[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 126, 112th Congress, 2nd Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

 
PROCLAMATION 8905--NOV. 15, 2012

Proclamation 8905 of November 15, 2012

America Recycles Day, 2012

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

For 15 years, our country has celebrated America Recycles Day as a time
to focus on conserving valuable materials, keeping our communities
clean, and protecting our environment. Today, we reflect on the progress
we have made toward fulfilling those important goals and rededicate
ourselves to building a more sustainable future.
Each year, recycling puts millions of pounds of valuable materials back
into use. By diverting old products from the landfill to the factory
floor, we take meaningful steps toward a greener economy and help power
an entire industry centered on recycling, reuse, and refurbishing. We
also reduce or avoid the environmental impacts of using virgin
materials.
As many of us prepare to gather with families and friends this
Thanksgiving, America Recycles Day offers a chance to highlight another
resource that is too often taken for granted: food. Though many
Americans lack access to regular, nutritious meals, much of our
country's food goes to waste. To put surplus food to better use, the
Environmental Protection Agency is partnering with businesses and
organizations in the Food Recovery Challenge, which is helping
participants

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support their communities through food donation and protect
their bottom line by reducing waste. By consuming carefully and donating
what we can, each of us can join in that important work. Food banks and
pantries accept wholesome food that meets quality and safety standards,
as do many national and local food recovery programs. Through giving to
those in need, all Americans can lift up their communities while helping
protect the environment we share.
Aldo Leopold once said that conservation is ``a positive exercise of
skill and insight, not merely a negative exercise of abstinence and
caution.'' With that important lesson in mind, let us commemorate
America Recycles Day by taking bold action to preserve our natural
resources, strengthen our economy, and protect the bountiful landscapes
we have been blessed with.
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, 2012, 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 reducing, reusing, and
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 twelve, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-
seventh.
BARACK OBAMA