Interview with Denny Ray Noble, November 21, 2006

Partial Transcript: This is Dale Johnson for Eastern Kentucky PRIDE, talking to Judge [Roy] Noble in um, Perry County, Kentucky. Um, we're in Hazard and today is November 21st, 2006.

Segment Synopsis: Noble discusses his education and how his childhood led him to be interested in politics.

Keywords: Garbage; Happy Pappy Program; Magistrates

Subjects: Childhood; Education; Judges; Litter (Trash); Perry County (Ky.); Politics and government; Pollution; Rural conditions; Schools

Partial Transcript: PRIDE program came in probably about the last two years that I was magistrate.

Segment Synopsis: Noble discusses the beginning of the PRIDE program and his efforts to clean up Perry County.

Keywords: Community service; Dump cleanups; Dumps; Fort Branch (Ky.); Hal Rogers; Personal Responsibility in a Desirable Environment (PRIDE); Rogers, Hal; White goods; White goods buyback

Subjects: Environmentalism; Household appliances.; Judges; Perry County (Ky.); Pollution.; Recycling (Waste, etc.); Recycling centers; Refuse and refuse disposal.; Roadside litter; Waste disposal sites

Partial Transcript: I've been going in to these PRIDE clubs in the schools.

Segment Synopsis: Noble discusses how waste disposal has changed since his youth and factors that have made it worse.

Keywords: Dumps; Garbage

Subjects: Childhood; Environmentalism; Litter (Trash); Plastic bottles; Refuse and refuse disposal; Waste disposal sites; Youth

Partial Transcript: And, um, well I, I've always been asking everybody, do you think that the, that there's a certain generation that you just can't get to?

Segment Synopsis: Noble discusses the importance of education for litter prevention. Noble also discusses enforcement of environmental protection laws.

Keywords: Dumps; Enforcement; Garbage; Recycling

Subjects: Children; Education; Environmental education; Environmentalism; Law enforcement.; Litter (Trash); Parents; Pollution.; Waste disposal sites

Partial Transcript: But how about, um--you know PRIDE has connections with the Corps of Engineers and EPA super fund and, have you utilized those for some of that big cleanup or big sewer projects or...

Segment Synopsis: Noble discusses cleanups in his county and the importance of sewer lines in Perry County.

Keywords: Buckhorn Lake (Ky.); Community service; Sewer lines; Sewers; Straight pipes

Subjects: Environmentalism; Perry County (Ky.); Plumbing.; Sewerage.

Partial Transcript: How about the spring and fall cleanups, do you, do you do those, um, community PRIDE events like spring cleanup--

Segment Synopsis: Noble discusses the spring and fall PRIDE cleanups. Noble also discusses what he thinks the biggest environmental issue is in Perry County right now.

Keywords: Boats; Car tires; Community PRIDE; Fall cleanup; Personal Responsibility in a Desirable Environment (PRIDE); Recycling; Spring cleanup

Subjects: Environmentalism; Perry County (Ky.); Pollution.; Rivers; Tires

Partial Transcript: Well I always said we need to work as a region, you know like five or six counties, like a Kentucky area development district, but it's hard to get everybody together.

Segment Synopsis: Noble discusses the importance of working together as a region to help the environment.

Keywords: Recycling; Teamwork

Subjects: Environmentalism; Jails; Regions and regionalism

Partial Transcript: How many years have you been doing the buybacks?

Segment Synopsis: Noble discusses the success of the buyback program in Perry County and how it appeals to people of other counties. Noble also discusses the danger of snakes during the buyback program.

Keywords: Buyback programs; Copperheads; Garbage; Recycling; White goods buyback

Subjects: Environmentalism; Household appliances; Perry County (Ky.); Refuse and refuse disposal.; Snakes

Partial Transcript: Oh I was thinking about this, you've got this three-county jail now?

Segment Synopsis: Noble discusses the success of using inmates for roadside cleanups. Noble also discusses the changes in roadside litter.

