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September has turned out to be a good month thus far…our first 5 choices for Cat of the Month were all adopted!! Yeah!! So…the final runner-up is Charlie, my very own rescue! She is still at home with me…but my cats hate her, it’s really very sad…but she is ready for adoption and looking for a wonderful home. If she could get adopted without even having to go into the cage…I would be uber happy. Pass the word along if you are looking for one cute button!!
8 Ways & Whys to Reuse Plastic
by Raquel Fagan
As many people know, reuse is a step up from recycling. In fact, reuse is the middle-man between reduce and recycle, and some would be surprised at how many opportunities for reuse there really are – once you start looking for them.
We’re not talking about simply covering a bottle in magazine cut-outs, sticking some flowers inside and voilà
- a masterpiece vase is born. There’s more to it.
Though there is always room for easy and fun projects, the reuse that we find most interesting is the kind you can’t tell is reused. There are some quality results that can be achieved, and just like we learned with T-shirts, many products have a lot of reuse potential.
These are our eight creative ways (with a why and how mixed in) to reuse plastic, in all of its forms:
1. Getting Every Drop: Plastic Bottles
These little puppies are everywhere. In fact, they are a valuable part of most U.S. communities’ recycling stream since PET (#1) and HDPE (#2) make up 96 percent of all plastic bottles produced in the U.S. Since 1977, when the first PET bottle was recycled, plastic bottle recycling has increased to more than 2.3 billion pounds annually.
An entry in the design contest Concept Product of 2009, Sarah Turner’s lamp constructed from used drink bottles is an inspiration to say the least. Photo: 19bis.com/objectbis Today, more than 80 percent of communities collect plastic bottles. So, recycling this product is most likely a common practice for most. But if you shoot for more long-term reuse projects, it can definitely be worth it.
- Lamp - Light up your home with some creative artistry. This example from designer Sarah Turner shows how much beauty and polish a reuse project can have.
- Juicer - This simple reuse gadget is inventive, practical and just plain fun. Check out how Jeff Yeager did this one.
- Purse - Still lugging around the cloth purses of yesteryear? Well, welcome to the 21st century with this fabulous reuse trick that is both impressive and practical. Instructables.com has done it again with this funky piece of fashion.
- Everything and then some – Everyone stand back , we saved the best for last: These awesome design ideas cover everything from candle holders to piggy banks.
2. Thinking Twice: Plastic Bags
This plastic product is probably one of the easiest to reuse. Since a typical plastic carryout bag weighs approximately 4 to 5 grams and can hold up to 17 pounds of product – nearly 2,000 times its own weight – they can usually withstand a few rounds as a carrier. But what’s next?
If you do have access to one of the nationwide stores that offers plastic bag recycling, that’s a great option. But if you want to flex a little craft muscle, there are plenty of reuse projects for these bags.
- Messenger bags – Though not that far off from its original use, a messenger or tote bag adds more sturdiness, durability and lifespan to these plastic sacks. Check out the below video by Bre Pettis for more details.
- Yarn – On the same note as fusing plastic layers together (did you watch the video?), you can also get more out of plastic bags by turning them into yarn, and the creative sky’s the limit! Check out Helle Jorgensen blog for step-by-step details.
- Art - As any artist, craftier or school project participant can tell you, art supplies can get pricey. Next time, turn towards your plastic bag drawer and pull at handfuls and handfuls of colorful supplies. As Design-Crisis.com pointed out, Austin artist Virginia Fleck did just that, and they turned out great (if we may say so ourselves).
3. That’s For Real: Styrofoam
Styrofoam, the trademarked product name from the Dow Chemical Company, is the most common type of plastic #6. Because it is most often used in packaging to help insulate and keep delicate things from becoming damaged during transport, everybody deals with Styrofoam at some point. Recycling it, however, can end up being a bit of a challenge.
But the Alliance of Foam Packaging Recyclers reported that 69 million pounds of EPS were recycled in 2008 alone. That’s an astonishing amount considering that EPS is 98 percent air. So, we know that it does happen, but we also know you can sometimes have it around the house and you’re not sure what the next step is.
Like plastic bags, you can turn around and use them as they were intended: to secure your items in storage or send a package or protect your fragile items. If you’ve wrapped and padded every glass item you can get your hands on, and you still have leftovers, here are some things to explore:
- Crafts abound - Remember those Styrofoam molds that you used to make wreaths as a kid? Well, you could use that leftover Styrofoam that came with your new DVD player to do the same thing. To get your creative juices flowing, check out Dow Company’s Web site dedicated to Styrofoam product use.
