America honors recycling in November. You can be part of the celebration by committing to or renewing your commitment to recycle all you can.

Did you know that recycling is one of the easiest ways to reduce global warming? In support of America Recycles Day on Nov. 15, the Monroe County Solid Waste Management District (District) urges you to find out what's in your trash bag and recycle.

The U.S Environmental Protection Agency reports, "Recycling just 35 percent of our trash would reduce global warming emissions, equivalent to taking 39 million cars off the road and anywhere from 75 percent or more of our trash can be recycled."

The National Recycling Coalition states, "Nationally, recycling saves the equivalent of more than 5 billion gallons of gas, reducing the dependence on foreign oil by 114 million barrels." It reduces pollution, saves energy, and conserves resources.

The first CAFO supporter is in.

The e-mail came on a Monday. No name was attached, just an address and the initials DP. "We all love our technology," DP wrote, "TV's, Computers, I-pod's. I don't believe consumers will pay for a 1975 production system."

I'd like to start by saying I don't own an iPod.

All joking aside, although I really don't own an iPod, I'd like to make it clearer where I stand on CAFOs, considering I knew little about them until about a month-and-a-half ago. Based on the information I've learned in that time, the call here is not to eradicate factory farms, as CAFO’s are also called, though in a perfect world, we'd give farming back to the farmers.

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The e-mails are pouring into my inbox. "Your articles and videos are excellent," "thank you for letting people know what is going on," I read. It's great to revel in the support from people who understand just what kind of wreckless establishment CAFOs are. And while the support is welcomed, I wonder where the other side is.

If CAFOs are allowed to be built without setbacks and to operate with effectively no regulation, there must be support for it. And I expected, somewhat, to hear from those people.

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Read more Amber blogs
Read more 'Indiana Environment Revisited'

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If the feedback we've received is an accurate reflection of how people statewide or nationwide feel about CAFOs, citizens want permits for CAFOs to be granted under the strictest of conditions and run with the highest standards of health and safety. Otherwise, Indiana's public-private CAFO alliance is a complete and deviant local assault.

One of two things are happening. Either CAFO supporters aren't threatened enough to defend their position or the majority of people in both rural and urban Indiana don't know about the problem. Of those who do, the sentiments are the same -- they are thrilled to have a media entity care.