[Script Info]
Title: 
[Events]
Format: Layer, Start, End, Style, Name, MarginL, MarginR, MarginV, Effect, Text
Dialogue: 0,0:00:00.32,0:00:02.57,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I was about 10 years old
Dialogue: 0,0:00:02.57,0:00:04.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,on a camping trip with my dad
Dialogue: 0,0:00:04.27,0:00:07.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in the Adirondack Mountains, a wilderness area
Dialogue: 0,0:00:07.03,0:00:10.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in the northern part of New York State.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:10.03,0:00:11.47,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It was a beautiful day.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:11.47,0:00:13.47,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The forest was sparkling.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:13.47,0:00:16.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The sun made the leaves glow like stained glass,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:16.99,0:00:20.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and if it weren't for the path we were following,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:20.20,0:00:21.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we could almost pretend we were
Dialogue: 0,0:00:21.60,0:00:25.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the first human beings to ever walk that land.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:25.16,0:00:26.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We got to our campsite.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:26.82,0:00:28.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It was a lean-to on a bluff
Dialogue: 0,0:00:28.78,0:00:31.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,looking over a crystal, beautiful lake,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:31.48,0:00:34.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,when I discovered a horror.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:34.17,0:00:37.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Behind the lean-to was a dump,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:37.27,0:00:38.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,maybe 40 feet square
Dialogue: 0,0:00:38.73,0:00:41.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with rotting apple cores
Dialogue: 0,0:00:41.04,0:00:42.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and balled-up aluminum foil,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:42.79,0:00:44.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and a dead sneaker.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:44.54,0:00:47.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I was astonished,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:47.11,0:00:50.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I was very angry, and I was deeply confused.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:50.54,0:00:52.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The campers who were too lazy
Dialogue: 0,0:00:52.12,0:00:54.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to take out what they had brought in,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:54.08,0:00:57.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who did they think would clean up after them?
Dialogue: 0,0:00:57.93,0:00:59.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That question stayed with me,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:59.84,0:01:01.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and it simplified a little.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:01.80,0:01:04.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Who cleans up after us?
Dialogue: 0,0:01:04.18,0:01:05.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,However you configure
Dialogue: 0,0:01:05.60,0:01:07.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or wherever you place the us,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:07.31,0:01:09.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who cleans up after us in Istanbul?
Dialogue: 0,0:01:09.90,0:01:12.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Who cleans up after us in Rio
Dialogue: 0,0:01:12.15,0:01:14.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or in Paris or in London?
Dialogue: 0,0:01:14.68,0:01:16.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Here in New York,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:16.26,0:01:18.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the Department of Sanitation cleans up after us,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:18.85,0:01:21.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to the tune of 11,000 tons of garbage
Dialogue: 0,0:01:21.52,0:01:25.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and 2,000 tons of recyclables every day.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:25.88,0:01:28.51,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I wanted to get to know them as individuals.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:28.51,0:01:31.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I wanted to understand who takes the job.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:31.36,0:01:33.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What's it like to wear the uniform
Dialogue: 0,0:01:33.88,0:01:35.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and bear that burden?
Dialogue: 0,0:01:35.53,0:01:38.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So I started a research project with them.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:38.18,0:01:40.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I rode in the trucks and walked the routes
Dialogue: 0,0:01:40.72,0:01:43.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and interviewed people in offices and facilities
Dialogue: 0,0:01:43.13,0:01:44.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,all over the city,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:44.64,0:01:46.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and I learned a lot,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:46.38,0:01:48.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but I was still an outsider.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:48.73,0:01:50.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I needed to go deeper.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:50.60,0:01:53.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So I took the job as a sanitation worker.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:53.72,0:01:56.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I didn't just ride in the trucks now. I drove the trucks.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:56.37,0:01:59.51,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I operated the mechanical brooms and I plowed the snow.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:59.51,0:02:01.41,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It was a remarkable privilege
Dialogue: 0,0:02:01.41,0:02:04.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and an amazing education.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:04.02,0:02:06.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Everyone asks about the smell.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:06.17,0:02:09.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's there, but it's not as prevalent as you think,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:09.23,0:02:10.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and on days when it is really bad,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:10.74,0:02:13.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you get used to it rather quickly.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:13.42,0:02:16.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The weight takes a long time to get used to.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:16.62,0:02:18.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I knew people who were several years on the job
Dialogue: 0,0:02:18.90,0:02:21.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,whose bodies were still adjusting to the burden
Dialogue: 0,0:02:21.49,0:02:23.57,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of bearing on your body
