I fly for my job – a lot. And almost always on Northwest Airlines.

This week I was on four Northwest flights (New York and Chicago [and back]), and on my outbound flight to Chicago yesterday morning I heard something completely new and foreign to me during the in-flight announcements:

Something to the effect: “As part of Northwest Airlines’ commitment to the environment, we will be coming through to collect aluminum cans, newspapers and plastic for recycling…” The flight attendant read a whole little speech about it.

Apparently this is part of a bigger environmental program called EarthCares.

However, during my three other NWA flights this week, the cans and papers were thrown into the same garbage sack with all the other trash — just like always. Maybe it’s an effort in-progress.