Category Archives: 3 Rs

Art as Damage Control

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Steps of St Paul's
Image by alexis22578 via Flickr

Olivia and Nate hosted Elliott’s birthday party at CHAP. Fabulous. I was reminded, near the end, that reusing takes many forms, and art is an important step. I was reminded to think of damage as opportunities for art.

I studied sustainability, right? Reduce, reuse, and recycle has been a mantra in varying forms since I was in fifth grade. So, why would I consider tossing out this beautiful silk scarf because it tears?

Why? Because I don’t understand the material. I wrap it around my neck, tossing it, sometimes haughtily when it falls off my shoulder. Sometimes I’m gentle admiring its delicate weaves. Sometimes I’m rough just getting it out of the way.

Somewhere along the way, this beautiful, gifted to me, silk scarf began to tear. It was in the last year. I’ve had it for eight. The wonders of silk: it’s both warm and cool. It’s soft. Easy to wash and dries quickly. And now the poor thing has snags.

The (likely) Director suggested I put beads on the snags. I can’t even picture how that would work! Art as damage control. Reduce, reuse, recycle. I can see the end product but not the process to get there. I can imagine the soft silk juxtaposed with some sparkely beads.

I fear that an attempting at inserting beads would snag it beyond repair, and therein lies my paralysis to art as damage control.

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Waste in Jars

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It’s reusable. It’s durable. It’s made of glass. And, it’s not allowed in daycares, for reasoning I can understand but think is flawed.

“No glass,” was what I was told the first day of Levi’s daycare. The day after we visited Jim’s Jars, the eccentric jar seller to folks in the Portland area.

“Why doesn’t Levi have any food left?” I asked on day two after they told me he didn’t eat any of his lunch. Oregon State Law they claimed. The quoted text I was given does indeed say food that has been uneaten must be thrown out, but it doesn’t give a time-line. Secondly, I find flaws in their argument that plastic baggies allow more food preservation than plastic tubs. The same concept for the plastic baggy can be used on the tub, but isn’t.

You have to conform to daycare’s schedules. This particular place has 1/2 time in the AM. They are giving me a break these first two weeks because I am being trained. My job will require I attend meetings upwards of the early afternoon. I will have to be at work at least 4 days per week. Why are daycares so inflexible? They should be offering a service to parents, not a tyranny on care.

So, what are we left with? Wasting food when it’s brought in glass jars, one of the most renewable resources we have. Daycares, by their created nature, are wasteful and unhealthy. But, what do you do as a parent?

It’s frustrating. It’s annoying. It makes me a little angry. The magic number for daycare to pay for itself in a way that makes it so I am not paying to go to work is 2.2 x daycare. The estimate we came up with last year was higher than “starting wages” for all jobs I applied for. I found the magic combo of a job to my personality, and they granted me what I want for pay, and now it doesn’t look like it’d be enough. Mistake #1: budgeted that magic ratio on full time. But, this is what I want as a part time job. I want part time. I want this job. Daycare rates increased since last year. To maximize the time for Levi to be there under 5 hours, the magic number for half time, the daycare needs to be close to my work.

There is another place. The place I initially wanted. It’s right across the street from my job. I have to reconcile in my head, though, what Potty Trained really means. Because I’m inclined to say “No” when Levi goes all day long in daycare but not at home.

Please wish me good luck. I like this job. I want this job.

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Recycling at the Smithsonian

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The Smithsonian Castle

The Castle at the Smithsonian

In April, I had the opportunity to go to Washington D.C. for the National Low Income Housing Coalition Conference. We were in D.C. for five days. Two mostly occupied by travel, one day to ourselves, and two days in NLIHC workshops. The conference was very educational, informative, and interesting. As a board member for the Community Alliance of Tenants, it’s always nice to see how our actions are impacted by national and state policy.

La Promenade in L'Enfant Plaza, Washington, D....

L'Enfant Plaza and hotel, Washington, D.C. Image via Wikipedia

On our “free day”, we were able to play tourist. It’s been fifteen years since I’ve been to D.C. The last time was with Project Close-Up in 1995 while I was a junior in high school. I wanted to revisit some of the things I saw in 1995 and others I didn’t have a chance to see. Luckily, our hotel, L’Enfant Plaza, was just three blocks south of the Smithsonian block and the Mall. I wanted to walk around, take it all in, and explore. The Freer Gallery was on the top of my list, after lunch.

