D - A - I - D -- Dead !

Just last night it was that I phoned Sonicare, which turned out to be Philips ("sense and simplicity" being their new slogan)(is it just me, or are they milking the reawakening of the Jane Austen frenzy?) Yes, I had a weekend emergency! My toothbrush was not accepting a charge. I don't know why, since it's been in storage for over five years, but, the truth was plain.

A very nice lady answered and explained to me that my battery had, "dried out," and that the unit needed to be kept upright in the charger. So folks: don't lay your charger sideways! Took a little dickering to get to the fact that it was recommended it be upright in a plugged in charger. I did point out to the kind lady the impracticality and unlikelihood of having a toothbrush upright in a charger, in storage. No guarantees if you lay your charger sideways, or if your toothbrush is in storage! Though she did say one might get 4-5 years out of battery life if properly stored (i.e., upright, in the charger!)

But now to my real dilemma! (You can tell I'm a hot date on a Saturday night!) The battery is not replaceable!!! What?!? Turns out this lil' number has a welded in battery and it cannot be replaced. She told me the battery was recyclable, however. But before we get into the details of that...

I pointed out to the fine lady the antiquity of this design. I described the simplicity of special ordering a new rechargeable battery for my Black & Decker cordless drill. I suggested that if hundreds of thousands, nay, millions of men across the country had to part with their cordless power tools each time a battery was spent, there would perhaps be riots! I'm not joking. Can't you see it?

As if this weren't alarming enough, this gal said Philips has no recycling program, that it was up to the consumer to dispose of the battery via their city recycling program. I did let her know that except for major metropolitan areas, battery recycling was largely unproffered by municipalities, and that I hoped Philips would take some responsibility, having created such a product, for the disposal of such. We didn't even get into the plastic part. She did indicate she would pass my comments on to corporate. Well, that's a relief.

Actually, I do think for the enterprising soul, the City of Bozeman will take rechargeables, like your car battery, just to keep them out of the waste stream. More on this later...

Well...so...as disturbing as this all was, there is a tiny ray of hope. Philips does make a toothbrush that takes 2 AA batteries, for those of you who use rechargeable batts and want a shiny tooth option. And get this: it's way, way cheaper than a standard Philips model! Less than half the cost at $29.99! I'm all about that. We had a brief interlude of complaining about how often one had to recharge AA batteries for cameras, and concluded our call. Ahhh... The sweet success of commiseration, and the bitter disappointment of commerce. Why so backwards? I ask myself this, "Why?" with a fair amount of frequency. It's the year 2012.

Anyway, here is the link for the only Sonicare toothbrush option that takes recyclable batteries you can easily replace yourself: http://store.philips.com/store?Action=DisplayProductDetailsPage&Locale=en_US&SiteID=rpeusb2c&productID=108362600 And guess what? On this link, it's out of stock!!! I love it! I'm sure with a minimal amount of poking about, one can be found, but... Good luck!

Happy trails! And, happy teeth and gums!

tg

Recycle Your Corks !

Yes, hmmm... Okay, so I'm embarrassed to admit that I save everything. Well, not everything, in a hoarding sort of way, but I have great dreams of zero waste at some point. I guess that means I'll have to get that compost bucket going... But anyway... I have a little stash of wine corks. Why? To make a cork bulletin board? For someone else's precious cork project? It gives one pause...

If you're a person who also has a stash of wine corks, but no immediate plans for their reuse, or if you would like to start one, now there is an answer: cork recycling. This is an effort by ReCORK, "The goal of ReCORK (recork.org) is to find reuse applications for as many corks as possible - and in the process, help communicate the value cork forests play as a sustainable natural resource that must be protected. Natural cork wine closures, unlike plastic or aluminum, are ideal for recycling and can be remanufactured into shoe components, flooring, gaskets, bulletin boards, sports equipment, and even used as a soil amendment in compost. Natural cork is also a valuable source of CO2 retention."

Where do I drop off my wonderful, highly coveted, cork stash, you query? Our fabulous local merchants, All Things Italian, offer a drop off at their store: 2251 W Kagy, Ste 1! You might like to, "Like," them on facebook as well. Delicious.

Anyway, it is my chosen task to letcha know about the plentiful recycling opps in our sparkling Gallatin Valley, and so, there you are!

Happy Recycling,

tg

Glass Recycling in Bozeman

Hey there, have I really not posted since July? Outrageous. Well, I'm posting twice today!

First thing to let you know is there is GLASS RECYCLING at TARGET. Yes, it's true! I've been using this service since last summer, but just recently there was a Chronicle article detailing this phenomena. Here is the link:

http://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/news/article_cedf567a-2cea-11e0-882d-001cc4c03286.html

The bins are inside the customer service/returns area. If you do a u-turn when you get in the door, to your left, you'll run smack into them. I'm including a photo of what they look like; not very big, hunh? Well, there's plenty of room in the back, or so the article says. Read it and rejoice.

Happy Recycling,

tg

Post Script

Please check out my other blog post on glass recycling (click on Glass in the left margin) to share your clear, green or blue glass. Very special.

Your Good Morning Coffee !

Hey there,

Summer is (finally!) in full swing in the Gallatin Valley. Long awaited by some.

