Rob Ferrett and Gene Purcell explore when lecturing is a good idea and when it’s not. Then, they look back at the big Wisconsin court cases in 2013, find out what happens to all of our holiday trash, and talk to an author about his muse — Mount Horeb trolls.
Featured in this Show
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Reporter Says Reduce, Reuse And Recycle Key Around Holidays
Once all the gifts are unwrapped, the big holiday meals are eaten and the festive cocktails drunk, the only thing left is the trash.
Serena Ng, a reporter for the Wall Street Journal, said Americans create 25 percent more waste at the end of the year around the holdaiys. This extra waste puts a butden on sanitation workers and on recycling plants.
Ng said many people don’t realize the packaging from their online purchases is recyclable. Or, she said, people put their empty packages in the recycling bin without sorting any of the materials.
One particular packing material — the light, plastic “peanut” — often isn’t recycled at all. The reporter said companies need to collect large numbers of the peanuts before they can make any money on them, so recycling plants often throw them out.
She is optimistic about future trash levels though. Ng said she thinks online stores are starting to use fewer materials, for example, a book that would have shipped in a big box in the past is now being shipped in a package just slightly bigger than the book. She also hopes more people will become aware of how much trash they’re creating this time of the year.
She emphasized that consumers really try to reduce, reuse and recycle over the holiday season. Reduce the amount of packaging a person receives in the mail by buying lots of items from one retailer in a big order that will ship together instead of buying one item at a time. She suggested reusing materials and unwanted items as much as possible. If someone gets a new vacuum cleaner, donate the old one to the Goodwill or another organization instead of throwing it out. A person can also reuse some wrapping paper or bows.
Recycling materials as much as possible so people can start the new year with a clean conscience.
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Lecture When It Works, Don't Lecture When It Doesn't
There’s an ongoing debate over the merits of the lecture in higher education. A professor says that debate is missing the point…and says lecture when it makes sense, and don’t lecture when it doesn’t.
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Wisconsin's Biggest Legal Stories in 2013
From Act 10 to abortion laws, Wisconsin courts dealt with some high-profile cases in 2013. WPR’s court reporter rounds up some of the top legal stories of the year, and what they mean for the future.
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Year's End Is Peak Trash Season
Now that everyone has unwrapped their gifts, what will happen to all of that packaging and paper? A reporter explains why the end of the year is peak trash season and what the sanitation industry does to handle it.
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Wisconsin Life: Mount Horeb Trolls
An author explains how the trolls all over Mount Horeb inspire his writing.
Episode Credits
- Rob Ferrett Host
- Amanda Magnus Producer
- Chris Malina Producer
- Serena Ng Guest
- Paul T. Corrigan Guest
- Gilman Halsted Guest
- Alex Bledsoe Guest
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