Dialogue: 0,0:02:23.57,0:02:26.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,tons of trash every week.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:26.55,0:02:28.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Then there's the danger.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:28.73,0:02:31.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:31.21,0:02:33.41,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,sanitation work is one of the 10 most dangerous
Dialogue: 0,0:02:33.41,0:02:35.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,occupations in the country,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:35.30,0:02:37.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and I learned why.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:37.05,0:02:38.47,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You're in and out of traffic all day,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:38.47,0:02:39.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and it's zooming around you.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:39.43,0:02:41.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It just wants to get past you, so it's often
Dialogue: 0,0:02:41.32,0:02:43.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the motorist is not paying attention.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:43.37,0:02:45.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That's really bad for the worker.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:45.19,0:02:47.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And then the garbage itself is full of hazards
Dialogue: 0,0:02:47.35,0:02:49.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that often fly back out of the truck
Dialogue: 0,0:02:49.37,0:02:51.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and do terrible harm.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:51.45,0:02:54.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I also learned about the relentlessness of trash.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:54.27,0:02:55.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,When you step off the curb
Dialogue: 0,0:02:55.58,0:02:58.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and you see a city from behind a truck,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:58.43,0:03:00.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you come to understand that trash
Dialogue: 0,0:03:00.21,0:03:02.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is like a force of nature unto itself.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:02.83,0:03:05.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It never stops coming.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:05.29,0:03:08.77,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's also like a form of respiration or circulation.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:08.77,0:03:11.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It must always be in motion.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:11.81,0:03:13.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And then there's the stigma.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:13.86,0:03:16.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You put on the uniform, and you become invisible
Dialogue: 0,0:03:16.78,0:03:19.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,until someone is upset with you for whatever reason
Dialogue: 0,0:03:19.08,0:03:21.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,like you've blocked traffic with your truck,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:21.39,0:03:24.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or you're taking a break too close to their home,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:24.04,0:03:27.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or you're drinking coffee in their diner,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:27.16,0:03:29.57,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and they will come and scorn you,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:29.57,0:03:32.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and tell you that they don't want you anywhere near them.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:32.83,0:03:35.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I find the stigma especially ironic,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:35.26,0:03:38.57,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because I strongly believe that sanitation workers
Dialogue: 0,0:03:38.57,0:03:40.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,are the most important labor force
Dialogue: 0,0:03:40.25,0:03:43.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,on the streets of the city, for three reasons.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:43.28,0:03:46.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They are the first guardians of public health.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:46.06,0:03:48.47,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,If they're not taking away trash
Dialogue: 0,0:03:48.47,0:03:50.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,efficiently and effectively every day,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:50.74,0:03:53.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it starts to spill out of its containments,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:53.45,0:03:57.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the dangers inherent to it threaten us
Dialogue: 0,0:03:57.18,0:03:58.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in very real ways.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:58.35,0:04:01.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Diseases we've had in check for decades and centuries
Dialogue: 0,0:04:01.32,0:04:04.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,burst forth again and start to harm us.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:04.23,0:04:05.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The economy needs them.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:05.90,0:04:08.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,If we can't throw out the old stuff,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:08.83,0:04:10.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we have no room for the new stuff,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:10.72,0:04:12.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,so then the engines of the economy
Dialogue: 0,0:04:12.78,0:04:15.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,start to sputter when consumption is compromised.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:15.71,0:04:19.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I'm not advocating capitalism, I'm just pointing out their relationship.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:19.78,0:04:21.77,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And then there's what I call
Dialogue: 0,0:04:21.77,0:04:25.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,our average, necessary quotidian velocity.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:25.98,0:04:27.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,By that I simply mean
Dialogue: 0,0:04:27.03,0:04:29.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,how fast we're used to moving
Dialogue: 0,0:04:29.28,0:04:31.41,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in the contemporary day and age.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:31.41,0:04:36.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We usually don't care for, repair, clean, carry around
Dialogue: 0,0:04:36.76,0:04:39.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,our coffee cup, our shopping bag,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:39.39,0:04:40.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,our bottle of water.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:40.88,0:04:43.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We use them, we throw them out, we forget about them,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:43.56,0:04:45.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because we know there's a workforce
Dialogue: 0,0:04:45.34,0:04:48.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,on the other side that's going to take it all away.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:48.36,0:04:50.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So I want to suggest today a couple of ways
