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21 Sep 04 - Epson; bottles; ReadyMade; games; compost; P2; consuming
** WASTE PREVENTION FORUM **
-- A project of the National Waste Prevention Coalition
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Forum archive: http://www.nwpcarchive.org
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Excerpted from a message from Lisa Friend, RE Sources, Bellingham, WA:
It seems that the printer manufacturer Epson doesn't allow their ink
cartridges to be refilled; they are burned instead. I thought folks in the
reuse movement might like to know. A recent posting in the "GreenYes"
listserv quoted someone with the Funding Factory (which helps schools and
non-profit organizations raise funds by collecting cartridges for reuse and
recycling) as saying that, unlike other companies the Funding Factory deals
with, Epson does not allow their cartridges to be remanufactured, so those
are sent for incineration (with energy recovery).
In this 9/14/04 Epson press release, Epson describes this incineration of
their cartridges as recycling:
http://www.epson.com/cmc_upload/pdf/FundingFactoryFinalRelease.pdf
E-mail: recycle (A T) re-sources (D O T) org
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From Karen Hales, North Carolina, responding to the news item posted 9/9/04
about the new "aluminum bottle" for beer, which weighs more than a regular
aluminum can of the same size, and also may be worse environmentally than
the glass bottle:
About the new aluminum bottles - Aren't they better than plastic?
E-mail: kphales (AT) mindspring (DOT) com
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From Sasha Illahee Pollack, Portland area, Oregon:
The magazine "ReadyMade" has several features in it reusing things that
might otherwise be thrown away. Each month they have a "MacGyver" feature
encouraging people to send in submissions on new uses for "junk" (this
month's turns a plastic berry basket and yogurt container into a bird
feeder).
http://www.readymademag.com/feature_13_macgyver.php
They also highlight projects they have designed reusing items, such as the
lamp from a CD spindle this month. Check it out.
http://www.readymademag.com/feature_13_cdlamp.php
E-mail: sillahee [ A T ] yahoo [ D O T ] com
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Excerpted from a column by Michelle Slatalla in the 9/9/04 New York Times:
LOSE PIECES FROM A GAME? DON'T THROW IT AWAY!
On the Internet, it's possible to buy replacement parts for nearly any board
game imaginable. For Hasbro games, for example, go to their replacement
parts web page:
http://www.hasbro.com/pl/page.replacement_parts/dn/default.cfm
(Click on
the scroll-down menus for game titles.) Hasbro, which owns Milton Bradley
and Parker Brothers, sells replacement parts for hundreds of games it
currently makes. A full set of Scrabble tiles is $6.50, including shipping
and handling. A full set of Clue mini-weapons, including the rope, the
candlestick, the revolver and dice, costs $3.50. Mr. Potato Head's mustache
is $1. His tongue, $1.50. My only quibble was that this website was not
compatible with a Macintosh computer. A Hasbro Games spokesman said he had
not heard of this glitch before but would look into it.
At another website, run by board-game lover Charlie Morgan -
http://www.gameparts.org - shoppers can search a
database of dealers to find replacement parts for discontinued games.
Selling replacement parts online for discontinued games is a growing niche
industry, said Terry Lewis, who owns another parts website,
http://www.gamepart.com Lewis sells replacement
parts for discontinued games like Park and Shop, Miss Popularity, Which
Witch? and Mystery Date, a 1960's game in which the object was to land a
handsome escort for the evening while avoiding the poorly-dressed "dud."
"Mystery Date was politically incorrect but one of my favorites," I told
Lewis, who has some Mystery Date pawns for sale ($10 each).
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Link to an 8/25/04 press release from Sharp Corporation announcing a new
appliance product, the Household Kitchen Waste Composter (forwarded by
Dwight Mercer):
http://sharp-world.com/corporate/news/040825.html
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Link to a 9/1/04 press release describing the 2004 recipients of the Most
Valuable Pollution Prevention awards, presented by the National Pollution
Prevention (P2) Roundtable:
http://www.p2.org/p2week/2004Winners.cfm
The awards are just one aspect
of National P2 Week, held every third full week in September, this year from
the 20th to the 26th. For more information on P2 Week, see:
http://www.p2.org/p2week/about.cfm
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Excerpted from a 9/11/04 syndicated column by Washington Post personal
finance columnist Michelle Singletary:
MOST OF US COULD DO WITH A LOT LESS EXCESS
My recent move reformed me. I realize now I need to work harder at
simplifying my life. I need to get rid of stuff. I need to buy less. If you
want to join me in this simplicity movement, then read "Nothing's Too Small
to Make a Difference" by Wanda Urbanska and Frank Levering (John F. Blair
publisher, $21.95).
In their quest to simplify their lives, Urbanska and Levering left Los
Angeles in 1986 and moved to Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains just north of
Mount Airy, NC, to manage Frank's family orchard. The authors are part of a
network of simplicity advocates who are trying to get all of us to slow down
and lessen the environmental impact of our consumption-oriented lifestyle. I
met Wanda and Frank when they came to interview me for a new Public
Broadcasting Service (PBS) series they put together called "Simple Living
with Wanda Urbanska." The series offers common-sense tips on how to budget
your time and money. Urbanska and Levering's book is a companion volume to
the series.
If you feel overwhelmed with stuff either on your day planner or in your
home, you should read the book and watch this series (check your local
listings for the show). In their book, Urbanska and Levering write:
"Lifestyle simplification invariably cycles back to stewardship of your
time, your money and the environment. It involves making thoughtful choices
about what you buy and consume and how you relate to others."
In bite-size chapters, Urbanska and Levering make a strong case that we all
can make a difference by taking small steps to achieve a simpler life. "It's
OK to be frugal," Urbanska and Levering write. "Being frugal is not to be
confused with being cheap - with being ungenerous, miserly, Scrooge-like. To
be frugal means to be a thoughtful - not wasteful - consumer, to be smart
about your purchases, and to get good value not only for yourself and your
family but for the health of our planet."
Actually, the couple has a quick and simple way to reduce consumption. Turn
off your television. Where do you think you get the notion to buy things you
don't need? Could it be the commercials you and your children are
overexposed to?
If you're not sure if you need to simplify your life, then answer these few
questions. Do you have a garage but can't park your car (or cars) in it
because of all the junk? Do you have a junk drawer or closet? Do you find
yourself repurchasing things you already have because your refrigerator or
cabinets are too cluttered? Are you worried that your children don't
appreciate the things they have?
The simple truth is, as Urbanska and Levering write, "Too many of us are
consuming recklessly, drowning in stuff." I don't want to drown in stuff
anymore. How about you?
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