[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 223 (Friday, November 18, 2011)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 71863-71864]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-30068]



[[Page 71861]]

Vol. 76

Friday,

No. 223

November 18, 2011

Part VII





The President





-----------------------------------------------------------------------



Proclamation 8754--America Recycles Day, 2011
 
 
                         Presidential Documents 
 
 

  Federal Register / Vol. 76 , No. 223 / Friday, November 18, 2011 / 
Presidential Documents  

 ___________________________________________________________________

 Title 3--
 The President

[[Page 71863]]

                Proclamation 8754 of November 15, 2011

                
America Recycles Day, 2011

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                As Americans, we have a responsibility to ensure future 
                generations benefit from an abundance of natural 
                resources and a healthy planet. To meet this 
                obligation, we must take steps to consume carefully, 
                recycle a wide variety of products and materials, and 
                reuse whenever possible. On America Recycles Day, we 
                celebrate the commitment of individuals across our 
                country to live sustainably, and we rededicate 
                ourselves to thoughtful resource management at home and 
                in the workplace.

                For decades, American families have advanced the common 
                good of our Nation by recycling regularly and promoting 
                conservation. During the First and Second World Wars, 
                families participated in scrap drives, gathering cloth, 
                paper, and metals for reuse in manufacturing that 
                helped fuel our military and our economic growth. Since 
                then, we have bolstered recycling programs through 
                individual action, community engagement, and national 
                initiatives, and we have broadened our efforts to 
                include a vast array of pioneering industrial processes 
                that will drive our clean economy and create green 
                jobs. These advances cut waste, preserve our natural 
                bounty, and spur the robust and sustainable economic 
                growth that will carry us through this century and into 
                the next.

                To meet the economic and environmental challenges that 
                confront our country today, we must update and expand 
                existing recycling programs and dedicate ourselves to 
                devising new strategies to accommodate emerging 
                technologies. Our Nation generates over two million 
                tons of used electronics annually, and without 
                following proper recycling and management practices, 
                the disposal of our old computers, monitors, and cell 
                phones can release toxic materials into our 
                environment, endanger human health, and prevent the 
                recovery and reuse of valuable resources. For the well-
                being of our people and our planet, we must consider 
                the full lifecycle impacts of our products and strive 
                to manage our resources in a sustainable way.

                To ensure America remains a global leader in developing 
                new, sustainable electronics technologies, my 
                Administration launched the National Strategy for 
                Electronics Stewardship earlier this year. The strategy 
                establishes a framework for responsible electronics 
                design, purchasing, management, and recycling that will 
                accelerate our burgeoning electronics recycling market 
                and create jobs for the future here at home. To lead by 
                example, my Administration is committed to efficient 
                use, reuse, and proper disposal of electronics within 
                the Federal Government, and we are collaborating with 
                certified recycling centers to handle and dispose of 
                used electronics safely and effectively. We are also 
                forging new partnerships with the private sector that 
                will advance electronics recycling across our country. 
                Through collaboration and shared responsibility, we are 
                protecting public health, preserving environmental 
                quality, and laying the foundation for a 21st-century 
                economy.

                America Recycles Day offers us an opportunity to 
                reflect on the remarkable strides we have made in the 
                pursuit of sustainability, and to challenge ourselves 
                to do even more. As we rise to meet this challenge, we 
                fulfill a promise to our children that they will 
                inherit a world more beautiful and prosperous than the 
                one we received.

[[Page 71864]]

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the 
                United States of America, by virtue of the authority 
                vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the 
                United States, do hereby proclaim November 15, 2011, as 
                America Recycles Day. I call upon the people of the 
                United States to observe this day with appropriate 
                programs and activities, and I encourage all Americans 
                to continue their recycling efforts throughout the 
                year.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                fifteenth day of November, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand eleven, and of the Independence of the United 
                States of America the two hundred and thirty-sixth. 
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2011-30068
Filed 11-17-11; 11:15 am]
Billing code 3295-F2-P