Hello Waste Free Folks!
King County Solid Waste Division (Washington State) invites you and your community to its upcoming Master Recycler Composter (MRC) training. This free volunteer training and outreach program is accepting applications for 2013 through April 18th and is open to King County residents outside of Seattle only.
Announcing the 2013 Master Recycler Composter (MRC) volunteer training!
Did you know half of what goes to Cedar Hills Regional Landfill could be recycled? We are looking for outgoing individuals who want to inspire others to reduce waste and recycle more. Learn all about the do’s and don’ts of curbside recycling, including food scrap recycling, and then put your training to work through volunteer outreach. This FREE training is open to King County residents outside of Seattle only. Two options for training are available: in Renton, Thursday evenings from 6:30-9 p.m., April 25-May16 or in Kent, Saturdays from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., May 4 and May 11. For more information, visit http://your.kingcounty.gov/solidwaste/mrc/index.asp.
Thank you!
Kim Ducote'
Monday, March 18, 2013
Friday, December 28, 2012
Join us - for a Free, Fun & Informative Event! Auburn's 1st Sustainability Movie Night - Thursday, Jan 17, 2013, 6-9pm
The City of Auburn Washington is hosting their 1st Sustainability Film Series Event and will be showing the film “Addicted to Plastics”. This free event will be held Thursday evening, January 17th, 6 - 9pm, at the Riverside High School Auditorium.
Event details:
This event aims to educate the community about plastics; the effects of plastics on the environment and human health; and the plastics industry.
“Addicted to Plastic” showcases three years of filming in five continents, including two trips to the Pacific Ocean. The documentary explores plastic's history during the last 100 years, as well as current solutions related to recycling and biodegradability.
• 6:00-9:00 p.m. January 17, 2013 (the movie starts at 6:30 p.m., but come early at 6:00 p.m. to talk with exhibitors and get a good seat).
• Target Audience: Ages 12 – Adult. No child care available.
• Auburn Riverside Theatre, Auburn Riverside High School, 501 Oravetz Road, Auburn, WA 98002
Questions? 206-551-4850 or Info@ResourceStewards.com
Thank you,
Kim Ducote
Resource Stewards, LLC on behalf of the City of Auburn Washington Solid Waste Department
Event details:
This event aims to educate the community about plastics; the effects of plastics on the environment and human health; and the plastics industry.
“Addicted to Plastic” showcases three years of filming in five continents, including two trips to the Pacific Ocean. The documentary explores plastic's history during the last 100 years, as well as current solutions related to recycling and biodegradability.
After the movie, a panel of experts will lead a discussion on plastics and other related environmental topics. Information tables, as well as refreshments will be provided. In addition, door prizes will be given away after the movie.
• 6:00-9:00 p.m. January 17, 2013 (the movie starts at 6:30 p.m., but come early at 6:00 p.m. to talk with exhibitors and get a good seat).
• Target Audience: Ages 12 – Adult. No child care available.
• Auburn Riverside Theatre, Auburn Riverside High School, 501 Oravetz Road, Auburn, WA 98002
Questions? 206-551-4850 or Info@ResourceStewards.com
Thank you,
Kim Ducote
Resource Stewards, LLC on behalf of the City of Auburn Washington Solid Waste Department
Monday, October 15, 2012
Free "How to" Backyard Composting Workshops in Auburn
Hello Waste Free Folks,
Fall has arrived and it's time to prepare your yard and garden for a long winter's nap. Prepare for spring now by making homemade compost with your yard and garden leftovers - leaves, plants, fruit & vegys can all be transformed into your own homemade compost! Backyard composting is easy and in the spring you will have free, nutritious, healthy compost for your garden.
The City of Auburn (Washington) has three (3) free composting workshops scheduled in October & November 2012, class times and locations are listed below. There is no need to sign up, just show up. I'll look forward to seeing you there!
1) Saturday, October 20, 2012, 11am - Noon, at The English Home & Garden, 102 - 29th Street SE, Auburn, WA (the corner of 29th & A), phone 253 709-4265.
2) Saturday, October 27, 2012, 11am - Noon, at Del's Feed & Farm Supply, 1650 West Valley Highway S, Auburn, WA, phone 253 833-3550.
3) Saturday, November 3, 2012, 11am - Noon, at Coastal Farm & Ranch, 1425 Supermall Way SW, Auburn, WA, phone 253 218-2021
Happy Composting!
