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22 Jan 02 - festival reusables; AOL; coffee cups; food; jobs; study groups ** WASTE PREVENTION FORUM ** -- A project of the National Waste Prevention Coalition -------- Forum archive: http://www.reuses.com/nwpcarchive -------------------- The first two postings are in response to the 1/18/02 posting asking if anyone knows of any festivals that use reusable dishware. -------------------- From Rita Smith, Groundwork Communication, Seattle, WA: Vancouver Folk Music Festival in Vancouver, British Columbia, uses reusable plates and encourages participants to use their own mugs. E-mail: RitaSmith7 (AT) aol (DOT) com -------------------- From Christy Halvorson Shelton, Cascadia Consulting Group, Seattle, WA: The Vancouver Folk Music Festival in Vancouver, B.C., uses reusable plastic plates for all its food service. Each vendor serves food on a reusable plate, for which patrons pay a $2 (Canadian) deposit. The money is refunded when the plate is returned to a collection station. The plates are washed and then used again. The system seems to work great, and people are very supportive of it - of course, that's in Canada! The festival also has post-consumer food waste composting and other recycling. I'm sure you could check with the organizers to find out more about how the system works, such as whether a private vendor provides the plate service and other details. I've also heard of other festivals using compostable dishware, but I think that reusable materials are the environmentally preferable option. This festival web page mentions the reusable plate program and has information on the festival's other environmental efforts: http://www.thefestival.bc.ca/social.cfm E-mail: christy (A T) cascadiaconsulting (D O T) com --------------------- From Steve Fisher, recycling program, cities of Edmonds and Lynnwood, WA, following up on the 1/18/02 mention of his suggestion that the plastic cases that America Online uses in its promotional mailings could be reused to store CDs: Like many Forum readers, my brain is geared to look at many waste items with potential reuse in mind. The avalanche of stuff arriving in my snail-mail box actually provides some wonderful scrap that I use in creating artsy cards and such, to exercise my own particular creative side. The AOL black plastic CD cases I can handle, for now. However, this minimal activity does not supercede the whole issue of the amount of waste constantly dumped in our mailboxes. I would rather not receive the promo CDs or anything else unsolicited. Waste prevention rules! E-mail: Fisher (A T) ci (D O T) edmonds (D O T) wa (D O T) us --------------------- From Katie Renz, environmental studies student, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA: I am an environmental studies student at UC Santa Cruz currently beginning a group project about disposable paper coffee cups. Specifically, we are researching the life cycle (raw material usage, energy input, waste stream) of the coffee cup, surveying customers and shop owners to develop incentives to use reusable alternatives, and looking at the idea of a "throwaway society" and the myths surrounding "convenience." I am wondering if anyone has any information, suggestions, or ideas that could help us along on our project. Anything would be greatly appreciated. Also, in connection with this project, I will be researching for an individual paper about creative, non-typical ways grassroots environmental organizations have conveyed their ideas to a general public (for example, the Campus Recycling Center at Humboldt collected paper coffee cups used on campus, strung them together, and displayed them around the school). If you have any accounts of such events or methods, I would appreciate it if you could send them to me. Thank you! E-mail: wrens ( A T ) onemain ( D O T ) com --------------------- From Susan Salterberg, Center for Energy & Environmental Education, University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, IA, responding to the 1/18/02 posting seeking information on strategies to reduce waste (commercial packaging and other waste streams) in grocery stores: The only thing I know is that groups like the Iowa Network for Community Agriculture (and the entire national network of community-supported agriculture groups) are promoting the purchase of locally grown and organic foods. Great stuff. Iowa's Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship is involved, too, so I imagine similar state departments are involved around the country. The University of Northern Iowa has also developed a 3-panel tabletop display on the "value of food," that tries to get at some of these issues. You can access it on the web at: http://www.uni.edu/ceee Click on "Programs," then scroll down and click on "Simple Living Initiatives." Then click on "Displays" and scroll down and click on "You are what you eat." E-mail: ssalter [ A T ] netins [ D O T ] net --------------------- From John Okun, New York Wa$teMatch, Industrial & Technology Assistance Corporation, New York, NY: JOB OPENINGS New York Wa$teMatch's (NYWM's) mission is to foster environmentally sound economic development through innovative waste reduction and resource recovery strategies. Our materials management services, in addition to our education and research and development projects, merge environmental responsibility with sensible business practices, guiding New York's businesses towards a sustainable future. Services include a citywide materials exchange, waste reduction technical assistance and environmentally preferable purchasing programs. NYWM focuses on secondary commodities, surplus inventory, and used equipment and furnishings markets. Two NYWM position openings are now available. One is for a Materials Placement / Outreach & Education Coordinator and the other is for a Materials Placement/ Research Coordinator. Salaries are expected to be in the mid-30's. Interested applicants should send a cover letter and resume to: John Okun, Program Director New York Wa$teMatch Industrial & Technology Assistance Corporation (ITAC) 253 Broadway, Room 302 New York, New York 10007 Phone: 212-442-5219 Fax: 212-442-4567 E-mail: jokun (AT) itac (DOT) org Website: http://www.wastematch.org -------------------- Link to information on new On-Line Study Groups for the nine-step program in the book, "Your Money Or Your Life" (forwarded by Marcia Rutan): http://www.simpleliving.net/olsg This program is designed to help people live more personally fulfilling and ecologically sustainable lives by transforming their relationship with money. The website and study groups are sponsored by Simple Living Network, the New Road Map Foundation and Financial Integrity Associates. One group starts this week and two others start in February. There is a fee to participate in the study groups. - end -