Dear Reader:
Best of Chicago voting is live now. Vote for your favorites »
Do we tell them that their contributions help CBE promote recycling? Yes, we do. For instance, our canvassers are proud to tell people that their donations enabled CBE to write and then work to pass Illinois’ Solid Waste Planning and Recycling Act, which has helped countless communities throughout the state fund the start-up of their curbside collection programs. They also tell city residents about the problems with Chicago’s blue bag program (though most already know that it’s a dismal failure). Ironically, our canvassers even encourage people to contact Dunn to see if his Resource Center can set up an alternate collection program that provides a real alternative to the “sham” recycling that’s inherent in blue bag.
We would agree with Ken that anyone who is uncomfortable giving at the door–or through phone solicitation–should contribute directly to the organizations they support. At the same time, anyone who wants information about CBE’s finances, including our fund-raising, can get it. That information will show for every dollar CBE raises, Ken Dunn’s recommended 75 percent–and more–goes into the programmatic work of the organization. Our canvass staff is an important part of that work because they help educate local residents about current and important environmental problems on which we’re working. Their mission is to spread the word and not just fund-raise–a job that all of us take very seriously.