Kim
Fall has arrived and it's time to prepare your yard and garden for a long winter's nap. Prepare for spring now by making homemade compost with your yard and garden leftovers - leaves, plants, fruit & vegys can all be transformed into your own homemade compost! Backyard composting is easy and in the spring you will have free, nutritious, healthy compost for your garden.
The City of Auburn (Washington) has three (3) free composting workshops scheduled in October & November 2012, class times and locations are listed below. There is no need to sign up, just show up. I'll look forward to seeing you there!
1) Saturday, October 20, 2012, 11am - Noon, at The English Home & Garden, 102 - 29th Street SE, Auburn, WA (the corner of 29th & A), phone 253 709-4265.
2) Saturday, October 27, 2012, 11am - Noon, at Del's Feed & Farm Supply, 1650 West Valley Highway S, Auburn, WA, phone 253 833-3550.
3) Saturday, November 3, 2012, 11am - Noon, at Coastal Farm & Ranch, 1425 Supermall Way SW, Auburn, WA, phone 253 218-2021
Happy Composting!
Kim
Friday, July 13, 2012
WA State Toll Free Marine Debris Line - 1-855-922-6278
Hello Everyone,
Happy Summer! I hope everyone in the Northwest is enjoying the fabulous summer weather (now that summer has finally arrived here!) I am also sending positive thoughts of better weather to those that are experience extreme weather challenges this year.
The information below was sent to me by the Puget Sound Partnership, announcing a new WA State phone number for us all to be aware of, and to share with citizens/students regarding reporting of Marine Debris. This number is specifically for the tsunami debris, but “probably” secondarily the garbage patch debris too (which personally I think should be referred to as a gigantic “stew” and not a patch.)
There is also a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration email if an item appears to have sentimental value to those who owned it. In this case NOAA requests that people move the item to a safe place and email the information to disasterdebreis@noaa.gov .
Thanks for reading and sharing!
Best,
Kim Ducote
Resource Stewards, LLC
WA State announces toll-free line to report marine debris on beaches
by Linda Kent, Communications and Education Office
Washington State has a new toll-free reporting and information line – 1-855-WACOAST (1-855-922-6278) – that citizens can call if they spot marine debris on our coastal beaches. Our outer beaches have been experiencing an uptick in marine debris, especially Styrofoam and plastic bottles, most likely resulting from the March 11, 2011, tsunami that devastated Japan, claiming nearly 16,000 lives.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), a portion of the tsunami debris that washed into the Pacific Ocean has been arriving on U.S. and Canadian shores, including Washington. On June 15, a 20-foot fiberglass boat washed ashore at Cape Disappointment State Park near Ilwaco. The Japanese consulate in Seattle confirmed the boat came from Japan and was swept out to sea by the tsunami.
NOAA predicts tsunami debris will show up on our shores intermittently during the next several years. However, it is unknown where and what types of debris might arrive.
In Washington, Ecology is one of several state agencies with a response role as Japanese tsunami debris washes up on our shores. Others include the departments of Fish and Wildlife, Health, Military-Emergency Management Division, Natural Resources, and Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission. We are working closely with NOAA to assess and evaluate potential tsunami debris affects to:
• Our coastal communities.
• The public’s health.
• Our beaches, lands and environment.
This effort also includes working with our local and tribal government partners to help ensure that any needed response is well coordinated.
People who call 1-855-WACOAST can:
• Report oil and hazardous items to the National Response Center and Ecology by pressing “1.”
• Report large floating debris items that might pose a boating or navigation hazard by pressing “2.”
• Get instructions for reporting debris that is not large or hazardous.
Citizens visiting our coastal beaches are also encouraged to remove and dispose of small debris items such as Styrofoam, plastic, bottles, other synthetic materials, glass and metal.
If an item appears to have sentimental value to those who owned it, NOAA requests that people move the item to a safe place and email the information to disasterdebreis@noaa.gov.
More about tsunami debris
• Widely scattered debris has been arriving intermittently along Pacific Northwest shorelines. For more information, go to: http://marinedebris.noaa.gov/info/japanfaqs.html#FAQs.
• NOAA is actively collecting information about tsunami debris and asks the public to report debris sightings to disasterdebris@noaa.gov.
• Ecology’s Japanese tsunami debris Web page: www.ecy.wa.gov/news/2012/itn01_debris.html
• Washington Department of Health believes it is highly unlikely any tsunami debris is radioactive. Go to: www.doh.wa.gov/Emergencies/EmergencyPreparednessandResponse/FukushimaUpdate/TsunamiDebrisFAQ.aspx
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Does the recycling symbol on your product mean that it is recyclable in your city? In a word - No!