Dialogue: 0,0:04:50.80,0:04:55.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to think about sanitation that will perhaps help
Dialogue: 0,0:04:55.32,0:04:57.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,ameliorate the stigma
Dialogue: 0,0:04:57.79,0:05:00.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and bring them into this conversation
Dialogue: 0,0:05:00.02,0:05:05.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of how to craft a city that is sustainable and humane.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:05.61,0:05:09.77,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Their work, I think, is kind of liturgical.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:09.77,0:05:12.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They're on the streets every day, rhythmically.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:12.23,0:05:14.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They wear a uniform in many cities.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:14.30,0:05:16.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You know when to expect them.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:16.16,0:05:20.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And their work lets us do our work.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:20.09,0:05:22.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They are almost a form of reassurance.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:22.88,0:05:24.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The flow that they maintain
Dialogue: 0,0:05:24.62,0:05:26.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,keeps us safe from ourselves,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:26.60,0:05:29.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,from our own dross, our cast-offs,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:29.24,0:05:32.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and that flow must be maintained always
Dialogue: 0,0:05:32.50,0:05:34.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,no matter what.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:34.13,0:05:37.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,On the day after September 11 in 2001,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:37.86,0:05:41.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I heard the growl of a sanitation truck on the street,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:41.14,0:05:43.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and I grabbed my infant son and I ran downstairs
Dialogue: 0,0:05:43.46,0:05:46.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and there was a man doing his paper recycling route
Dialogue: 0,0:05:46.30,0:05:48.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,like he did every Wednesday.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:48.48,0:05:50.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I tried to thank him for doing his work
Dialogue: 0,0:05:50.90,0:05:53.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,on that day of all days,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:53.02,0:05:55.63,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but I started to cry.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:55.63,0:05:57.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And he looked at me,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:57.31,0:06:00.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and he just nodded, and he said,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:00.73,0:06:03.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"We're going to be okay.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:03.61,0:06:06.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We're going to be okay."
Dialogue: 0,0:06:06.25,0:06:07.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It was a little while later that I started
Dialogue: 0,0:06:07.61,0:06:08.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,my research with sanitation,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:08.99,0:06:10.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and I met that man again.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:10.40,0:06:13.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,His name is Paulie, and we worked together many times,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:13.32,0:06:15.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and we became good friends.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:15.14,0:06:17.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I want to believe that Paulie was right.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:17.97,0:06:20.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We are going to be okay.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:20.17,0:06:22.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But in our effort to reconfigure
Dialogue: 0,0:06:22.15,0:06:25.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,how we as a species exist on this planet,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:25.19,0:06:28.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we must include and take account of
Dialogue: 0,0:06:28.48,0:06:32.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,all the costs, including the very real human cost
Dialogue: 0,0:06:32.28,0:06:33.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of the labor.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:33.78,0:06:36.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And we also would be well informed
Dialogue: 0,0:06:36.58,0:06:38.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to reach out to the people who do that work
Dialogue: 0,0:06:38.80,0:06:40.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and get their expertise
Dialogue: 0,0:06:40.64,0:06:42.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,on how do we think about,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:42.40,0:06:45.65,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,how do we create systems around sustainability
Dialogue: 0,0:06:45.65,0:06:49.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that perhaps take us from curbside recycling,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:49.12,0:06:51.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which is a remarkable success across 40 years,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:51.71,0:06:54.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,across the United States and countries around the world,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:54.95,0:06:57.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and lift us up to a broader horizon
Dialogue: 0,0:06:57.75,0:07:00.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,where we're looking at other forms of waste
Dialogue: 0,0:07:00.64,0:07:02.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that could be lessened
Dialogue: 0,0:07:02.12,0:07:04.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,from manufacturing and industrial sources.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:04.85,0:07:08.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Municipal waste, what we think of when we talk about garbage,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:08.86,0:07:12.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,accounts for three percent of the nation's waste stream.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:12.86,0:07:15.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's a remarkable statistic.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:15.24,0:07:17.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So in the flow of your days,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:17.72,0:07:19.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in the flow of your lives,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:19.25,0:07:22.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,next time you see someone whose job is
Dialogue: 0,0:07:22.28,0:07:25.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to clean up after you,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:25.42,0:07:27.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,take a moment to acknowledge them.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:27.91,0:07:32.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Take a moment to say thank you.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:32.50,0:07:35.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Applause)