Waste reduction: Reuse, Recycle, Reduce!
About five years ago I discovered MacRenewal in Eugene-a garage converted
into a workshop space with tons of computers and peripherals. There,
several people worked to rejuvenate old Apple computers for reuse by
non-profit organizations and low-income families. Although Lorraine
Kerwood, executive director of McRenewal had a regular "job" that earned
her livelihood, refurbishing old computers (that would otherwise clog the
landfills with hazardous waste) was her real passion.
No doubt, Lorraine's work is much needed in the community, for she has been
able to attract hundreds of volunteers to sort, test, and repair donated
computers, parts, peripherals, devices, and monitors.
Recently, I went to their newer 10,000 sq. ft. facility. The bulletin board
has several newspaper clippings with publicity and praise for Lorraine's
Computer Recycling and Reuse Center CRRC, (www.lanecrcc.org). A Guatemalan
traditional weaving, appreciating the center's donation of computers,
decorates one of the walls of the reception area.
CRRC is a busy hub of activity. Volunteers scurry around to take care of
donations. I counted six cars pull in with donations during about half an
hour that I was there!
They also have a thrift store to sell refurbished computers, cables, cards
and parts, as well as other electronic devices for very low prices. I
talked with Lorraine about this eco-asset that she has created for the
community. She explained how they have expanded the recycling and reusing
to all sorts of electronic equipment-not just for Macintosh or Apple
computers. They assemble complete systems for folks-disabled, old, or
others who cannot otherwise afford to buy them. CRRC has donated in excess
of 1,000 computers since opening this new public facility two years ago.
Recipients also include social service agencies and schools (ESL and
Special Education classrooms). Only shipping and handling costs are the
responsibility of the recipients. CRRC recently donated a complete G4 Mac
system to Skipping Stones. This will help us sail into the 21st Century
with high quality desktop publishing and fast internet connection.
Lorraine said she likes to donate computers to overseas schools and
nonprofits, but only when there is a working partner organization or other
knowledgeable contact person in those communities. This is important
because the computers need to be set up and networked once they reach their
destinations, and then serviced when necessary, to make sure they are
working efficiently. She does not want computers to become a liability or
an e-waste in overseas landfills. She's very concerned about ecology,
conservation, and protecting our planet's resources.
Today, CRRC has over 100 volunteers. After 30 hours of work, volunteers are
even eligible to get a free computer. April, a hard-working woman I've seen
working there, volunteers almost every day. The center now has a budget of
$200,000, employing three full-time and three part-time workers.
Recently, the CRRC received a grant to buy a van which will allow them to
transport donated computers and electronic components. A new contract with
22 school districts in western Oregon will increase their reach even
further. And now they are able to do business pickup.
CRRC accepts all electronic devices, whether working or not, just to keep
electronic devices out of landfills. Many of them contain hazardous
materials. Whatever cannot be fixed and reused gets transported to
appropriate recycling centers in the region.
We know there are other concerned folks in other places working hard like
Lorraine. The Associated Press reported that 13-year-old Jacob Komar of
Connecticut, who founded Computers for Communities, was recognized by the
Hall of Fame for Caring Americans in December 2005. His group has also
brought over 1,000 refurbished computers to needy families in three states.
Let's learn to reuse, recycle and reduce waste of our precious resources!
-- Arun Toké
Editor
Color changes, swirling in and out, together and apart, weaving themselves
together on a loom of golden rays and silver moonbeams. With each toss and
turn the colors change, leaping through the blue of night, glowing with
pearly stars. Soaring through the hues of dawn, lavenders and rosy pinks
intertwine on the loom of nature.
Outside my window rain beats, pattering on the streets and marching up to
rap on doors and windows. Darkness clouds the houses like a cape, refusing
to let any ray of sun come through and light the world in a golden glow.
But when the sun does conquer the darkness, sparkling rainbows will dance
in the crystal clear pools of water that have formed upon the ground.
When the leaves fall red, brown, orange, yellow and gold, and the squirrels
run through the forest floor, dappled with sunlight, that is color.
When all else is quiet, the ocean is alive. It tumbles through the
stillness of the air and frolics with the minnows, dancing atop its endless
waves. The ocean rolls onward when only the lanterns hung by angels light
the skies.