- Foundations - Along the same lines, utilize those Styrofoam pieces to keep center pieces upright, line planters or elevate trinkets on display. Think back to your school days and solar systems made of Styrofoam. You can stick pretty much anything in it. Go crazy!
- Glue – This one isn’t a promise on our part, but is too intriguing to pass up: Check out tip #4 from this WikiHow page. Our minds are still a bit blown from this one.
4. Get the Dish: To-Go Containers
Single-use plastics such as the kind found in many to-go containers are often not recyclable and are usually discarded after one use. With today’s hefty portions in restaurants, to-go itemspile up. Before any reuse happens with these items, make sure to thoroughly rinse and sanitize so food residue doesn’t spoil your reuse efforts.
- Classic reuse – Having a dinner party, a play date or any function where friends and food is involved? Saving your to-go container from last week’s take-out could provide a free carry-home for your friends and family. Plus, they can keep it, so there isn’t any Tupperware track-down missions the next time you visit their home.
- Seed starters - As any seasoned grower or newbie green thumb knows, getting a garden to start can be the hardest part. That is where germination containers come in handy. They create mini-greenhouses for your seedlings. But why buy when your old to-go containers can work perfectly? Check out this how-to for more details.
- Yarn holders – Though our office isn’t full of knitters, we definitely see the value in organization. And if you’ve ever had to untangle a ball of yarn, you instantly see the value in this one. Make traveling with yarn easier without spending a dime.
5. Perfect Possibilities: Packing Peanuts
The easiest reuse for this plastic is in another package you need to ship. You can also donate them to UPS or other shipping stores, which will gladly reuse the material. Not sure where to go? Call the automated, 24-hour Peanut Hot line at 800-828-2214 to find a site near your residence that will reuse them. Some more crafty reuse projects include:
These little puffs of air and plastic can jump-start your next big reuse idea! Photo: Alex Flury, Wikimedia - Bean bag chair re-stuffing – Though it may seem like a blast from the past, the bean bag chair is still alive and kicking. As anyone who has unknowingly plopped down in a not-so-stuffed one can tell you, they can need some refreshing every now and then. Pass on the “beans” and go for some packing peanuts.
- Pet beds – Got an old pillow cover? Fill it will these little puffed treasures and make a cozy new bed for your pups or kitties.
- Chandeliers - The complexity and skill level on this one can range, but when done to the level that Mollie Dash and her boyfriend Bryan did it, it’s quite a sight!
- Curtains, strings and other things – Classic garland or newfangled strung curtains can easily be the fate of packing peanuts especially when a little paint and a dash of glitter is involved. Though this one is pretty self-explanatory, Danny Seo takes it beyond just packing peanuts and gives more tips on eco-decorating for the events and holidays in general.
6. Buttons, Nails and Thumbtacks (Oh My!): Plastic Food Containers
From yogurt cups to butter tubs (often created from plastic #5), these conveniently shaped little items can easily translate back into food storage containers or used for holding office, craft or home repair supplies. Anything else? Well, since you asked…
- Car cup holder - Not sure how well this may translate to your vehicle, however it was worth sharing. This take on reuse is pretty darn inventive.
- Planters plus more - We have all seen the random container-become-a-vase-or-planter trick, but this one has a little reuse duality to it. For all you knitters or crocheters out there, take those swatch samples and cover your plastic containers, creating both function and form in one foul sweep. Kristin Roach at Craft did just that, and we think it has some potential.
- Too cute to not mention – While not the most necessary of items, Michelle at Her Cup Overfloweth breaks down how to create fuzzy little characters out of your old yogurt cups. This would be a perfect project for the kids or creative minds in your life. Don’t have a puppet theater of your own? Don’t let that stop you! Share this cuteness by making a series of these little guys and donating them to a local school, day care or library.
7. Doing the Math
You never know how much you can save practicing reuse until you try. Set a goal and see how close you can get! Photo: Channel4.com The best part of reuse? You already own it! That means anything you do above and beyond its original use is money in the bank. Not so sure? Well let’s just sample a few of the above projects and get out the old calculator.
Remember, the point of reuse is to not go with the new, but the old. So, we’re going to assume that other items around the house were also utilized in your projects, in turn, having new expenses total a nice, fat zero.
- $11 (four pack of new, 4 oz. food storage containers)
- $14.86 (two bags of new packing peanuts)
- $7.95 (a new seed starting tray)
- $11.24 (a new car cup holder)
- $16.95 (manual citrus juicer)
- $12.94 (your own collection of fuzzy finger puppets)
Total savings of $74.94
While that may not break the bank, it’s a nice chunk of change that could be used to invest in your organic garden, buy some monthly passes for public transit or maybe a few resources on more reuse and reduction ideas!
