E-Recycling (cell phones)

"Old Red" has finally retired.  See her there lost in the bottom of that box of recycling?

Much to my chagrin, I finally had to admit that my cell phone needed to go.  It didn't hold a charge.  The button to lock it would only work some of the time.  The buttons to adjust the ringer volume had given up on me.  (This might not sound like much but those are pretty important for a yoga teacher.  Imagine if your teacher's phone rang during savasana?!?)  Oh, but sometimes the ringer didn't work at all.  The real kicker happened when Mr. Green Stuff called but I couldn't answer it when it rang.  Seriously.  The "connect" button could not connect.  Some how I was able to call him back and here's what happened.
Me:  Hi.  I'm sorry.  My phone wouldn't answer.
MGS: Stacey, (pregnant pause) it's time.
Me:  (sounding defeated) I know.

The next day, I was handed a new smartphone at lunch.  

And now my (not so) faithful old phone is sitting at the bottom of that recycling bin.  Not surprisingly, it's pretty easy to find a place to recycle electronics like cell phones, MP3 players, and old laptops.  The hardest place for me was remembering to drop mine off somewhere.  This one is used to raise money for a local school but there are some many different causes like preventing domestic violence in cities big and small,  animal conservation and protection around the world, to purchase calling cards for U.S. military personnel, and even as a fundraiser for disease prevention organizations.  Plus, most wireless providers make it convenient to recycle (and maybe even refurbish) your old phone right when you buy your new one. 

Wonder how it happens?

So, I'm disappointed that I needed a new phone but at least I know I wore out my old one first.  Where did you take your last cell phone to be recycled?
Peace,
Stacey

Bringing Home My Recyclables

I have a confession.  I bring home as many recyclable things as I can.  I pick up recycling around town and I bring it home from vacation when I can't find anywhere to recycle it.  And this is why:

When we were in Wyoming over the summer, there was this great public building with bathrooms and big bins for all types of recycling in pristine Jackson.  Chicago has recycling and solar powered compacting trash bins all over the city.  But our last two trips were harder.  Miami was difficult with the seemingly endless stream of plastic cups but Aruba was impossible!  

After several failed attempts to locate anywhere I could take plastic, glass, or paper for recycling, I finally made room in my backpack and come home with this:

We try to travel light by each taking a single travel backpack, so I wasn't able to bring home much of my nemesis, plastic, but I did manage to bring back and recycle all the paper we (somehow) accumulated.

You might be wondering why this is a confession.  It's not a secret that I recycle.  But bringing it home on an airplane?!  I know.  I know!  I have a problem.  I can't even bear to figure out if it's a net energy loss since I'm flying it home.  (My guess is that, yes, it is.  I told you I have a problem!)  It's just so disheartening watching the trash can fill.

Seriously, I can't stop.  I'd already put this in our car before we discovered that beach in the first picture.

Let me explain.  Not my own habits but the reason the beach looks like that.  Arubans are not going around throwing plastic on their beaches.  (Well, probably some are.)  No, that beach looks like that from people like us.  Trash that doesn't make it into a landfill, more often than not, ends up in the water somewhere.  And things that end up in rivers, lakes, and oceans end up on a beach or in an animal - including humans!  This book gives a wonderful explanation about the whole waste/water/gyre cycle.  I'm glad I read it before seeing this beach.

At least then I knew not to tut-tut the friendly people of Aruba.  That didn't do much for my growing "obsession" with picking up after others though...

Peace,

Stacey

Recycle Those Batteries... when you can

I have a friend who dreads this time of the year.  It's not the shopping.  It's not all the yummy desserts.  It's not even the caroling.  It's the batteries that make her fret!  Last year she told me that she was actually losing sleep because she couldn't stop thinking about all the batteries (from ALL those plastic toys) that would eventually get chucked into a landfill or, worse yet, incinerated! 

I had kind of forgotten about her worrying until I witnessed a coworker toss dozens of batteries into the trash!  She just couldn't figure out why everyone else would "save" all the old ones.  When I told her we had a collection site for recycling in town, she said she had no idea that batteries should be recycled.  She sincerely looked concerned and asked what we could do with them.  Now that's a great question!

