Do we really need to buy all these gifts?
How are you feeling this holiday season. A little stressed or overwhelmed trying to figure out what to get everyone. Below is a link to an article about how we can bring more meaning to the holidays than just buying something for someone who probably doesn’t even need it.
How about doing things for people instead? Or making things. I plan to make some things with my kids. It will be quality time spent as a family and I think the gifts will mean more. There is also the idea of doing things for people. Offering to babysit or to prepare a meal. Taking your parents or grandparents out to lunch. Planning a mini-vacation with extended family.
And then there is whole idea of doing some volunteer work. Helping out some needy people. Doing something good in your community. Check out the following article having to do with thinking differently about gift giving for the holidays.
http://www.grist.org/feature/2007/11/20/say-no/?source=weekly
RI Businesses Get Free Recycling for Electronics
CONTACT: Sarah Kite, 942-1430 x112
R.I. BUSINESSES GET FREE OFFER FOR 11/14
Recycle computer and electronic waste courtesy of RIRRC, Arpin Van Lines
JOHNSTON, R.I. (November 6, 2008) – In commemoration of Rhode Island Recycles Week, Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation will host a special electronic waste recycling collection for local businesses.
The free computer recycling collection will be held on November 14 from 8:00 a.m. to noon at Arpin Van Lines, 99 James P. Murphy Highway, West Warwick. Companies that need to recycle more than 50 items may contact Arpin at 884-0321 to arrange for a free pick-up.
Items that are eligible for recycling are CPUs, servers, network equipment, routers, telephones, radios, scanners, keyboards, monitors, laptops, mouse devices, laser printers, fax machines, cables and wire, cell phone, window air conditioner units and uninterruptible power supplies (UPS).
Arpin and Cartridge World RI/Office Recycling Solutions are working with RIRRC to ensure that the business waste will be recycled appropriately.
“On any given day, Rhode Island businesses must pay special recycling vendors to discard their electronic waste. On November 14, they’ll get to recycle all that unwanted and broken equipment for free,” said Mike OConnell, executive director of RIRRC. “It’s a bargain, and we encourage business owners to take advantage of this opportunity to divert the sometimes-hazardous material from the Central Landfill to the much better alternative – recycling.
RIRRC is the state environmental agency dedicated to providing the pubic with environmentally sound programs and facilities to manage solid waste. The agency funds and manages the state’s recycling program, and owns and operated the Central Landfill and Materials Recycling Facility in Johnston. For more information, visit rirrc.org.
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Beth Bailey
Vice President/Director of Public Relations
RDW Group, Inc.
125 Holden Street
Providence, RI 02908
401-521-2700 x162
RESOURCE RECOVERY FREE TV & COMPUTER RECYCLING ON
RFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE DISCONTINUE AFTER FEBRUARY 2, 2009 Contact: Sarah Kite, 401-942-1430 x 112
RESOURCE RECOVERY FREE TV & COMPUTER RECYCLING ON 2/7 Make Eco-Depot Appointment JOHNSTON, R.I. (January 16, 2009) – On Saturday, February 7, Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation will hold a TV, computer, and e-waste recycling collection from 8:00 a.m. to noon at the Central Landfill in Johnston. Resource Recovery will also collect household hazardous waste through its Eco-Depot service. Appointments are required for Eco-Depot but not for e-waste. Neither can be put in the trash, so this service is necessary for all Rhode Islanders who need to discard these types of wastes. Both collections are free. Resource Recovery accepts all types of broken and antiquated computer products including CPUs, monitors, printers, keyboards, laptops, hard drives, scanners, modems, and mouse devices. Effective February 1, Resource Recovery has suspended charging residents $5 for recycling televisions. Nearly all households have some hazardous waste stored in sheds, garages, and basements. Products such as fluorescent light bulbs, oil-based paints, insecticides, and propane gas tanks cannot be mixed with household trash and must be disposed via Eco-Depot. The products typically have warning labels marked “flammable,” “combustible,” “explosive,” or “corrosive.” They are banned from landfill disposal, can pose a risk to human and animal health, and may pollute the environment if discarded improperly. Call 942-1430 x241 for an Eco-Depot appointment or sign up online at www.rirrc.org and click on the Eco-Depot logo on the right-hand side of the page. Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation is the quasi-state environmental agency dedicated to providing the public with environmentally sound programs and facilities to manage waste. The agency helps fund and promote the state’s recycling program, and owns and operates the Materials Recycling Facility and Central Landfill in Johnston.