8. Hitting the Books
Caught the reuse bug? Well plastic is just the beginning. There are multiple ways to approach any trash problem, and reuse is just one of them. Check out the books and DVDs below to find out more ways to expand your use of what is often thrown away:
- The Bag Book: Over 500 Great Uses and Reuses for Paper, Plastic and Other Bags to Organize and Enhance Your Life Written by Vicki Lansky and illustrated by Martha Campbell
- Using Trash: How You Can Rethink, Recycle, Reuse, Reduce, Recycle and Rebuild; The Little Book of Exploration Scholastic, developed in cooperation with Cosi, Ohio’s Center of Science and Industry
- Renovation Nation: Recycle, Reuse and Reclaim DVD: Gaiam
- Don’t Throw It Out: Recycle, Renew and Reuse to Make Things Last By Lori Baird, Editors of Yankee Magazine
Homepage image courtesy of SOCIALisBETTER via Flickr.
Well, after a wonderfully short 6 days as our August Cat of the Month, Cosmo was adopted!! He was a beautiful old soul, 10 years! He has been with us for a little bit now, so this is wonderful news. So…our dear little miss Julie is getting a second month in the spotlight. Shes a very beautiful little girl who just wants some friends to play with and cuddle up to. Are you that person? Know someone who is? Help get Julie adopted!! Our dear Valentina is still waiting too, though she’s back in the adoption center.
Now, on to August’s Foster Care Favorites! Learn about these little buggers and spread the word!!
I cannot believe that it is already July 16th!! Where the heck did June go??! The summer is like 1/2 way over 
Boo. Anyway…enough of my ranting…I’m here to promo two very adorable cats up for adoption through KittyKind. We have our July Cat of the Month, Julie and our Foster Care Favorite, Valentina. Please spread the word, lets get these wonderful kitties their forever home!!
BTW…Shirley, our lovely featured June cat had multiple people fighting over her all in one day. Strange how that happens! But, she is finally off to her new home, we wish her all the best!!
Walk the (High) Line
Mon, Jun 08 2009 at 6:41 PM EST
New York City’s High Line is one of those green urban renewal projects (see my post on the proposed Governor’s Island eco-park revamp) that when you see the design renderings you might think: “this will never happen; too audacious; too ambitious; too grandiose.” Well, today it happened. Phase 1 of the High Line park is now open to the public (in limited numbers).
The High Line, a derelict — built in 1930 and discontinued in 1980 — stretch of elevated railway spanning 1.5 miles on Manhattan’s west side, has long been the pet project of advocacy groups wanting to transform the lead-paint encrusted eyesore of a structure into green, open public space. In 2004, prolific architecture firm Diller + Scofidio + Renfro (the firm behind the mentioned Governor’s Island revamp) was selected for the overall design revamp of the High Line while James Corner Field Operations was chosen to work landscape magic.
The High Line wasn’t just torn down in order to make way for a park. The original rail tracks, debris, and other elements were painstakingly removed so structural repairs (including removing all of that toxic lead paint) could be performed. Then, much of it was brought back so much of it could be reincorporated into the renovation.
The planting process that took place at the High Line isn’t too dissimilar to how green roofs are constructed. However, imagine something much more grand in scale: over 210 different plant species of trees, shrubs, grasses, and perennials have been planted as part of the High Line’s Phase 1; many of them native to the region and hearty in nature. A section of the park, the Gansevoort Woodland, is dense and shaded while another section, the Washington Grasslands, is more meadow-like in nature. More grasslands, woodlands, a thicket, a wildflower field, and the park’s only lawn will be included as part of Phase II, expected to reach completion next year.
Of course, it’s not a proper park without benches. The “peel-up” benches scattered around the High Line are stunners made from FSC-certified wood and I’m guessing that the wooden chaise lounges with wheels secured to the rail tracks in the Sundeck area of the park are going to be quite popular as well. The lighting around the concrete plank pathways is provided by energy-efficient LEDs.
I can’t wait to visit myself but I’m gonna wait a spell for the crowds to thin down. I’ve given myself a sneak preview with the video below. I suggest the curious — in NYC and elsewhere — do the same. Also keep up-to-date at the official High Line blog and at Curbed and check out coverage The New York Times.
After just a few days of Ophelia being our June Cat of the Month, she was adopted!! Shirley was the second runner up, though there is nothing but first place charm oozing from her. She is one of my personal favorites at KittyKind right now. Please help Shirley get adopted by passing around this flyer to all you know!! Best of luck Shirley, heres to June being your month!