Apparently, it's getting harder and harder to recycle alkaline batteries because mercury has been regulated out of use in single-use alkaline batteries in the U.S. (thankfully!) and because there is no cost effective method to remove and therefore reuse the heavy metals contained within them.  With that being said, there are still places that will take them.  Look for a Big Green Box at places like Whole Foods, take them to a big box store, or check with your local municipality.

I recycled these used batteries from work at my local library

Rechargeable and button types do not fall under this15 year old regulation and should definitely still be recycled!

I guess my friend and I can both rest a little better... but only a little.  There are still all those other metals in them that one day (when they start to become scarcer) are going to be valued and they'll be tons of them sitting in landfill's all around the world.  In the U.S. alone 2.9 billion batteries are thown away each year.  And what about that acid that leaks out over time?  That can't be good...

Reducing our consumption of batteries is probably the biggest thing we could do.  Think before you buy.  (I know you're tired of listening to that toy drone on and on anyway!)

So there you go.  A truely little thing.  Recycle alkaline batteries when you can but try not to lose sleep over it when you can't.  

Where can you use fewer batteries in your life?

Peace,

Stacey

America Recycles Day

Today is America Recycles Day.  

  
It also happens to be my normal curbside pick-up day for recycling but I didn't put it out.  What?!?  On America Recycles Day?!?  You can find out why here.  (Hint: our bin was less than half full.) But I did do something.  As I was walking through the  Lowe's parking lot, I picked up (and recycled) someone's McDonald's cup and lid.

Happy Recycling Day!
Peace,

Stacey

31 Days of Green Little Things: Print On The Back

Welcome back to my 31 Days of Green Little Things!  This is my place to talk about the little things that I do to help the environment.

I try not to print many things but when I do, I print on the back of all those random papers that enter my house.  I can still recycle whatever I've printed when I’m finished but I get to reuse it first.  Hooray!  Reuse.  My second favorite of the 3 Rs.  They’re in that order (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) for a reason, right?

Anyway, this one is easy.  Reduce the amount of paper waste you produce by reusing  paper that is blank on the back.  

Next time you want to print a recipe, print on the back of that new insurance quote.  Want to print that essay for Psych 102 so you can proofread it?  Reuse the back of the letter begging you to get a new credit card.  Need to print directions from Google Maps?  Use the back of the snack schedule from your daughter’s soccer team.  Then recycle them when you’re finished!

Those scrap papers add up quickly!

How many old papers with blank backs can you find without even getting up from your desk?

Peace,

Stacey

To follow other "31 Days" journeys, check out The Nester.  She's hosting this party.  Thanks for the motivation to join this year.
I started a Facebook page for my blog.  "Like" it if you're so inclined.

The Story of Stuff Video

Next time you need an eco-reminder, watch this video from storyofstuff.org:

I seem to come back to it over and over.  I hope it inspires you as much as it does me.

Peace,

Stacey

Walking for Trash??

I just finished reading A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson (no, not Bill McKibben that would make more sense on a "green" blog but really Bill Bryson - the funny one) and at one point he said, "93 percent of all trips outside the home, for whatever distance or whatever purpose, Americans now get in a car.  On average the total walking of an American these days - that's walking of all types: from car to office, from office to car, around the supermarket and shopping malls - adds up to 1.4 miles a week, barely 350 yards a day.  That's ridiculous."  Keep in mind that this book was published in 1998.  Have we gotten any better???  Really.  Have we?

I'm not going to get into how we should all be walking or riding our bikes when we go on any trip under 1 mile or 2 miles or 10 miles or whatever!  (I don't want to have to point a finger at myself, of course.)  This post is about a little thing that's much smaller than that.  Let me tell you what I did yesterday.

