The South Bronx is one of the poorest and most polluted places in America, with smog-choked freeways and smelly wastewater treatment plants.
“We’re a dumping ground,” Omar explains. “All the garbage from the rest of New York City ends up here.”
But Omar started looking at garbage in a different way. “A lot of what people throw away is perfectly good,” he says. “Just look at that stuff from construction sites—doors, sinks, toilets, People will buy those things. It’s only called garbage because somebody threw it away.” Omar was just out of college and working for an environmental group called Sustainable South Bronx when he started considering how to get this “good garbage” to people who could use it. Instead of destroying old things, why not clean them up and resell them? Why not hire people in the community to do the work? Better yet, why not make this business a “cooperative,” which means the people working in the business own it and share the profits?
Out of this, Omar started the first cooperative in the country devoted to reusing construction waste. To start his business, Omar put up advertisements along the trash-filled neighborhood streets, looking for people to work with him. He soon found four other devoted workers. They rented a warehouse and started looking for donations of used materials.
In April 2008, Omar’s cooperative, Re Builders Source, opened its business and began selling construction supplies to neighborhood builders and home owners. With the help of city officials, he also began planning a new training program to help local residents learn the skills to get good jobs that help the environment and even start their own cooperatives. Workers were trained to carefully take buildings apart so that things like doors and windows can be reused instead of being sent off to a landfill. Deconstructing buildings this way could be a huge industry with many good jobs for people who need them.
“If you have a use for something, “Omar says, “it’s no longer waste.”
【小题1】Why is the South Bronx mentioned in the first paragraph?| A．To lead in the topic of the article. |
| B．To serve as the background information. |
| C．To contrast with the other districts. |
| D．To introduce a famous place. |
| A．To provide jobs for local people. |
| B．To deal with dumped rubbish. |
| C．To promote harmony among neighbors. |
| D．To make money from garbage. |
| A．Selfish and realistic. | B．Creative and business-minded. |
| C．Practical and self-focused. | D．Devoted and iron-hearted. |
| A．Knowledge starts with practice. | B．One good turn deserves another. |
| C．Four eyes see more than two. | D．Kill two birds with one stone. |