Day ceases, vanquished by the approaching darkness. Yet, the sun still
glows in the deep red sky, resisting for a few more moments. Deeper grow
the shadows as the sun sinks behind the horizon. The mountains melt into
the sunset as the light of the world is slowly diminished. While the
brightest star gives way to snowdrops, glistening in the sky above, night
descends upon the world.
As the sun's warm, rosy glow spreads across the heavens, the air is filled
with music that cannot be heard. The music of the rising dawn. As it rises
above the rolling blue oceans, its reflection blurred on the tumbling
waves, all else seems to fade, just as night faded with the first light.
The sun emerges from behind the swells, born into a sky of palest lavender,
fringed with blue at the furthest edges, while golden clouds float upon the
horizon. And that, that single moment of joy, is color.
-- Maria Blesie, 10
New York
Grow a Garden on School Grounds!
Spending time outside communing with nature has always been an essential
part of my life. When I was a child, I used to sit in school classrooms
gazing out the window and wishing that we could be outside, enjoying and
learning about nature. All year long I looked forward to our annual family
camping trips in the mountains, and I wished that my urban neighborhood and
schoolyard could become more like the diverse habitats I enjoyed on those
trips.
Then, when I was in 6th grade, my school started building an outdoor
classroom. Right outside of our classroom windows, they planted little
trees and dug a pond. I went back to visit this school over 30 years
later and found that the formerly barren corner of our schoolyard was now
filled with a grove of towering redwood trees, a pond, stream, meadow, and
a whole vegetable garden full of food!
That outdoor classroom in California is a continuing source of inspiration
for me in my current job in Oregon. I am the Executive Director of the
School Garden Project of Lane County, a grass-roots, nonprofit organization
dedicated to fostering hands-on, schoolyard-based learning experiences for
children by creating vibrant and sustainable school gardens and habitats.
We currently work with seven Partner Schools and six Member Schools, plus
we have connections with more than 30 other local schools.
In order to help schools create outdoor classrooms, even those schools that
are far away from Lane County, Oregon, we have created a website with lots
of relevant information and links to other relevant websites. If you want
to create a garden at your school, or improve an existing school garden,
visit, www.efn.org/~sgp and click on "How-To, Teaching Ideas, and
Resources." For your school garden to be able to live and grow for 30 years
like the one at my former elementary school, be sure to choose your site
carefully and plan systems for irrigation, weed control, composting and
storage.
To create a successful school garden, you need to get lots of people to
help. It is easier to convince people to help if you can give them good
reasons for having a school garden. Recently, there has been a lot of
publicity about the epidemic of childhood obesity in the United States.
School gardening provides solutions to this problem in many ways. When
kids participate in the planting, growing, harvesting, and preparation of
fruits and vegetables, they are much more eager to eat these healthy foods,
or at least try them. Gardening also gets kids to be physically active, as
they dig in the soil, turn compost, and push heavy wheelbarrows. Those are
the obvious benefits of wellness from school gardening.
School gardening also provides more subtle wellness benefits. The
influential new book, Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from
Nature Deficit Disorder, documents the importance of a relationship with
nature for a child's healthy emotional and spiritual development. This book
provides compelling evidence that the rising rates of childhood ADD and
depression may be better treated with a dose of nature than with drugs.
Instead of experiencing nature only on field trips, kids can get a dose of
nature from school gardens on a regular basis and in a way that makes them
feel connected to all of life. Students participate in making their own
cafeteria waste into compost and then growing new food from that compost.
They plant a seed and grow a plant they can eat, and grow seeds they can
plant to start the cycle over again. There is so much meaning and wonder in
even the smallest garden that can never be duplicated in the classroom.
In addition to providing these wellness benefits, school gardens can also
benefit students by awakening their senses, providing opportunities for
experimentation and observation, inspiring academic achievement, building
community, meeting the needs of diverse learners, and integrating the
curriculum. As students benefit from school gardens, our society and the
Earth benefit by gaining citizens who are more ecologically literate,
responsible, cooperative, concerned, and empowered. But besides all that, school gardens
are just plain fun!
I hope that I have inspired you to stir up some enthusiasm at your school
for enlivening your school grounds and your school days by growing gardens
and a healthy habitat. Good luck and have fun!
-- Sharon Blick, Oregon.
A former high school biology teacher,
Sharon founded the nonprofit organization,
Nearby Nature. She also visits local
schools as "The Bug Lady" with her bug-petting zoo.