Rhode Island Recycles Analog TVs
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Sarah Kite, 401-942-1430 x112
RECYCLING UNWANTED ANALOG TVs A MUST
Recycle retired televisions for free at RIRRC
JOHNSTON, R.I. (January 12, 2009) – Analog televisions are the modern equivalent of the 8-track player but at least the analogs can have a second life. And Resource Recovery is making it easy on the wallet by waiving the $5 recycling fee starting February 1.
Unwanted analog televisions can be recycled at Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation, and the service is limited to Rhode Island residents only.
Many Rhode Islanders are expected to replace their analog TVs because of the federal requirement for local TV stations to discontinue broadcasting analog TV signals. February 17 marks the last day of analog transmission.
“If you choose to buy a new TV rather than buy a digital converter box for your analog, please recycle the old TV at RIRRC,” said Mike O’Connell, executive director of RIRRC. “Actually, it is the only disposal option. As of January 31st, land-filling televisions is banned in Rhode Island.”
The televisions’ cathode ray tubes contain lead and other hazardous substances that threaten human health. They cannot be put in curbside trash.
RIRRC holds special Saturday collections throughout the year at the Central Landfill and at other locations throughout the state for electronic waste. The Saturday collections for the next six months are: February 7, April 25, May 9, June 13 and June 20 in Johnston; March 28 in Smithfield; April 18 in Middletown; and May 16 in Narragansett. Computers and cell phones may also be recycled at no cost at these collections. Appointments are not necessary.
Visit www.rirrc.org for more information about recycling electronics and the entire 2009 calendar.
Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation is the quasi-state environmental agency dedicated to providing the public with environmentally sound programs and facilities to manage waste. The agency helps fund and promote the state’s recycling program, and owns and operates the Materials Recycling Facility and Central Landfill in Johnston
The holidays and Mother Nature
Here is a feature article authored by Sarah Kite, Director of Recycling Services at Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation, about how to get rid of holiday waste properly.
The 12 Wastes of Christmas
RIRRC Shares Tips for a Greener Christmas
You shop. You mail. You cook. You wrap. You give. And in the process of giving, you generate waste. The time between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day sees the highest volume of trash in local landfills. Last year, the Central Landfill in Johnston experienced a 29 percent increase in waste during this time period. So instead of giving the Central Landfill your annual “gifts” of wrapping paper, Styrofoam peanuts and poinsettias, here’s some advice on reducing your trash.
12 plastic shopping bags. Keep your baggage to a minimum. Make sure to have reusable bags in your car for those spur of the moment shopping trips. But, if you find yourself starting to accumulate plastic bags, recycle them in ReStore bins. These bins are located in supermarkets and other retail stores throughout R.I. For sites, go to rirrc.org/restore.
11 bows and ribbons. Have you heard that thrifty is the new black? Collect ribbons or bows from gifts and reuse them next year. For your own gifts, tie environment friendly alternatives such as pine cones, candy canes, bells, or old ornaments to your gifts. This will give them a more personalized look.
10 pounds of food waste. All food preparation yields waste. Apple cores, potato peelings, egg shells, coffee grinds and the like are organic and should be composted instead of mixed with trash. Can’t make it out to the backyard right away? Fill a zippered plastic bag with food waste and freeze it. Your nutrient-rich compost will be a lasting gift to your flower beds.
9 champagne bottles. Whatever your poison, chances are its container is recyclable. Champagne and wine bottles, as well as beer cans and bottles, eggnog cartons, milk & cream cartons, soda bottles, and cider jugs can all be recycled in blue bins.
8 miles of wrapping paper. More than 8,800 tons of gift wrap are used each year by consumers during the holiday season. Sadly, the life cycle is only a few days. When opening gifts, collect the torn gift wrap in brown-paper, leaf-and-yard waste bags (no bows or ribbons, please). Leave the bag at the curb beside your green bin and all that paper will be recycled. For your own gift-giving, use gift bags. The holiday patterns never go out of style and are easily reusable.
