WASTE PREVENTION FORUM ARCHIVE   BACK TO ARCHIVE INDEX

02 Jun 99 - master composters; exchanges; crafts; paint ** WASTE PREVENTION FORUM ** -- A project of the National Waste Prevention Coalition --------------------- >From Ann Schneider, University of California Santa Cruz Extension, Business Environmental Assistance Center (BEAC), Santa Clara, CA: HOW MANY MASTER COMPOSTER PROGRAMS ARE THERE IN CALIFORNIA AND THE U.S.? I am trying to create a list of individuals and organizations that either pay for or coordinate Master Composter programs. I would like to start an Internet discussion group on various aspects of developing, expanding and maintaining a vibrant program and dedicated volunteers, and try to calculate the diversion impact of home and commercial and school on-site composting. If you know of people/organizations that conduct Master Composter training, could you please send their contact information to me? If you know their e-mail address, that would be great, as I see this as an Internet discussion group with maybe an annual meeting at the California Resource Recovery Association (CRRA) conference, or maybe the National Recycling Congress, if this becomes a national activity. I have also found a number of partners from outside the solid waste and recycling field whose work complements Master Composters, including: -- The California State Department of Education, which has a goal to put a garden in every school by the year 2000 (to teach nutrition, but they include composting in their training materials); -- Stormwater pollution prevention programs trying to keep pesticides from waterways by getting the public to reduce chemical uses (fits nicely with composting), so they are implementing integrated pest management training like Master Composter training; and -- Sewage treatment plants (trying to get folks to stop using garbage disposals because their plant is over their BOD, or Biochemical Oxygen Demand, requirements). I find this cross-environmental programming exciting and want to see if others share my enthusiasm. We will be having our first discussion of cross-programming at the CRRA conference on Tuesday, June 8th in San Francisco at 10:45 a.m. If you are attending, please join us. Please provide any data on how many Master Composters you've trained, number of workshops, number of people reached, how you advertise, guesstimate on diversion, etc. Please talk about your video and the other training materials that you've developed. Also please bring samples of your materials for "sharing." Ann Schneider, UCSC-BEAC, 3120 De la Cruz Blvd., Santa Clara, CA, 95054, phone (408)566-4562. E-mail: aschneid (AT) cats (DOT) ucsc (DOT) edu --------------------- >From Tom Watson, Waste Prevention Forum moderator: In the 5/27/99 edition of the Forum, we gave the address for an Internet website that lists material exchanges. I have since heard that some of those listings may be out of date. Below is another website that lists materials exchanges around the world. It's part of Recycler's World, a commercial website. These listings may be more current. At this site, if you click on what looks like a link, it goes to a listing for the exchange, not the exchange's website (although the listing may include a link to the exchange's website, if they have one). http://www.recycle.net/recycle/exch/index.html --------------------- >From Sarah Grimm, Bring Recycling, Eugene, OR, responding to 5/27/99 posting about a website with ideas for crafts made of reused materials: Thanks for the great new craft site!! Here's a couple more to share! This first one has been my favorite for a while -- it even has a trash matcher: - http://users.hsonline.net/kidatart/ (Imagination Factory, Columbus, IN) - http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/7925/recycle.html - http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/7925/kids.html (connected with above site) E-mail: bring [AT] efn [DOT] org --------------------- Below is the "Paint Smart!" website, part of the site for the Local Hazardous Waste Management Program in King County, WA. It includes a calculator so that you can buy exactly the amount of paint that you need, and also has tips on how to use up leftover paint: http://www.metrokc.gov/hazwaste/house/paint.html - end -