Reduce, Reuse, Recycle?

I remember as a child watching this really awesome Earth Day special on television with Robin Williams and Neil Patrick Harris (Doogie Howser, M.D.). Mother Earth (who I think was played by the mom on "Married with Children") was really sick - in the hospital actually. The show focused on all the things we can do to help Mother Earth recover. Well, that had to have been ten years ago, and sadly I haven't seen another special like that. What's worse is that the planet seems sicker than ever. So I really wonder if "reduce, reuse, recycle" is going to go down as just another doomed (though great) slogan.

Everyone can reduce and reuse things, but I wonder more and more about the availability of recycling opportunities. It seems like plenty of items are recyclable, but are people actually able to recycle them? I've lived several places in the past few years, and I have yet to find a recycling center that accepts everything that's recyclable. There was a good facility in Auburn, AL - but as plastics go it still only took #1 and #2. Why not the rest? I dropped some plastics off in Birmingham one time, but the facility still didn't accept many items. Even in large cities like New York and Chicago I've witnessed recycling discrimination - or even heard stories of recyclables ending up in the same place as trash. In many rural areas recycling is still almost an alien concept.

So what is a church that wants to be green to do if it exists in an area with few to no recycling opportunities? Should churches try and start their own programs? Should church members pressure local governments to put programs in place and offer the churches as places where people can learn more about recycling? I would love to hear input from anyone who has dealt with this issue as it relates to the church. I'm hoping there are some creative success stories that can teach us all.