
states in a recent New York
Times column that there is an
“incredible gap that has opened
up between the parties."
He feels Democrats and Re
publicans now live in different
universes. He states, however,
that “what Democrats believe is
what textbook economics says."
I suppose that means Repub
lican economic beliefs go
against textbook economics.
To put this in context, he was
discussing Republican Jim
Bunning’s blocking of a bill to
extend unemployment benefits
to unemployed Americans.
But is this true? Many would
beg to differ. As reported by
Opinionjournal.com, when de
fending Bunning’s position, Fel
low Sen. Jon Kyi (R-Ariz.) said
unemployment relief "doesn't
create new jobs.
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to separate materials.
One of the goals of The
Greener Behrend Club was to
inform everyone on campus
that it has been easier than ever
to do the right thing. If you
haven’t noticed the Captain
Planet Campaign urging you to
recycle, just look for the
posters. Also there will be new
signs placed on the recycle bins
reminding everyone that we
have single-stream recycling.
Your empty soda can go in
the same bin with your newspa
per and your old notes. Even
Lawrence Hall
63.6 lbs of Trash
135.6 lbs of Recycling
Niagra Hall:
78.6 lbs of Trash
103.8 lbs of Recylcing
“In fact, if anything, continu
ing to pay people unemploy
ment compensation is a
disincentive for them to seek
new work."
"To me, that's a bizarre point
of view," wrote Krugman, "but
then, I don't live in Mr. Kyi's uni
verse." Apparently he also does
n’t live in the real world.
In my former job at Corry
Publishing, I once interviewed
an executive who was lament
ing unemployment benefits.
This was right after the 2001 re
cession. His company was
growing and needed to hire
more employees.
Unfortunately, the govern
ment kept extending unem
ployment benefits, giving
Americans an incentive to con
tinue to stay home and collect
rather than return to work.
“I have spoken with individu
als who are enjoying their time
off and are simply not ready to
go back to work,” he said. “The
government is making it harder
for us to hire the employees we
need.”
Perhaps Krugman’s problem
is that he has spent his entire
career behind a lectern and not
in a corporate board room. But
more to the point, what exactly
does textbook economics have
to say about this question?
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the staples and paperclips can
go in.
The results of the study at
two similar college dorms went
very well. The comparison took
place between Niagara Hall
and Lawrence Hall.
During the week of Feb. 8-12
Greener Behrend Students led
by Emily Glacken collected and
weighed trash versus recycled
materials.
The week of Feb. 15-19, the
signs and bulletin boards went
up. In addition the RAs told to
the students about single
stream recycling.
Lastly, during the week of
Feb. 22 - 26, trash versus recy
clables were again weighed and
measured.
The results (see table) were
remarkable.
Single-stream is working
well at Behrend. It makes it eas
ier for everyone to recycle and
make our campus even greener.
If you have any suggestions
to improve these efforts, please
visit the Greener Behrend web
site at http://www.greencam
pus.psu.edu and contact us.
Opinionjournal found the fol
lowing passage in a textbook ti
tled Macroeconomics:” Public
policy designed to help workers
who lose their jobs can lead to
structural unemployment as an
unintended side effect.
“In other countries, particu
larly in Europe, benefits are
more generous and last longer.
The draw back to this generos
ity is that it reduces a worker's
incentive to quickly find a new
job.”
Hmmm... is it just me, or
does that sound an awful lot
like the bizarre, other-worldly
Republican point of view? This
seems to completely contradict
the Krugman point of view.
Now I know what you’re
thinking: This might be an ex
ample of economists disagree
ing on a policy issue. Except, as
it turns out, it is Krugman dis
agreeing with Krugman on a
policy issue.
The authors of the book cited
by Opinionjournal are Paul
Krugman and Robin Wells (aka
Mrs. Paul Krugman). This then
makes you wonder if Krugman
is an economist trying to edu
cate his readers, or a political
hack just trying to score points
for his big government point
of-view.
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rstsos4@psu.edu
MY VOICE
The side effects of
social networking
Facebook, Twitter, MySpace
and Formspring. All of these
things have one thing in com
mon. They are all social net
working sites. As if you didn’t
already know!
