Bag it

A few weeks ago I went to a conference at which, instead of the standard bag-swag, they gave us a thin set of just-the-essential materials in one of those grass green HEB bags, donated by HEB. No, the bag wasn't as swank as some but it brought home the point: we can all find little and not so small ways to move away from overuse.

Take bags, for instance. While bans on plastic bags are gaining momentum worldwide, there's debate about whether that just leads to more use of paper. It's possible to limit or eliminate both--by going TOTE. The humble tote is strong, has handles, can be re-used, and is good for everything from books to fruit. It is said (though not confirmed) that a well-made tote can replace 1000 plastic bags. That doesn't mean we oughta go tote-buying-crazy. As Pablo Paster points out, the production of bags of all types of material (canvas, cotton, polyester, polypropyline) does have its impact. But within reason, the reusable bag beats disposables, handles down.

Don't want to buy totes new? Need a project for kids or the kid in you? Kismit and Morsbags show you how to make your own tote from materials you already own.

And here's a video to share by Good Magazine.

A Weed is a Plant

A movement is afoot that deserves our attention: the quest for Zero Waste. The zero waste case brings to mind the quote by Emerson that a weed is just “a plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered.” That connection may not be coincidental, as zero waste takes its cues from the natural world. In nature, it’s pointed out, cycles “function without producing waste.”

Here are a few examples of companies and cities striving to reduce waste or to go waste-free. According to Eco-Cycle, Fetzer Vineyards reuses and recycles paper, cardboard, glass, and other materials, and composts thousands of tons of grape pomace a year. The winemaker has reduced waste to landfills by 96 percent since 1990 and is pursuing a zero waste-goal. Hewlett-Packard is recycling metal, cardboard and plastic, diverting over 90 percent of solid waste and reportedly saving a million a year. Seattle adopted a zero waste strategy for the city in 2007. Austin approved a zero waste plan this past year. Also in 2009, Dallas County Commissioners Court passed a resolution for producer takeback recycling for electronic waste.

Artists are also playing a part. The late San Antonio artist, Rhonda Kuhlman, gave new life to castoff bottle caps and candy wrappers, converting them into sculpture and jewelery. You can visit her work--and tributes to Rhonda--online at Rock Paper Scissors Collective--a collective that she started with fabric artist Jane Bishop.

Where waste is recognized as a resource, rather than a useless byproduct, all sorts of creative new ways to convert so-called garbage into gold emerge. And the concept urges us upstream—to look for processes that eliminate waste altogether.

San Antonio just started a committee on zero waste – to find out more, contact your City Council member or the City Solid Waste Department.

relief fund

My heart and thoughts are with the people of Haiti and all those who have lost loved ones there. If you are also moved to help with the rescue and recovery, NPR has put together a set of how-to-help resource links; and the San Antonio chapter of the American Red Cross is calling on all of us to donate to the relief fund. One immediate way to help, set up by the U.S. State Department and the Red Cross, is to text “Haiti” to 90999 to send a $10 donation. Feel free to use this space if you have other resources you'd like to share.