Keywords: Garbage; Inmates; Roadside cleanups:Crawford Mountain (Ky.)

Subjects: Environmentalism; Inmates of institutions; Litter (Trash); Pollution.; Prisoners; Refuse and refuse disposal; Roadside litter

Partial Transcript: Now you wouldn't believe how many miles I've picked up myself, helped pick up.

Segment Synopsis: Noble discusses the importance of the involvement of elected officials in environmental cleanup efforts.

Keywords: Elected officials; Hal Rogers; Rogers, Hal; Volunteering

Subjects: Environmentalism; Politicians--Kentucky; Public officers; Voluntarism; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: So you, you've used the--all their programs, sounds like.

Segment Synopsis: Noble discusses the awards he has won from PRIDE. Noble also discusses rewards that people in the county get for participating in cleanups.

Keywords: Envi award; Personal Responsibility in a Desirable Environment (PRIDE); Rewards; Roadside cleanup awards; Volunteering

Subjects: Awards; Environmentalism; Voluntarism; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: I think this, I think this election has held us up for the last year and a half.

Segment Synopsis: Noble discusses how he can still win elections even though he's tough on enforcement because he participates in cleanups. Noble also discusses having mandatory garbage pickup and recycling centers in the county.

Keywords: Enforcement; Garbage pickup; Volunteering

Subjects: Elections; Environmental law.; Environmentalism; Law enforcement; Recycling (Waste, etc.); Recycling centers; Refuse and refuse disposal.; Tires; Voluntarism.; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: Now I know that, uh, some people I've talked to are amazed at the amount of white goods they keep getting, you know they, they do these buybacks and they think...

Segment Synopsis: Noble discusses an idea he has to help fund buyback programs. Noble also discusses the importance of working with inmates more.

Keywords: Inmates; Personal Responsibility in a Desirable Environment (PRIDE); Recycling; White goods; White goods buyback program

Subjects: Environmentalism; Household appliances; Inmates of institutions; Prisoners

Partial Transcript: So where do people pick up all these bad habits, you know you just, you keep wondering...

Segment Synopsis: Noble discusses how he believes the issue with litter isn't limited to rural areas. Noble also discusses cleanups that the county does without PRIDE, and the lack of options people used to have for refuse disposal.

Keywords: Community service; Dumps; Illegal dumps; Personal Responsibility in a Desirable Environment (PRIDE)

Subjects: Environmentalism; Litter (Trash); Pollution.; Refuse and refuse disposal; Refuse and refuse disposal.; Rural; Waste disposal sites

Partial Transcript: Is there anything that I'm missing here about your involvement with the, the PRIDE, or the cleanups, um--

Segment Synopsis: Noble discusses his involvement in PRIDE from the beginning, including a funny story about the mayor.

Keywords: Donations; Personal Responsibility in a Desirable Environment (PRIDE); Stories

Subjects: Environmentalism; Mayors

Partial Transcript: I just think we couldn't have done it without him, I mean, with what he's done that's, that's what's cleaned up the county, the county couldn't afford it.

Segment Synopsis: Noble discusses the political issues involved in getting funding to Eastern Kentucky.

Keywords: Coal severance; Eastern Kentucky; Funding; Personal Responsibility in a Desirable Environment (PRIDE); Regions

Subjects: Politics and government; Regions and regionalism

Partial Transcript: The funniest thing was, we was up in Kodak and we had this guy that, he was actually taking old washing machines and stoves and taking the copper out of them...

Segment Synopsis: Noble tells some stories about funny experiences he's had since he started working with PRIDE. Noble also discusses the intelligence of inmates.

Keywords: Dumps; Inmates; Innovation; Landfills; Personal Responsibility in a Desirable Environment (PRIDE); Stories; Water lines

Subjects: Environmentalism; Inmates of institutions; Prisoners; Refuse and refuse disposal.; Waste disposal sites