Bags of Bags !

You know how those bags you mush in the bag drawer mysteriously breed and multiply? There are many things to do with them...you know...bulk food refills, sandwiches, cat poop (!) but here's a recipe for the craft-oriented that is the best I've seen so far: Make bags from your bags! Check out these beautiful examples, and read on for instructions.

plastic bag grocery bag (recipe from Anna Dingman, inspired by Ready Made--http://www.readymade.com/projects)

You will need quite a few plastic bags, any type will work. I like the bread bags because the plastic is a little thicker.

1. Fold each bag into a square, you can use any size square--try and get all of the bags close to the same size.
2. Put each folded plastic bag between two towels and iron lightly.
   
3. Then sew them together using a sewing machine--straight stitch works, you may want a heavier (denim, for example) needle.
   
4. Usually 6-8 will work for the main panels and 2-3 for the bottom panel. I used larger bags folded for the side panels and strap.

Anna mentioned the beauty of the Wheat Montana bags, and how fun clear bags were (I have lots, if you want some!) because you can put images in the bag, and seal them with the iron! As you can see, these would make some rather stylish gifts as well as original work pieces for yourself. Thanks Anna for these elegant examples of reuse!

Readers, please feel free to send me your ideas, from the simple to the complex: how do you reduce, reuse, recycle?

tg

E-waste

I know: such an ugly word. One of the questions posed to me was where can one take computers and components in our area? Computers, monitors, analog tvs...and then there's all that other stuff like obsolete printers, dead vcrs, outdated cell phones, and on and on... Such a great query, and one I've been wondering about myself. As the most conspicuous consumers on the planet, it's an especially pertinent question for most Americans. Key, I think, is learning to make do (kind of the blog theme, eh?) rather than having to have the newest, latest, greatest gadget.

The bad news: E-waste recycling can be an un-tidy issue, as I learned watching a recent 60 Minutes expose. Here is a link to a transcript of that story: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/11/06/60minutes/printable4579229.shtml. It's not all, "rainbows and waterfalls," (a phrase one friend recently coined,) as we earth lovers would like to think.

If you would love researching and reading up on this issue, here's what our Environmental Protection Agency has to offer: http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/conserve/materials/ecycling/index.htm. Highlights:

Digital Television Transition | en Español

TV Recycling Challenge

Where Can I Donate or Recycle My Old Computer and Other Electronics?

Recycle Your Cell Phone. It’s an Easy Call.

Responsible Recycling Practices

Resource Conservation Challenge partnerships and initiatives on electronics

But, locally, what can we do? News Flash! In April, there will be a local e-waste recycling event. Stay tuned for details...which will be posted shortly!

Yours,

tg

Glass Recycling

There's no way to know where to start, so we might as well start here...

Know all that glass that the City used to take at the binnies, but was just grinding up and spreading at the landfill? They don't even do that anymore. The City of Bozeman Solid Waste Division currently does not accept glass. Several people asked me what they can do with glass as there is no viable recycling. Well...here's one answer:

Glass Roots Recycled Glass Studio
5920 Sourdough Road, Bozeman, MT
(406) 579-5294
info@glassrootsofmontana.com

Bring your glass bottles for recycling! We would be ecstatic to receive the following:
- Blue glass (Bombay Gin, Sake bottles)
- Clear glass (wine bottles)
- Green tinted glass (Coke and Aqua Panna bottles)

I know, I know...this doesn't cure the most obvious issue: that great leftover, the brown glass beer bottle. May I suggest your local brewer? I know of two guys in Bozeman that make their own beer--no wait, three--and collect brown bottles to fill and cap. You must know some too!

I spoke to a person from the glass studio and they indicated that yes, it was fine to drop off bags or boxes of clear, blue or green glass at their studio. Just lean it against the building. For more info or a tour, I suggest phoning ahead.

If you do not live in our valley, check around for glass studios in your area and learn about what they use and are interested in recycling for you! And keep an eye out for those brewers...good people to know!

Yours,

tg

Welcome!

A little more than a week ago I began this blog as a class assignment. In going out into the community I found when I posed the question, "How do you reduce, recycle or reuse?" there were answers ranging from the practical to the artistic, and, a lot of questions.

Living in land-locked--though gorgeous--Montana has its challenges, one of them being the very issue of how to manage the byproducts of living. We are not a full-service recycling community state at present; hence the need for creative strategies. I hope to offer some here.

Additionally, on a national, nay, global level, we are experiencing not just a common rising of consciousness with regard to safety and environmental concerns, but an enveloping economic crisis. To say it's a tightening of the belt, en masse, is to be generous. However, though it seems grim times are upon us, I am here to tell you this: straightening nails can be fun! And I am going to leave you with that to ponder. Let's begin!

Yours,

tg

Post Script
As this blog began as a class project, you can expect some unrelated posts and of course, for the look to change unexpectedly. Isn't that so like life?

Lab Assignment : 145