Callypso (Callie Boy for short) was the third cat to join my family. When I was a junior in High School, it seemed like all my friends were getting kittens, so naturally, I wanted one too! Along came Callie. Callie was the most gentle soul on the planet. The most layed back guy ever. I took him with me in the care to my then boyfriends house to play with his cats, I’d carry him upside down, he was just a big (really big) mush!!
When I moved to Phoenix, my mom wanted me to get settled before the cats came, so I reluctantly went without him and my other baby, Lucky (her story to be posted soon). When I got to Phoenix I was so lonely…my first time away from home, from my animals, I needed a friend. So, I ended up getting another love, Casey (her story to be posted soon too!). When my mom was to come visit next she was to bring Callie and Lucky with her. But, my mom had a secret love she had been hiding for Callie. She really wanted him too!! She had just lost Doodle, and thought it only fair that I have two and she have two. I agreed, though I was going to miss him! So Callie stayed with my mom. By the time I moved back to Durango, he was so content there, I couldn’t bare to take him away.
Callie passed on a couple of years ago. He had a good life and was a great cat. I miss him terribly but know I will see him one day over the Rainbow Bridge. Love you Calypso!!
From EarthJustice-
Tell the White House: Protect Roadless Areas of National Forests
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In the last week of May, the Obama administration took an important first step toward maintaining the president’s pledge to uphold the landmark 2001 Roadless Rule and restoring the protections it provided to nearly 60 million acres of pristine national forest lands. Earthjustice has been on the forefront of defending these wild forests against repeated assaults by the timber industry and the previous administration.
On May 28, the administration announced that, during the next year, all plans for roadbuilding, logging, or other development in roadless forests must be reviewed personally by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, who oversees the Forest Service. The most immediate and significant effect is to potentially put a hold on roadless timber sales that have been scheduled in Alaska’s Tongass National Forest, the largest remaining old-growth temperate forest in the world.
Please thank Secretary Vilsack for this important first step toward upholding the President’s pledge. But while you’re doing it, also remind him that there’s still more to do to uphold the Roadless Rule and protect our wild forests.
National Forest roadless areas are the last remaining strongholds for grizzly bears, wolves, elk, salmon, and trout. The forests protected by this rule provide vital habitat for 1,500 wildlife species, safeguard drinking water supplies for 60 million Americans, and ensure quality recreation for millions of hikers, fishermen, and hunters.
The Bush administration and the timber industry did all it could to undermine the rule. As a result, magnificent forests in many states, including the Tongass, are currently not protected. Although this week’s temporary order includes the Tongass, it excludes the entire state of Idaho and does nothing to stop the expansion of the Smoky Canyon Mine into roadless areas of Idaho’s Caribou-Targhee National Forest.
Americans—hunters and anglers, religious leaders, scientists, backpackers, and many more—support roadless protection by a margin of 10 to 1. They know that roadless areas are valuable for recreation, wildlife habitat, climate adaptation, and clean water supplies for hundreds of communities.
Take a stand today for wild forests—thank Secretary Vilsack and urge him to finish the job.
Article pulled from Earth911.com~go Coca-Cola!!
Coca-Cola Introduces Plant-Based Plastic Bottle
by Lori Brown
The Coca-Cola Company recently unveiled a new plastic bottled made partly from renewable plant-based resources. The “PlantBottle™” is fully recyclable and has a lower reliance on non-renewable resources than traditional petroleum-based plastic bottles.
The new bottle is made from a blend of petroleum-based materials and up to 30 percent plant-based materials. The process involves turning sugar cane and molasses, a by-product of sugar production, into a key component of PET plastic.
Coca-Cola will release its new plant-based bottle starting with its Dasani water line. Photo: Nubloo.com
“The “PlantBottle” is a significant development in sustainable packaging innovation,” says Muhtar Kent, chairman and CEO of The Coca-Cola Company. “It builds on our legacy of environmental ingenuity and sets the course for us to realize our vision to eventually introduce bottles made with materials that are 100 percent recyclable and renewable.”
The new bottles will be piloted with Dasani later this year and with Vitaminwater in 2010. The bottles will be identified with on-label messages and in-store displays so consumers know they are purchasing the plant-based bottles.
A life-cycle analysis conducted by the Imperial College London indicates the “PlantBottle” consisting of 30 percent plant-based materials will reduce carbon emissions by up to 25 percent, in comparison with traditional PET plastic bottles.
As reported by The Coca-Cola Company, unlike some other plant-based plastics, the “PlantBottle” can be processed through existing manufacturing and recycling facilities without contaminating the tradition PET stream. The recycling of plant-based plastics has been an issue of concern among the plastic manufacturing and recycling industries as many believe improved research and design is needed to make bioplastic recycling feasible.
Lori Brown
Lori Brown is a staff member of Earth911.