Parents wonder, "What’s all
the hype?” Professors ask
“Why are grades plummeting?”
But us, the social networking
generation, love it
Sitting in class
KAMILLE WATSON
To be featured in next weeks
-Letters to the Editor
MY VOICE
Need money fast?
Follow my guide!
sj
<D>
As college students, we need
a way to earn some cash. After
tuition, food, and other ex
penses, we're left to be so poor
that we’re begging homeless
people for some spare change.
nSY
BO
§Z
v —I
§»
a c
What if I told you there was a
way to change that 9 What if, by
some chance, we could actually
walk out of Penn State Behrend
with more than a SIOO.OOO bill
to our names? As Barack
Obama would say, "yes we
can!"
Step 1: Play the lottery.
Everyone knows that the
odds for w'inr ’ *he f
are excellent,
not so much,
said, someboi
win the thing.
you? Go to y
store and i
what you ha'
in lottery tick-
ets. Thats2oo
million jack
pot would
look awfully
nice in your
count
wouldn’t it?
Step 2
Pa rt i c i
pate in clinical
studies
Why not be
come a human guinea pig? Sci
entists need a tester for a new
shampoo? Volunteer! Someone
needs to test a new vaccine?
Volunteer! Psychologists want
to see the impact of a person
living with a tribe of cannibalis
tic savages? Volunteer! Sure,
you might miss out on a few
limbs, but you’ll have the
money, and that’s all that mat
ters!
Step 3: Sell your body parts
You only need one kidney to
survive, right? Those sell for a
couple thousand dollars on the
black market. And as a plus for
Single copies of the Beacon are tree and available at newsstands around campus. Additional copies can be pur
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Opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of all students, faculty or University administration Opin
ions expressed in columns, cartoons, and letters are not necessarily those of The Behrend Beacon unless otherwise
indicated.
Behrend Beacon
March 19, 2010
www.thebehrendbeacon.com
W,!// n riU 1 '
Send a 350 word email to
opinion@psu.edu
BRANDON BOYD
s rmni wiitvr
All profile photos taken by Daniel Smith / Behrend Beacon
iditorial Poli
photo tags and comments,
anonymous questions being
asked about our lives, so and
so’s relationship status change,
and the argument going on
about who loves Chris Brown
more over Twitter.
“When will it stop?” you may
ask. “Never!” would be our re
sponse, if we had anything to
do with it.
Social networking sites have
become an everyday thing for
us, and they are definitely a
hard habit to beat.
Tweeting, following, poking,
and all of that stuff that is just
so easy to love, who could just
call it quits?
Games, notes, up all night let
ting the outside world in with
questions like “What’s on your
mind?” Who wouldn’t love this?
These sites allow us to ex
press our individuality while
still following the crowd, ironic
to some, hypocritical to others.
To us it’s the way of life, the
norm, the thing to do when all
other responsibilities are not as
fun.
Social networking sites have
become the everyday, all night,
should be doing but instead I’m
messaging, poking, tweeting,
tagging, and requesting, way of
life for our generation.
Personally, I see no problem
with that.
the ladies, you’re sure to lose a
few pounds from getting rid of
that kidney!
I know for sure that you don’t
need your appendix. Sure, no
one else technically needs one
either, but I’m certain someone
will shell out a few dollars for
it.
If you're willing to sacrifice
an eye, arm, or leg for the glo
rious green paper, have at it!
I’m sure there’s a market for
those, too.
Step 4: Beg on the streets.
I've heard stories of people
aki bookoo bucks by put
the crappiest
ley could find,
de dirt, rub it on
:e, and say you
: ord to shower.
Make a sign
ill draw people
ears are a plus,
re funny signs
“I'm like
1 want
Step 5: Al
ays help Niger
in Princesses.
Now this, my
friends, is the
holy grail of
making money.
This gives you the
opportunity to be
like Mario and save the
princess.
It’s simple: help a wealthy
foreigner move millions of dol
lars from their homeland, and
you get a cut of it. If they ask
for your credit card number
and Social Security number,
don’t hesitate to give them it.
After all, some of them are doc
tors. Who would doubt a doc
tor?
If you don’t want to follow
through with these steps,
there’s only one option: get a
job. Just kidding. We all know
that isn’t an option.