just about 75% of the waste we toss away in our households is recyclable but only about 30% is actually recycled, according to epa estimates. i strongly feel that the u.s. could solve this issue if we had more citizens open to learning and teaching others how to recycle. i received my education from my good friend gardyney deshommes, a senior government, law, and national security major at misericordia university. while gardyney is no expert, she has managed to change the minds of many with her steady encouragement towards baby steps. living on campus has made it much easier to watch gardyney practice her recycling magic. i have seen her travel to recycling bins throughout the years on campus and, without a thought, correct the mistakes of strangers. that act alone made me interested as to why she cared so much and it made me question her knowledge enough to want to do something to help. it was her light-hearted and unforced approach that encouraged me to create this video.