7 gift and cardboard boxes. Online shopping is convenient, but it often results in an abundance of corrugated cardboard boxes. Give them extra life by reusing them as gift boxes. If you have no secondary use for them, flatten them out and recycle. If they are longer than six feet, cut them down and tie them up with string; otherwise they won’t fit in the recycling truck.
6 bundles of greeting cards. Isn’t it nice to get something in the mail other than a bill? Continue the good feelings of your friends and family by recycling the envelopes and cards in your green bins. Or, for those crafty people out there, cut off the front of the card and re-use it as a gift tag.
5 lumps of coal. If Santa gave you coal, it might be a hint from him to reform your naughty anti-environment practices. Use that coal to add a smile to your snowman, and promise to adopt one new earth-friendly practice in 2009. For suggestions, go to thedailygreen.com.
4 dried-up decorations. Once your holiday greenery (wreaths, boughs, poinsettias, and boxwoods) dries up and turns brown, remove the wiring, bows, foil wrap and decorations and add them to your compost bin.
3 holiday catalogs. More than two million tons of direct mail winds up in the trash each year. You can recycle all of those catalogs, flyers, coupons and special mailers by putting them in your green bin. Even better, cut down on unwanted mail by delisting yourself at dmaconsumers.org. If concerns about identity theft keep you awake at night, rip off the address page and shred it before recycling the rest of the catalog.
2 mountains of bubble wrap. Save packing materials for future mailings. Or, you can donate the Styrofoam peanuts and bubble wrap to a local pack-and-ship businesses. Call 800-828-2214 for the nearest location.
1 brown Christmas tree. Cut Christmas trees are accepted free of charge at RIRRC. Most RI municipalities designate a certain week for tree pick-ups after the holidays. Contact your local department of public works for more information. Resource Recovery chips the trees so they can live again as mulch and compost.
This holiday season, be sure to add one more person to your gift list: Mother Nature.
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Simple Energy Saving Tips
Simple Energy Saving Tips
Change the filter on your furnace
Change some lightbulbs to the compact florescent type
Put plastic on drafty windows
Use a ceiling fan at a slow, reverse direction setting to help circulate heat
Wrap your water heater with a water heater blanket
Patch leaky forced hot air ducts
Trash clean up – Clean the Bay Rhode Island
A Green Spotlight… Clean The Bay
1 Patrol Road
North Kingstown, RI 02852
Website: cleanthebay.org
Email: info@cleanthebay.org
Phone: 741-8749 or 413-3236
To Volunteer use the contact information above.
Clean the Bay is an organization that, until recently, I never even knew existed. I became aware of this organization from a radio talk-show and checked out their website at cleanthebay.org.
In 2005, Capt. Alan Wentworth and Capt. Ed Hughes decided to take action based on concerns about the amount of trash that has accumulated along the Narragansett Bay shoreline. The two captains showed their survey report to anyone that would listen. As a result, ridding the Bay of debris has become a priority for local/state/ federal agencies and officials.
In 2006 Clean the Bay teamed up with the DEM to apply for federal grant funds and secured a $150,000 grant for what was to be called Clean Sweep I. This first phase cleanup began in August 2006 and focused on three priority Bay areas: Greenwich Bay, Metro Bay, and the Bay Islands, and West Aquidneck Island shoreline. More than 1,000 tons of debris were removed – including three barges, more than 18 derelict boats, over 100 lobster pots, yards of abandoned fishing gear, many telephone poles and other debris.
In October of this year, Clean the Bay started on the second phase of this cleanup initiative by securing a $170,000 grant. This grant is the second largest community-based marine debris prevention and removal grant in the nation. Clean Sweep II will expand the cleanup of large, medium, and small debris to include an additional 86 miles of shoreline. Theses additional areas include Barrington, Bristol, Warren, and areas of Warwick, East Providence, Jamestown, Newport, Middletown and Portsmouth.
Volunteers play an important role in meeting the goals of Clean The Bay. Contact info@cleanthebay.org for more information about volunteering and to receive email alerts of upcoming events (see contact info above).
The Apeiron Institute for Environmental Living
MISSION
The mission of the Apeiron Institute For Environmental Living is to create ecologically healthy communities by bringing sustainable living practices from around the world to Southeastern New England. We support and facilitate projects, ideas and practices that advocate for environmentally friendly building, renewable energy, sustainable agriculture and business practices and integration of sustainability into all aspects of society.