We lunched at the Castle Cafe inside the Smithsonian’s information Castle. We consumed an overpriced, fair-tasting, lunch filled with wraps, and yogurt. I was amazed at the variety of sustainable products for sale. We had choices of fair trade coffee and teas, organic yogurts and fruits, all available on or in compostable products.

The quandary came into play when I went to dispose of said eco items. There was a small recycling station, but nary the availability of the Capitol (which I was to find in three days). Offering compostable products is really important. But equally, or more, important is offering a place to put the green products other than the trash.

Compostable Glasses

Compostable serving-ware found at the Smithsonian and available throughout the Capitol buildings.

Smithsonian Recycling Station

This is the recycling station at the Smithsonian. Notice there is no space for compost.

When I think of the Smithsonian, History comes to mind. Preservation and the ideas of being a step ahead of the “average person” are all stereotypes I associate with the institution. I was very pleased to see such a wide sampling of eco things at our nations Capitol. There were spaces everywhere for depositing soda cans. Our nation’s government buildings emphasized organic foods, fair trade, shade grown, and all served in compostable wares. The Rayburn House Office Building was the only building that offered a space in which to deposit those wares. Closing the loop on all things is probably the most important concept of sustainability.

It’s great to offer recycling. It’s important to recycle. But, if we fail to purchase recycled products, where does the recycled content go? There would be no market for it. Two things are needed to make recycling work. One, a system in which to collect the thing. Two, a market for the thing. When I lived in Lansing, Michigan in 2001, the city refused to take any colored glass because there was no local market for it. Sure, glass is plentiful, it’s made of sand. It’s also super easy to recycle and has almost no net-energy use when it’s recycled. Of anything to recycle, glass is one of the most important, but there was no market so no easy way to get it into the system.

Recycling will routinely be taken to a trash facility if there are no buyers to take the plastics. On one hand, you can argue you need the demand first, so the Smithsonian isn’t entirely to blame. But, I was really surprised when the Rayburn House Office Building offered a space for compost. Both facilities, within a mile of each other, are in D.C. Presumably both facilities have their waste picked up by the same service and taken to the same place.

I do not know what kind of composting services the D.C. area has. There may be a small facility that can only take what the Capitol buildings provide. But, when compostable products are made available for use without a place to put them when they are done being used (outside of the trash), the availability of said product amounts to green washing. That is, it is wasteful and imprudent to offer compostable products if there is no compost to put the product when one is done using it.

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My Commute (in 2005)

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I wrote this in 2005 for the Portland Transport blog for the “My Commute” series.

I moved to Portland nearly two years ago. The trip across country took our trusty van as a sacrifice for making the distance in Missoula, so my ex and I arrived without motor powered wheels. Since I wasn’t willing to drive the beast we named Bert, this was not a concern. Especially given the fact that Portland’s transportation system is leaps and bounds beyond Michigan’s, another one of those places where you must have a car to get around.

I have lived in Southeast, Southwest, and now North Portland. All places have given me different aspects of commuting to work (next to Willamette Park) and other areas of interest, whether it be a party in Gresham, school at PSU, or seeing a friend’s band (Port Authority) play at Kelly’s or Porky’s.

I have most of my frequently used stop IDs memorized (1152, 11812, 3619, 4466). Recent living without internet has familiarized me even more with 503-238-RIDE (7433); press one to pick your bus stop. Navigating Tri-Met’s website is old hat.

Living in Southeast and now North Portland has brought me back to transferring, which I prefer not to do. Living in Southwest was less than one mile to work, so I walked every day, generally on Macadam. I am elated to learn of Metro’s desire to study the travel from Lake Oswego to Portland, since Macadam is smelly, noisy, and not pedestrian friendly.

I took the bus to school after the 8-5 quota is over, and generally the bus home, although riding my bike was about the same amount of time as waiting for and then riding the bus (10-20 minutes). Work pays for my bus pass currently because it is school related. But, this too comes at a discount (summer all zone for 2 ½ months was $75).

I haven’t ridden my bike much this summer, but it is another form of transportation I use. I love the exhilarating rush I get when speeding down a hill at 25 or 27 mph, the wind in my face, and the fact that I created that rush with my feet, the pedals, and the bike I partially maintained myself.

