Environmentality’s Newest Addition

Environmentality’s Newest Addition
Tony Caggiano

While leaving Disney’s Animal Kingdom last week I stumbled across something I found very interesting, it was a trash receptacle. Now, I know many, if not all of you, have met the very popular talking trash can, PUSH, in Magic Kingdom’s Tomorrowland or his less known cousin, PIPA, who is a walking, talking recycling can over in Disney’s Animal Kingdom. However, this can neither walked nor talked, but it did cause me to stop in my tracks to take a closer look. The can I am speaking of is nothing more than a recycling can, specifically designed to collect used park maps.

I know what you are thinking, “We knew this guys was nuts, but this might take the cake!” At least, that is what I was thinking to myself. I’m not going to lie to you, I was getting some funny looks as I stood there photographing a garbage pail. The best look of the bunch was the one I got from a passerby as I turned to my wife and exclaimed, “How awesome is this,”…quite loudly!

In this day of recycling and the green movement, I thought it was great to see Disney taking steps to reclaim and recycle these maps that I love so much. Even after all of these years, I still grab a map as soon as I enter a park, a habit that has rubbed off on both of my sons, who MUST have a map as soon as they arrive also. Admittedly, I usually wind up taking my maps with me, as well as an additional copy or two to save, (I have maps from every visit I have ever taken), but I know this isn’t the case with everyone.

With tens of thousands of visitors, and nearly that many maps consumed, in each of the four parks everyday, it was nice to see that these beautiful, complimentary, and often unappreciated, works of art which I enjoy so much, were not all headed to a landfill somewhere.