recycle2shop.com

Meet an environmental scientist who is practising what he preaches.  He lives in a straw bale house, off grid; he is involved in a sustainable community of like minded people (in Arizona); his blog is full of  knowledge on how to establish community wherever we live with whatever life skills and resources we have to offer - taking the 100 mile economy one logical step further.

Circuit Board Frames

Thank you to Keith Farnish and his Earth Blog for this connection.  Keith is an environmental writer and activist living and working in the UK.

Success in an earth friendly world is to see a conference about landfill and recycling,  headlined as “Zero Waste”.

The Recycling Council of British Columbia is hosting May 25 weekend in Whistler, BC for all waste management professionals.  This means that local government officials/officers will hear speakers talking about  ’Zero Waste and Closed Loop Recycling” as the targets for producers as well as tax funded waste systems.

Gwynne Dyer and his words of wisdom: On a different but related topic I found a video of Gwynne Dyer on Transition Towns website  this is for those of us who missed his visit.

The ‘Transition Movement’ started in England as a way to engage local communities in making real changes to their dependence on fossil fuels and dwindling resources; and they have come to Victoria.  My Fernwood neighborhood has already started working groups.  What makes Transition Towns a successful model is it involves community leaders, businesses and organizations in cooperatively seeking practical steps and actions to “localize” communities into a “powered down” future.

The Sierra Club in Victoria, BC is holding an open house at their 733 Johnson Street Headquarters this Thursday (Feb 18) from 430 to 630.

They have made a clear and accessible video about our Pacific Northeast Ocean health.Sierra Club on YouTube

Such a title - this subject may not excite your brain cells but is riveting stuff to a self confessed recycling and composting nerd.

Victoria, BC and the CRD (Capital Regional District) are gradually leading us toward curbside collection of green waste.  We are running out of room for landfill, (after all we are an island) and landfill leachate contaminates our water supply…see the latest studies at the CRD website.

Ontario cities are taking lessons learned from Europe and building (since 2003) successful solid waste recycling programs.  Solid Waste & Recycling Magazine has some fascinating (remember, the nerd enthusiasm is at work here) videos.

So hurry up Victoria and get on board.

Central Middle School in Victoria, BC has gone Eco in a big way.  They are recycling everything in the school - they are even composting the kids’ leftovers, a prime example of their dedication.

We have a  great resource for composting information and supplies right here in Victoria: The Compost Education Centre.  Every Spring they host a plant sale, with many unusual herbs and vegetables - organically and locally grown.

Carless in Victoria is possible because we have user friendly public transport AND I live in funky Fernwood, which means I can walk, bike or bus to downtown under half an hour.  Walking to town is a pleasant 30 minute stroll along tree lined residential roads.  I sound like an advert for the tourist board! 

When I need a car (especially for transporting Recycle2shop’s ’stuff’ to market) I walk 3 blocks to pick up my Victoria Carshare Coop truck or car.

Took the bus to town the other day (raining the proverbial) and the bus driver was amazing - yes, he actually waited for the less able to sit down before he took off and he slowly braked when coming up to a stop - sometimes we look like a bunch of drunks waiting to get off,  a tad unsteady on the feet as some drivers like to think they are on a rally course.  I feel like a ‘grumpy old woman’ some days when a passenger who obviously needs to sit is left standing by some lumpen’ youth (see what I mean about ‘grumpy’).  However, on that same bus trip one young man after another stood up with alacrity when the need arose-astonishing.  Obviously our bus driver’s considerate ‘aura’ was leaking out to the rest of us.

Try out the bus system, leave your car at home and take part in a really interesting bus ride.

OK, here’s the deal - only good news about recycling will appear on these pages.  2009 was enough doom and gloom for a lifetime.  I won’t go all ‘Pollyanna’  here - I figure we all know what’s up or should that be ‘down’ (my baaaad sense of humour will not change, of course).

So the first bit of  good news rumour is that the UK environment minister, Tony Benn (the last of the socialist ministers to survive in the labour party) has announced that there are plans to divert food waste from landfill.  Lead the way Tony. 

Stay tuned for [re]jeanius.  All will be revealed in the next installment.

The anti’s are at it again - every time there is an international platform for climate discussion the skeptics ramp up their attacks.  The skeptics are supported by the corporations’ self interest vs climate research scientists supported by - um - who? Universities?  Magical thinking (ignoring all evidence hoping for a wishful outcome) will lead us to the Earth as an organism (Gaia Theory) getting rid of us and leaving cockroaches in charge.

OK that’s my one and only political rant for the year!

Let’s just keep on recycling and making our local environment a whole lot cleaner.

Spent the last weekend at the BC Womens Show at the Pearkes Centre.  It was way too nice out for people to be stuck indoors.  The few that did attend were all very interested in products made from recycled materials (known in the ‘trade’ as ‘recyclates’).  Surprise and delight being the main reactions - yes, recycled can be elegant, trendy and sophisticated.

My Bokashi composter is working a treat. If it’s the 2nd Saturday this week then it must be recycling day down at the Fernwood Community - that’s for my bags of plastic bags and tetra packs (Recycle2shop sells Christmas ornaments made from those Tetra Packs).  These pretty vases/T-light covers are remade from coloured recycled plastic bags for sale on our ebay store.