Flex Car fills in when I need to be somewhere very soon or a planned event: moving across town, last minute trips the ocean, dinner with a friend who is going to where I came from; emergency Vet visits to Dove Lewis; grocery shopping when carrying laundry detergent, food items, and TP just doesn’t quite work on the bus. Flex Car spending ranges from $0 to $200 a month, since my uses for it have varied incredibly – but do not forget that covers maintenance, gas, insurance, and the car’s depreciation.

Although the commute is now back to around an hour (50 minutes is the best bet, but I get to work at 7:15 instead of 8), I wouldn’t trade it for waiting in rush hour traffic. You can’t read a book while waiting for the stop and go to cease. You can’t let your mind wander at a red light that’s about to turn green. You can’t ponder effectively the days upcoming events while paying attention to other cars, pedestrians, and bicyclists.

The more I slow down my transportation, the more I notice which new store is coming up, which one left, the garter snake scurrying out of my way, and the many slugs Portland has to offer and other bugs you must step around. Don’t forget the beautiful flowers I now have time to stop and smell. I step outside of my reclusive box everyday to familiarize myself with strangers on public transit with all of its glory – the smiling bus drivers to that odd urine smell. I won’t trade that for rush hour and an air conditioned cage.

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The Story of Cap and Trade

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From the folks who brought The Story of Stuff comes The Story of Cap and Trade.  Click on the links if it doesn’t show below.

The Story of Cap & Trade from Story of Stuff Project on Vimeo.

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Eco lunches

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Peter's Eco Lunch Bag

A homemade duck-cloth lunch bag.

I’ve noticed lately two things:  1) there are a lot of tips to show you how to build a green lunch and 2) there is a lot of talk about how organic food doesn’t hold any more nutrition than conventional food.  The discussion that could happen based on these trends is amazing, and I would like to add a few points to hopefully further the discussion. Continue reading “Eco lunches ” »

Greenville in the News

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Some time ago, I posted a link about United Solar Ovonic and its new plant in Greenville, Michigan, my home town.  Well, the piece finally aired:  NBC Nightly News & United Solar Ovonic.  It’s a short piece that describes how former Electrolux employees are being trained and employed at the new solar-cell plant.  The company will manufacture solar panels that stick on roofs, and will then be distributed across the world, especially Europe.

I love to hear that  my home town gets to partake in the reinventing that is needed given the current economy and how awful it has been for folks living there.  But, caution is the word that comes to mind when I hear stories like this.  Sometimes, it seems we become so eager to jump on any bandwagon that screams new jobs when so many are hurting for lack of work, we then forget to ask questions to see if it is truly a good idea.

In my previous post, I wrote about how Greenville has a history of smokestacking to attract industry and how that has contributed to the situation Greenville now faces with no industry where industry once flourished because the jobs have all fled to places that offer cheaper labor, such as countries in Asia or south of our borders in Mexico.

I suppose, the only thing I want to offer to anyone reading this blog is to consider the 3 Es of sustainable development, economy, equity, and the environment.  So, even though the new plant boasts green energy, how is the product manufactured?  Is it done with the 3Es in balance with each other?  Does it reach the Triple Bottom Line? Are the folks working the line being paid a decent wage, with adequate time off so they can spend time with their families?  Is the company borrowing on borrowed time to pay for its venture, or do their own books balance?

I just hope those questions were asked before this deal was brokered.  I do hope the Green can be put back in Greenville, both monetarily and with the environment in mind.

Free Wood Chips – Mulch This

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If we really want to consider all aspects of sustainability, we must consider our economic contributions.  I’ve been thinking green for many years, and now is the time (more than ever) to continue to refine how I act green.

So, if for example, natural systems should produce and decompose to produce again, then we need to be thinking very locally.  If mulching is important in gardening, then what better source than truly local – mulch from your neighborhood or your own yard.

The City of Portland was trimming tree branches near electrical wires this week, and we saw the sign, “Free Wood Chips.”  So, we told the gentlemen we would like to take them up on the offer.  Friday, 10 cubic yards of wood chips were dropped on our driveway, the same spot that hosted 4 cubic yards of screened dirt three months ago.  Being able to sieze opportunities like this is crucial when thinking about going green.  How can we use what we have?  What options are within our reach that won’t cost us out of pocket anything?  Not only have we not paid for these, I’m comparing this to all the $3.50 bags of cedar-bark mulch we purchased from Lowe’s last summer; but we also got them delivered for free too!  Just think about it.