Hello Everyone,
I frequently find myself defending the sanctity and delicacy of recycling programs. Almost every day I patiently answer questions as to why something can, or more often cannot, be recycled or composted. People frequently and emphatically say to me "Well there is a little recycling symbol on this product - so that means I can recycle it ... Right?!" Well in a word - No! Just because a manufacturer has decided to do a little "greenwash marketing" and put a recycling symbol on their product does not mean it is recyclable in your local 'hood. Granted the item might be recyclable somewhere in the world - but that somewhere may not be in your favorite recycling bin!
So here is the deal - a manufacturer wants you to feel good, and a little greener, about buying their product. They can, and will, put almost "anything" on their packaging that will serve them best! That "anything" will benefit them and their bottom line; and perhaps not you and most definitely NOT your area's recycling program. These inaccurately labeled products wind up at the recycling center and cost a lot of money to pull out of the recycling stream - this is called "contamination". A little bit of contamination can cause a huge headache at the recycling/composting facilities. Contamination undermines our programs and cost us more in the longrun by garbage and recycling collection fee increases.
One example is plastics - plastic wrappers, plastic containers, plastic everything - yuck! We eat out of it, we drink out of it and it's now contaminating our oceans (Google - The Great Pacific Garbage Patch for a real wake up call!) Almost all Plastics all have little recycling symbols on them and many mean nothing! In most of the Puget Sound area we now recycle by shape of the plastic containers - bottles, jugs, dairy tubs ... but each city/county area takes something different! More confusion! The best advice I have to give you - is save the recycling instructions your city/county or recycling service provider sends you every year. Oops! You accidentally recycled your instructions (perhaps thinking it was junk mail ), there's a remedy for that too, waste free recycling instructions can be found online through your service provider or city/county solid waste division.
Oh and one more thing - let's work together to let manufactures know that we want them to quit sending us garbage! Learn all you can about a topic called Producer and/or Manufacturer's Responsibility. This is a concept where environmental and recycling industry experts work with Manufacturer's (well the ones that step up to the green plate anyway) so they will do a better job of choosing materials to manufacturer their products from that are really, truly recyclable! Check out the link below and/or sign up for the Northwest Product Stewardship Council Newsletter: http://www.productstewardship.net/
It is a great place to start! Thanks for recycling and reducing waste!
Kim
I frequently find myself defending the sanctity and delicacy of recycling programs. Almost every day I patiently answer questions as to why something can, or more often cannot, be recycled or composted. People frequently and emphatically say to me "Well there is a little recycling symbol on this product - so that means I can recycle it ... Right?!" Well in a word - No! Just because a manufacturer has decided to do a little "greenwash marketing" and put a recycling symbol on their product does not mean it is recyclable in your local 'hood. Granted the item might be recyclable somewhere in the world - but that somewhere may not be in your favorite recycling bin!
So here is the deal - a manufacturer wants you to feel good, and a little greener, about buying their product. They can, and will, put almost "anything" on their packaging that will serve them best! That "anything" will benefit them and their bottom line; and perhaps not you and most definitely NOT your area's recycling program. These inaccurately labeled products wind up at the recycling center and cost a lot of money to pull out of the recycling stream - this is called "contamination". A little bit of contamination can cause a huge headache at the recycling/composting facilities. Contamination undermines our programs and cost us more in the longrun by garbage and recycling collection fee increases.
One example is plastics - plastic wrappers, plastic containers, plastic everything - yuck! We eat out of it, we drink out of it and it's now contaminating our oceans (Google - The Great Pacific Garbage Patch for a real wake up call!) Almost all Plastics all have little recycling symbols on them and many mean nothing! In most of the Puget Sound area we now recycle by shape of the plastic containers - bottles, jugs, dairy tubs ... but each city/county area takes something different! More confusion! The best advice I have to give you - is save the recycling instructions your city/county or recycling service provider sends you every year. Oops! You accidentally recycled your instructions (perhaps thinking it was junk mail ), there's a remedy for that too, waste free recycling instructions can be found online through your service provider or city/county solid waste division.
Oh and one more thing - let's work together to let manufactures know that we want them to quit sending us garbage! Learn all you can about a topic called Producer and/or Manufacturer's Responsibility. This is a concept where environmental and recycling industry experts work with Manufacturer's (well the ones that step up to the green plate anyway) so they will do a better job of choosing materials to manufacturer their products from that are really, truly recyclable! Check out the link below and/or sign up for the Northwest Product Stewardship Council Newsletter: http://www.productstewardship.net/
It is a great place to start! Thanks for recycling and reducing waste!
