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29 Aug 06 - durability; plastics; packaging; food; EcoConsumer; conferences; jobs ** WASTE PREVENTION FORUM ** -- A project of the National Waste Prevention Coalition -------- Forum archive: http://www.nwpcarchive.org --------------------- From Jeff Laufle, Seattle, responding to the 8/4/06 posting saluting a faithful Apple LaserWriter printer that had been purchased in 1990 and finally gave up the ghost: In response to "Ode to a LaserWriter," I can't speak directly to the situation of printers, but it's my impression that many things are less durable and robust than in earlier years. There were some "work-horse" stereo receivers and 35mm cameras made in the '70s that are still around and functioning well; repair people sing their praises if you do need to take them in. We still have a 1970s TV that does fine. Telephone answering machines from the '80s used tape-based analog technology, which provided good results and sound quality as long as their moving parts lasted. Until parts became unavailable, they could be repaired. Today, what answering machines you can find are all junky little digital units with atrocious sound quality and recording capability. The only reason I've been able to come up with for such negligence is that we're expected to sign up and pay a monthly fee for someone else to manage our voice mail. Electronics these days have mushroomed in terms of new features and capabilities, but in general, manufacturing quality and durability of electronic goods is way down, and we all know that many electronic items cannot be repaired at all. Not a good trend, obviously. E-mail: jcl [ A T ] foxinternet [ D O T ] com ---------------------- Link to the "Smart Plastics Guide - Healthier Food Uses of Plastics," an October 2005 four-page brochure from the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, Minneapolis, MN (forwarded by Sarah Grimm): (Note from Sarah: Check out this concrete info sheet about how plastic containers of all sorts may be affecting what we eat and drink from them. Pass it on, especially to young families you know.) http://www.environmentalobservatory.org/library.cfm?refid=77083 ---------------------- Link to a product packaging history lesson plan and exercises for students, from the British Columbia Heritage Websites Program (forwarded by Marcia Rutan): http://collections.gc.ca/generalstore/packaging ---------------------- Link to a 8/2/06 Port of Seattle press release about a new food donation program at Sea-Tac Airport (forwarded by Bob O'Neal): http://www.portseattle.org/news/press/2006/08_02_2006_14.shtml Sea-Tac Airport is the major airport serving the Seattle-Tacoma area. ---------------------- From Tom Watson, King County Solid Waste Division, Seattle, WA, and the National Waste Prevention Coalition: Here's an update on our King County EcoConsumer project (http://www.KCecoconsumer.com). This campaign involves paid TV ads, a newspaper column in the Seattle Times, articles for other publications and websites, radio interviews (11 so far this year), and public presentations. On the website, you can watch the nine different EcoConsumer TV ads (which will run again this winter on KOMO, the ABC affiliate station in Seattle) and see the archive of the newspaper columns. We will also soon be starting an EcoConsumer blog on the website. This project seeks to remind people about all the possibilities for reducing their environmental impact with their daily purchases and activities. We consider this a "gateway" project to steer people to the many great resources available locally (from King County, City of Seattle and others) and nationally. We also try to bring in other partners. For example, this presentation I'm doing Sept. 13 at the main Seattle downtown library (an architecturally-hip, "green" building) is co-sponsored by Seattle Public Library and the Seattle Times: http://www.metrokc.gov/dnrp/swd/ecoconsumer/event-detail.asp?ID=604&Cal= 1 Poster: http://www.metrokc.gov/dnrp/swd/ecoconsumer/documents/Beyond_Recycling-p oster.pdf If you're in the Seattle area, please consider attending this event, or telling people about it who you think might be interested. This presentation will include an open discussion, and we'd love to have as many people as possible be a part of that. Thanks! E-mail: tom ( DOT ) watson ( AT ) metrokc ( DOT ) gov ---------------------- Link to information on waste reduction and other sustainability efforts at the upcoming North American Association for Environmental Education annual conference (forwarded by Susan Salterberg): http://www.naaee.org/conference/greening-the-conference Scroll down and click on "Walking the Talk for Sustainability." The conference will be held Oct. 10-14, 2006, in St. Paul, MN. --------------------- Link to information on West Coast Green, a residential green building conference to be held Sept. 28-30, 2006, in San Francisco (forwarded by Christine Guiao): http://www.westcoastgreen.com ------------------------ Link to a job listing for Executive Director of the Nebraska Environmental Trust, Lincoln, NE (forwarded by Paul Dunn): http://www.environmentaltrust.org The Nebraska Environmental Trust is a state program dedicated to the preservation of Nebraska's natural resources. The Trust provides the seed money needed to preserve critical habitat areas, protect water supplies and establish waste prevention and recycling programs in Nebraska through a combination of lottery proceeds and private donations. The annual salary range for this position is $60,000 to $90,000. The deadline for applications is Sept. 29, 2006. ------------------------ Link to a job listing with Portland Metro for a Principal Solid Waste Planner (forwarded by Meg Lynch): http://www.metro-region.org/article.cfm?articleid=20795 Metro is a regional government agency that operates waste prevention and recycling programs, among other services, in the Portland, Oregon, area. The annual salary range is $60,651 to $81,184. Master's degree required. The deadline for applications is Sept. 22, 2006. ------------------------ Link to a job listing for a program director for reSource, a nonprofit organization in Bend, Oregon (forwarded by David Allaway): http://www.resourceoregon.org/downloads/WS_Job_Description__Announcement _081706_pdf.pdf This person will run "WorkSmart," reSource's business and sustainability program. The purpose of WorkSmart is to build a network of business people and community leaders in central Oregon committed to sustainability. This is a 32-hour-a-week position. The annual salary range is $20,800 to $27,200. The deadline for applications is Sept. 14, 2006. Bend is located in central Oregon, about 160 miles southeast of Portland. ------------------------ Link to a job listing for a Manager in Public Affairs (who will deal with environmental stewardship, among other issues) for the Scotts Miracle-Gro Company in Marysville, Ohio: http://www.scotts.com/scotts-sites/aboutscotts/index.cfm/event/careers To find the posting, search under "Communications," or scroll through to find the "Manager, Public Affairs" job posted Aug. 11, 2006. This is a newly-created position that will play a critical role in "communications programs focused on enhancing the reputation of Scotts Miracle-Gro," according to the job posting. The manager will work on programs on a broad range of issues, including the company's environmental stewardship and community outreach efforts. The manager will help develop "a multi-faceted communications plan aimed at internal and external stakeholders in support of the Company's environmental stewardship and corporate responsibility efforts," including "communications materials that can be supported by both the company and some of its key environmental partners." Scotts Miracle-Gro is the world's largest marketer of branded consumer lawn and garden products, according to the company, with more than $2 billion in annual net sales. The company's headquarters in Marysville, Ohio is about 30 miles northwest of Columbus. The job posting does not list a salary range or application deadline date. (Note from Tom: I realize this job is anathema to many of you who work on natural gardening and related projects. However, I think it is interesting that Scotts is creating a new position like this. It may be a sign that environmental education efforts are making an impact!) - end -