I took a walk.  A walk that wasn't for pleasure but to actually get some place.  Actually, I took two walks... but they were both so small that I can't in good conscience call them "walks" at all.  I walked 2 blocks - twice.  Honestly, I was just exploring my neighborhood.  Anyway, on the first walk I hung a right out of my driveway, walked two blocks to take a picture (you'll see that another day), and walked right back home.  I came home with these:

In the afternoon, I turned left out of my driveway.  I walked two blocks again, talked to some neighbors, and came straight home.  Other than crossing a side street, I never even left the sidewalk but I still came home with these:

Let me explain.  I didn't consume any of these things.  I didn't even walk far enough to get to a store.  I found them.  Then I brought them home and recycled them.  I do this.  It's one of my weird quirks.  I pick up other people's trash.  Someone has to do it, right?  Seriously, I think it's become a compulsion.  Last week I went passed a smashed up gatorade bottle without picking it up.  A block later, I turned my bike around so I could get it.  I couldn't get my brain to stop saying, "well, now, who is going to pick that up?"  Well, me, of course.  I was going to go pick it up.

I know what you're thinking.  And, no, I don't live in a trashy area.  I live in a nice, ("snooty" is too harsh, right?) quiet neighborhood in an upmarket (my thesaurus told me to use that instead of "snooty") kind of town.  People take pride in this town!  Yet, I still can't go for a walk or bike ride without coming home with trash.

Please, tell me you do this too.  Please.  Please...

Peace,

Stacey

Eating Greener While Traveling

We just got back from an amazing trip!  We really like to travel… and most of the time it is via airplane.  Knowing how much pollution that causes, we try to live like locals once we arrive especially concerning our food.  We shop at local markets, look for locally grown food, and eat at "home" as much as possible.   

This trip was different than our usual beach jaunts though.  We visited National Parks!  If you don't know, these are places in the U.S. where you’re practically forced to get outside and enjoy nature.  We were lucky enough to make it to Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone National Park!  Both were beautiful even though our visit was shrouded in smoke from all the wildfires.

The Grand Tetons - our last day was the only one without wildfire smoke!

Being surrounded by nature’s splendor helps renew my commitment to the “little things.”  When we went to the grocery store, we made it out with only one plastic bag, which we reused to “pack things out” before the week was finished.  After grocery shopping, we were able to cook most of our meals so we wasted less food.  There was even time to make my easy granola!  We had the pleasure of eating out a few times, too. 

I found a local microbrewery where everything is handmade.  They even have their own bakery that uses only 100% organic flour.  The veggie burger (including the bun) was wonderful.  The real star of the show was the OB-1 (Organic Beer Number One) though!  If you can’t get it on tap, then it is only sold in cans!!!  Cans!  There’s our “little thing” of this post.  Cans are better for the environment than bottles because they weigh less to ship to you so it creates less pollution during transportation.  Aluminum is 100% recyclable.  (Glass is, too, but plastic can only be down-cycled. Who wants drink out of plastic anyway?!!?)  Plus, cans cool faster than bottles, which uses less energy.  Oh, the power of cans!  The other cool thing about the beer from the Snake River Brewery is that it doesn’t use those ubiquitous 6-pack rings.  Nope!  It comes packaged with this:

It's even made from 99% post consumer waste!

Yes, it is plastic but it is reusable (please, return them) or when you’re not conveniently located in Jackson, Wyoming, you can recycle it – unlike it’s ringed cousin, err, ancestor.

We also went to a fun little pizza place at Signal Mountain Lodge called Leek’s Pizzeria.    Unbeknownst to us, it turned out to be a Certified Green Restaurant. 

Yes, I took a picture of their green street cred.

The pizza dough is made with organic ingredients.  Most of the drinks and food are locally sourced.  They use renewable energy.  I didn’t see a single-use (disposable) cup in the place!  Even the kid’s cups were reusable.  To make it even more enjoyable, we were able to sit on the back deck and enjoy an evening view of Jackson Lake.  When we were finished, we didn’t worry about asking for to-go packaging.  We knew they wouldn’t use styrofoam.  I expected a cardboard box but what we got was a sheet of aluminum foil.  No excess.  Just the right amount.  And it can be recycled easily and completely.

See eating on vacation doesn't have to cost the planet!

Now it's your turn.  How do you explore our planet while treading lightly on it?

Fountain Paint Pots Trail - my favorite part!

Oh, and don’t forget the cans!  Next time, buy cans!  I’m not asking much, am I?

Peace,

Stacey

If you're still reading (thanks) and know how to rotate the second and the last pictures, please, let me know. They are both saved on my computer with the address horizontally but the pictures keep rotating when I upload them.  Eek!  I figured it out.  I'd still love your comments though. :)