Kim
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Join us for "Bag it" at Issaquah's Sustainability Film Series, Weds, Nov 2, 6-9pm
Hello Waste Free Folks,
You are invited to the City of Issaquah's free screening of "Bag it" at the Sustainability Film Series. This is our final film for 2011, and a great film for all ages!
With plastic use always on the increase in our world: touching our food and drinking water, blowing across the land, floating and sinking in our waterways - this film will educate, empower and enlighten all! Details below - I hope to see you there!
Thanks for doing your part to reduce waste!
Kim
ISSAQUAH (Oct 19, 2011): Continuing the City of Issaquah’s series of FREE film nights on Sustainability, the documentary ‘Bag It’ will be shown Wednesday evening, November 2, 2011.
‘Bag It’ follows “everyman” Jeb Berrier as he tries to make sense of our dependence on plastic bags. Although his quest starts out small, Jeb soon learns that the problem extends past landfills to oceans, rivers and ultimately human health.
The average American uses about 500 plastic bags each year, for about twelve minutes each. This single-use mentality has led to the formation of a floating island of plastic debris in the Pacific Ocean more than twice the size of Texas.
The film explores these issues and identifies how our daily reliance on plastic threatens not only waterways and marine life, but human health, too. Two of the most common plastic additives are endocrine disruptors, which have been shown to link to cancer, diabetes, autism, attention deficit disorder, obesity and infertility.
After the movie, a panel of experts will lead an informative discussion on plastics and other related environmental topics. Refreshments, environmental experts, informational tables and door prizes will be available to attendees.
Event details:
• 6:30-9 p.m. Nov 2 (come early at 6 p.m. to speak with exhibitors)
• King County Library Service Center Community Room
• 960 Newport Way N.W., Issaquah (Not the downtown library.)
The free movie nights are presented by the City of Issaquah’s Resource Conservation Office (RCO) and funded through a grant from the King County Local Hazardous Waste Management Program. For more information, go to www.ci.issaquah.wa.us/rco or call 425-837-3400.
You are invited to the City of Issaquah's free screening of "Bag it" at the Sustainability Film Series. This is our final film for 2011, and a great film for all ages!
With plastic use always on the increase in our world: touching our food and drinking water, blowing across the land, floating and sinking in our waterways - this film will educate, empower and enlighten all! Details below - I hope to see you there!
Thanks for doing your part to reduce waste!
Kim
ISSAQUAH (Oct 19, 2011): Continuing the City of Issaquah’s series of FREE film nights on Sustainability, the documentary ‘Bag It’ will be shown Wednesday evening, November 2, 2011.
‘Bag It’ follows “everyman” Jeb Berrier as he tries to make sense of our dependence on plastic bags. Although his quest starts out small, Jeb soon learns that the problem extends past landfills to oceans, rivers and ultimately human health.
The average American uses about 500 plastic bags each year, for about twelve minutes each. This single-use mentality has led to the formation of a floating island of plastic debris in the Pacific Ocean more than twice the size of Texas.
The film explores these issues and identifies how our daily reliance on plastic threatens not only waterways and marine life, but human health, too. Two of the most common plastic additives are endocrine disruptors, which have been shown to link to cancer, diabetes, autism, attention deficit disorder, obesity and infertility.
After the movie, a panel of experts will lead an informative discussion on plastics and other related environmental topics. Refreshments, environmental experts, informational tables and door prizes will be available to attendees.
Event details:
• 6:30-9 p.m. Nov 2 (come early at 6 p.m. to speak with exhibitors)
• King County Library Service Center Community Room
• 960 Newport Way N.W., Issaquah (Not the downtown library.)
The free movie nights are presented by the City of Issaquah’s Resource Conservation Office (RCO) and funded through a grant from the King County Local Hazardous Waste Management Program. For more information, go to www.ci.issaquah.wa.us/rco or call 425-837-3400.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
"BAG IT" - Is Your Life Too Plastic? Fri, Sept 9, 6:30pm in Wallingford, Free film & panel discussion ..
Thanks to Marcia Rutan, passionate environmentalist extraordinaire from Seattle Public Utilities, for the free Meaningful Movies event info below. This film event looks great with an excellent lineup of local speakers conducting a panel discussion too. I have heard great things about this movie.
Honestly our society needs to wake up about plastics and how these petroleum based products are polluting and destroying the earth....and contaminating our bodies... Let's all learn together so we can all do our small part, to help repair the bigger picture. I hope to see you there! Details below.