I was contemplating recycling yesterday, as I often do...what is new under the sun? I'm still awaiting an answer...

But, while I wait, I was cleaning out my Inbox and came across this suggestion from Anna Dingman--our bag maker extraordinaire from a previous post! She sent a link about recycling coffee grounds. Now, we all know (or I hope ya do!) that you can compost them. But, wait, there's more! Dye, cleaner, cat/pest repellent (which might be popular in the garden,) fertilizing carrots and radishes, deodorant (not on the body!) and making a brunette, well, more brun! Check out the link from Vision Magazine for details...

http://www.visionmagazine.com/archives/0804/culture.html

...and, enjoy that cup o' joe!

Yours,

tg

Vehicle & Bike Auction ! A Type of REcyclin' !

This just in! The City of Bozeman has its bike and vehicle auction comin' right up! These are abandoned bikes and vehicles that are up for viewing and purchase! It is so fun. Details from the City web site:

To be sold at combined Police auction on June 12, 2010, from 09:00 to 12:00 at the impound lot at 600 East Griffin Street, Bozeman, [...] Montana, to the highest bidder for cash in hand, with the highest bid being obligatory for purchase. All the right, title and interest in and to the following property to wit.*
Cash, Check or credit card for all sales. Minimum $125 bid for vehicles. All sales final. All bicycles and vehicles purchased must be taken by 4:00 p.m. on date of purchase. A detailed list of Bicycles and Vehicles being sold is posted at the City Library, City Hall and L&J Center or for full list and vehicle photos go to: www.bozemanpolice.com.

And:

http://bozeman.net/bozeman/upcoming events/auction.pdf

Bidding starts at 10am for bikes and 11am for vehicles, trailers and whatever else they have layin' around...

This is where I purchased my trusty 1981 Toyota Tercel for $100 in August of 2007.

It's a fantastic opportunity, and a kind of recycling.

Go! View! Bid!

tg!

*They do sign it over to ya right there, on th' spot!

2 Recyclin' Guides for Gallatin Valley !

Mmm...how one loves to recycle, or at least, dispose of things safely, yes?

Recently I came across not one, but two, recycling guides for the Gallatin Valley and Bozeman. One is a .pdf created by the Gallatin Zero Waste Coalition, and the other, found as a .pdf on the City of Bozeman web site. Pdfs don't load on blogspot, dontcha know...

SO, the one being just two pages, I've saved each as a gif file and offered it here, with blessing from the GZWC:

...and the other, please click on the link and help yourself!

http://bozeman.net/bozeman/government/sustainability/recycling.aspx

I'm amazed...a place for everything, and everything in it's place! It's much more than just paper, cardboard, tin and plastic... Print these out and put them on your fridge. Share them with others. Spread the word, for the health of our community, and the world at large.

Enjoy,

tg

Recycling BIKES !

Big snooze of summer fever then hibernation, but there is much to reveal and here's a compelling event!

Bozeman Bike Kitchen is a wonderful community resource that takes donated bikes and bike parts and soups 'em up to offer to those who need a fresh ride. Sometimes called, "Frankenstein bikes," they offer an alternative to our National oil dependency as well. Volunteers staff the shop and assemble the bikes for a good time and the warm fuzzies; you could be one! Win, win, win, all the way around!

SO! SATURDAY, FROM 9AM - 3PM AT 425 E ASPEN, home of the BOZEMAN BIKE KITCHEN ! Bring your bikes, bike bits, and anything else still usable from cyclingland! They'll love you and you'll love them! Here's their web addy for more data:

http://www.bozemanbikekitchen.org/

Attached, incidentally, there is a .jpg of Bike Week. Click to enlarge. Free eats and treats all biz week long next week! Enjoy!

tg

Post Script

THIS JUST IN: Le Chatelaine Chocolat Co. announced on their facebook page they will give you a free chocolate for biking over during Bike Week. As my friend said, "those chocolates are very dear," meaning: high end. And, ohhh, so good! Will they give you one every day this week? I don't know! Ask them. They are in the lobby of the Baxter at Willson and Main (opens at 11:30am,) and also at 1516 West Main (opens at 10.)

E-waste Recycling is HERE !

It's here: our BOZEMAN E-WASTE EVENT ! Bring office electronics for recycling April 17 & 18 to the Fairgrounds in Bozeman, Building #3. FRIDAY IS BUSINESSES DAY...please call the Landfill Scalehouse for an appt: 587-7890. SATURDAY IS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC, from 9am to ? They WILL CLOSE BY 2pm, but perhaps earlier if the truck fills.

Told you I'd tell ya!

tg

One Dress

Ahhh...so long since I've posted. Sorry: house-sitting, parent in town, etc. And, this will be a brief.

A while ago I heard about this impressive (to me) project by one woman who made a dress in which to spend an entire calendar year in. Just to prove one could. Rather than reduce, reuse, recycle, our culture leans toward rampant consumerism (in my uneducated opinion.) I have been more than once amazed by current television programming featuring (usually women)(but there must be a male equivalent) with closets full of items they have not even removed the tags from, let alone worn. Let this woman's savvy with accessorizing be our guide: less is more. Click on...

http://www.littlebrowndress.com/

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