Polk County Enterprise (Livingston, Tex.), Vol. 126, No. 74, Ed. 1 Sunday, September 7, 2008 Page: 37 of 44
forty four pages : ill. ; page 22 x 14 in. Digitized from 35 mm. microfilm.View a full description of this newspaper.
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One Brita water filter can effectively replace as much water as 300 bottles'.
So you can get great-tasting water without so much waste. Talk about refreshing
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Learn more at fifterforgood.com
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The “Water Goat” catches and collects
debris before it enters a lake.
americanprofile.com • Page 9
"I’m no scientist and no biologist, but 1 know Styrofoam cups
and plastic bags don't belong in the water," Maksimowicz says.
The Green Armada grew, and after more than 700
volunteers bagged 9 tons of garbage in two and half hours in
Clam Bayou, Fla., in 2007, local media declared the endeavor
the largest Southern coastal cleanup operation ever.
But the job took a physical toll on Maksimowicz, who
developed skin cancer, respiratory problems and lost 30
pounds. Besides, he realized "we couldn't put a dent in the
problem even if we went out every day. You have to catch the
trash before it gets there."
Splitting off from the Green Armada, he went to work
full-time with his wife Sheron, a lawyer and former Green
Armada volunteer, for his new organization, New Earth
Industries. Maksimowicz's dream is to eventually sell make-
your-own trash-catching devices, which he calls Water Goats,
around the country, but now he's content to strategically
place them locally with help from corporate sponsors who
want to protect the environment, and homeowners who want
to clean up their neighborhoods.
Tracey Herman, who lives near Crescent Lake in St.
Petersburg, is a perfect example of how one person can
make a difference. “I would walk by this lake and always
see garbage,” she says. “It broke my heart one day to see a
dirty sock wrapped around an Anhinga's beak. I knew the
bird would starve and die, and 1 couldn't do a thing about
it." Herman now takes responsibility for emptying her
community’s Water Goat litter.
“Mark’s ingenuity, a combination of environmental vision and
technological solutions that make sense, will drive the green
movement forward," St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Baker says.
“Would you ever think of throwing trash into your bath
water before you step into it-'" Maksimowicz asks. “Well,
that’s what we re doing—6 million of us throwing trash into
the bath water.
“Just take a few minutes a day to pick up a little trash," he
adds. "You’ll find it rewarding, relaxing, and you'll be giving
a gift to your friends and neighbors downstream.”
Story by Cynthia Elyce Rubin of Orlando. Fla.
Click on this story at americanprofile.com to find out
how you can contact New Earth Industries.
imowicz
rention nationwide.
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invention
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Reddell, Valerie. Polk County Enterprise (Livingston, Tex.), Vol. 126, No. 74, Ed. 1 Sunday, September 7, 2008, newspaper, September 7, 2008; Livingston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth658238/m1/37/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Livingston Municipal Library.