Sustainably yours,
Kim Ducote
"BAG IT" - Is Your Life Too Plastic? This Fri, Sept 9, 6:30-9:30pm Film & panel discussion in Wallingford ... An evening focused on positive solutions at a local level! ...AND A SELECTION OF SHORT FILMS STARTING AT 6:30!
Please join us following the film for a community conversation with our special guests:
• Michael O'Brien, Seattle City Councilmember
• Diana Crane, Director of Sustainability with PCC
• Trudy Bialic, Director of Public Affairs with PCC
• Jill Mcintyre Witt with Transition Whatcom
• Heather Trim with Zero Waste Seattle
• Dick Lilly with Seattle Public Utilities
• Leo Brodie with Transition Seattle
• Cathy Tuttle with Sustainable Wallingford
BAG IT (65 min, Suzan Beraza, 2010) is a film that examines our society's use and abuse of plastic. The film focuses on plastic as it relates to our society's "throw away" mentality, our culture of convenience, our over consumption of unnecessary, disposable products and packaging -- things that we use one time and then, without another thought, throw them away. Where is away? Away is over-flowing landfills, clogged rivers, islands of trash in our oceans, and even our very own toxic bodies. The main character in the film travels the globe on a fact-finding mission -- not realizing that after his simple resolution, plastic will never look the same way again.
Join our guests following the film for an evening focused how we can impact this issue at the local level!
Learn how you can get involved in the citywide/statewide movement to ban disposable plastic bags. For additional information, go to www.environmentwashington.org.
Download the flyer http://www.bridgings.org/images/Flyers/BagIt_Flyer.pdf Please help us get the word out. Thanks!
For more information on the Transition Movement, go to www.transitionseattle.com or www.transitionus.org. For more information on Sustainable Wallingford and what’s happening locally, go to http://greenwallingford.ning.com/.
(Event is FREE and open to the public! ...but Donations are kindly accepted).
LOCATION:
Keystone Congregational Church
5019 Keystone Place North
Seattle, 98103 (in Wallingford)
(0.4 miles west of the I-5 NE 50th St. Exit - Metro Bus Routes 16, 26 & 44)
Directions can be found at www.meaningfulmovies.org
Honestly our society needs to wake up about plastics and how these petroleum based products are polluting and destroying the earth....and contaminating our bodies... Let's all learn together so we can all do our small part, to help repair the bigger picture. I hope to see you there! Details below.
Sustainably yours,
Kim Ducote
"BAG IT" - Is Your Life Too Plastic? This Fri, Sept 9, 6:30-9:30pm Film & panel discussion in Wallingford ... An evening focused on positive solutions at a local level! ...AND A SELECTION OF SHORT FILMS STARTING AT 6:30!
Please join us following the film for a community conversation with our special guests:
• Michael O'Brien, Seattle City Councilmember
• Diana Crane, Director of Sustainability with PCC
• Trudy Bialic, Director of Public Affairs with PCC
• Jill Mcintyre Witt with Transition Whatcom
• Heather Trim with Zero Waste Seattle
• Dick Lilly with Seattle Public Utilities
• Leo Brodie with Transition Seattle
• Cathy Tuttle with Sustainable Wallingford
BAG IT (65 min, Suzan Beraza, 2010) is a film that examines our society's use and abuse of plastic. The film focuses on plastic as it relates to our society's "throw away" mentality, our culture of convenience, our over consumption of unnecessary, disposable products and packaging -- things that we use one time and then, without another thought, throw them away. Where is away? Away is over-flowing landfills, clogged rivers, islands of trash in our oceans, and even our very own toxic bodies. The main character in the film travels the globe on a fact-finding mission -- not realizing that after his simple resolution, plastic will never look the same way again.
Join our guests following the film for an evening focused how we can impact this issue at the local level!
Learn how you can get involved in the citywide/statewide movement to ban disposable plastic bags. For additional information, go to www.environmentwashington.org.
Download the flyer http://www.bridgings.org/images/Flyers/BagIt_Flyer.pdf Please help us get the word out. Thanks!
For more information on the Transition Movement, go to www.transitionseattle.com or www.transitionus.org. For more information on Sustainable Wallingford and what’s happening locally, go to http://greenwallingford.ning.com/.
(Event is FREE and open to the public! ...but Donations are kindly accepted).
LOCATION:
Keystone Congregational Church
5019 Keystone Place North
Seattle, 98103 (in Wallingford)
(0.4 miles west of the I-5 NE 50th St. Exit - Metro Bus Routes 16, 26 & 44)
Directions can be found at www.meaningfulmovies.org
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