Liz Carmon had been living at Louisiana Court in St. Louis Park, Minnesota, for years and the amount of material that went to waste began to bother her. According to the St. Louis Park Patch, Carmon worked with local officials as well as her apartment complex's owners to install a number of recycling bins throughout the building. Carmon even put on a demonstration for residents to show them how easy it can be to become more sustainable.

"There's just so much wasted that can be recycled," Carmon told the news source. "It's really important to have the community involved. This is our beginning."

While city ordinances require apartment buildings to include recycling options throughout the grounds, the recycling rates at Carmon's area had become stagnant. There were many problems contributing to the problem - informational signs were only in English, recycling bins were mistaken for trash cans, and a St. Louis Park trash hauler gave up on the building due to its lack of proper sorting of recyclables.

On this past Saturday, the new recycling bins were unveiled with detailed pictures and instructions, and Carmon and members of the city council put on an informational session to teach people the proper way to dispose of their waste. Carmon remarked that one of the best things to see was how engaged youngsters were with the program, and they would try their hardest to convince their parents to recycle as well.

People like Liz Carmon show how, with a little bit of hard work and perseverance, people can truly make a difference. Her development is now a cleaner and greener place, thanks to someone who took it upon themselves to make a difference.