Response from Mary Ellen at the Apeiron Institute
Thanks so much for your interest in getting involved, and for your kind offer of support! Basically, we are a non-profit environmental organization specializing in education on sustainable living for people of all ages. We run after-school and in-school programs for K-12th graders, as well as adult workshops on anything from learning to build with straw bales to identifying wild edible plants. Our big event of the year is our Sustainable Living Festival & Clean Energy Expo, when we pack 40 different workshops, 20 musical and performing groups, 70 vendors, and more into a full day’s event. We also lead the Sustainable RI Initiative, which seeks to make RI the nation’s first model “sustainable” state, in every aspect from having a good public transit system, locally grown organic foods, clean and thriving natural resources, renewable energy sources, and high-performance buildings. We also host several websites that are great resources, including the Sustainable RI Directory, which is an online directory listing local businesses, organizations, and individuals who are somehow working towards sustainability.
There are many ways to get involved with Apeiron, although we don’t have a very good structure for that right now. We have one-day volunteer opportunities a few times a year that we publicize on our email list, including our upcoming Fall Garden Clean-up and Work Day on Saturday, October 13th, when we’ll be preparing the garden beds and grounds for the winter and doing some light carpentry and painting work on the house. We do have longer-term volunteer opportunities, like working on our website directory, organizing aspects of the Sustainable RI Initiative, basic office help, or helping out with different events, and I could tell more about these things if you’re interested.
I hope this info is helpful, and I appreciate your support! Let me know if you’d like to come to the volunteer day this Saturday, or if there is any other way that you’d like to become involved. I hope to meet you sometime in the future! Keep up the great work with Green Living RI!
Take care,
Maryellen Snyder
AdministrativeAssistant
The Apeiron Institute For Environmental Living
17 Gordon Avenue, Suite 208
Providence, RI 02905
T 401-228-7930
info@apeiron.org
www.apeiron.org
Organic Compost
Earth Care Farm
A complete, diversified family-operated
organic farm
89 Country Drive, Charlestown, RI 02813 :: (401) 364-9930
Mon-Fri 8:30 am to 4:00 pm
Saturday 8:30 am to 12:00
earthcarefarm’s website
Earth Care Farm is a certified organic farm through the Rhode Island Division of Agriculture. The farm produces high quality farm-made compost and has been doing so for 28 years. Gardeners big and small rely upon this compost to enrich their soil naturally.
The seedling branch of Earth Care Farm grows organic vegetable, herb, and flower plants for the home gardener. The plants are started from seed and the potting is a rich blend of Earth Care Farm compost and other ingredients certified for organic use. According to Earth Care Farm’s website, earthcarefarm.com, seedlings are available from mid-May through the first week in June.
Helpf from a landscape designer
Update on Cris Larson – The Garden Consultant and Landscape Designer – May 2008
2008 is turning out to be a great year! The Garden Consultant wins Second Place for the RINLA Flower Show Exhibit in Non Profit! Cristin Larson is named 2008’s Young Nursery Professional for Rhode Island by the New England Nursery Assoc. and wins First Place for 2007’s RINLA Excellence Awards in landscape design. Lastly, Cristin Larson is now the Vice President for the Rhode Island Nursery and Landscape Assoc.!
Coming up with a good landscape plan can be a daunting task. There are many things to consider. What can I plant that is native to this area? Should I plant things that are drought tolerant? Do I want color at different times of the year? Do I want some evergreens? What will the mature plantings look like?
About 4 years ago I faced this challenge. I didn’t want to just throw something together so I needed help. My first step was to do an Internet search for landscape design in RI. I was lucky to come across the website of Cristin Larson, The Garden Consultant and Landscape Designer. With tape recorder in hand, Cris came to my home and viewed my planting area. She asked lots of questions; very thoughtful ones so that she could design a plan to meet my specific needs. After spending about an hour with me Cris got to work listening to our taped conversation. The end result was a computer file (Power Point) containing pictures of each planting suggested and tips for their care.
Now I had the info I needed to head to the nursery and start planting. And 4 years later I love my front yard. Overall, I was very impressed and to this day I continue to recommend the services of Cris Larson, The Garden Consultant and Landscape Designer.
