Albertsons Just Lost My Business

Sprouts . . . 

Whole Foods. . . 

but not Albertsons

Albertson's is no longer giving a credit when you bring your reusable bags to put your groceries and other items in. Just the other day they gave a customer a five cent credit per bag but no longer. I don't need a credit to recycle. However, I'd rather patronize a place that shows that it values recycling by giving the credit. I called Sprouts and they give a five cent credit. Whole Foods gives a ten cent credit. Want to know where I will be shopping from now on? Not Albertson's.

Reduce Waste during the Holiday Season

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Thank you, Ellen Smyth, Director of Environmental Services for the City of El Paso for sharing this infographic. Be sure to visit Recycle Right El Paso and Take Care of Texas. 

Blue Bin, Gray Bin

There was a letter to the editor last week in the Times that I want to take issue with. The writer suggested that the blue recycling bin should only be picked up every other week and that the gray bin should be picked up every week. His reason? He had far more garbage and trash than he could manage and wanted to use the blue bin as an additional trash collector.

If anything, it should be the other way around. If the city wants to encourage recycling, then pick up the gray bin every other week and pick up the blue bin all of the time. 

I spoke with a lady who said that her gray bin is always half or less full and that the recycling bin is always full. Same at my house. It's how you recycle and recycle correctly. Check out El Paso Recycles and read each page. Note that you can recycle glass now as well.

I'm probably preaching to the choir. However, pass the word on. It's not that hard for people to get educated. And, by the way, start a compost pile and compost all of that vegetable and fruit waste rather than throwing it away. (Never copost meats.) Learn more by just googling "How to Compost". Your yard and garden will thank you.

Thoughts on Being Green

Below is a message that is circulating on blogs, Facebook, email messages, etc. In spite of its acerbic generational slant, the suggestions are great for green living. To be accurate, there are many younger people today who are living lifestyles that are very green - bicycling, using public transit, recycling, not buying plastic water bottles, etc. They get it. The unknown author of the piece below is also part of a generation (and I include myself) that has gone along with all of the anti-green technological advances. So, to be fair, it isn't a matter of a generation conflict, but a matter of having more green lifestyles. Sigh. If we had only kept the "green thing".

THOUGHTS ON BEING GREEN

Author Unknown

Checking out at the store, the young cashier suggested to the much older lady that she should bring her own grocery bags, because plastic bags are not good for the environment.  

The woman apologized to the  young girl and explained, "We didn't have this 'green thing' back in my earlier days." 

The young clerk responded, "That's our problem today. Your generation did not care enough to save our environment for future generations." 

The lady said that she was right -- our generation didn't have the "green thing" in its day.  The lady went on to explain: 

Back then, we returned milk bottles, soda bottles and beer bottles to the store. The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilized and refilled, so it could use the same bottles over and over.  So they really were recycled. But we didn't have the "green thing" back in our day. 

Grocery stores bagged our groceries in brown paper bags that we reused for numerous things.  Most memorable besides household garbage bags was the use of brown paper bags as book covers for our school books.  This was to ensure that public property (the books provided for our use by the school) was not defaced by our scribblings.  Then we were able to personalize our books on the brown paper bags.  But, too bad we didn't do the "green thing" back then. 

We walked up stairs because we didn't have an escalator in every store and office building.  We walked to the grocery store and didn't climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time we had to go two blocks. 

But she was right.  We didn't have the "green thing" in our day. 

Back then we washed the baby's diapers because we didn't have the throw away kind.  We dried clothes on a line, not in an energy-gobbling machine burning up 220volts.  Wind and solar power really did dry our clothes back in our early days.  Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand-new clothing.

But that young lady is right; we didn't have the "green thing" back in our day.

Back then we had one TV, or radio, in the house -- not a TV in every room.  And the TV had a small screen the size of a handkerchief(remember them?), not a screen the size of the state of Montana.  In the kitchen we blended and stirred by hand because we didn't have electric machines to do everything for us. When we packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, we used wadded up old newspapers to cushion it, not styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap.  Back then, we didn't fire up an engine and burn gasoline just to cut the lawn.  We used a push mower that ran on human power.  We exercised by working so we didn't need to go to a health club to run on treadmills that operate on electricity. 

But she's right; we didn't have the "green thing" back then. 

We drank from a fountain when we were thirsty instead of using a cup or a plastic bottle every time we had a drink of water.  We refilled writing pens with ink instead of buying a new pen, and we replaced the razor blade in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade got dull. 

But we didn't have the "green thing" back then. 

Back then, people took the streetcar or a bus and kids rode their bikes to school or walked instead of turning their moms into a 24-hour taxi service in the family's $45,000 SUV or van, which cost what a whole house did before the"green thing."  We had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances.  And we didn't need a computerized gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 23,000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest burger joint. 

But isn't it sad the current generation laments how wasteful we old folks were just because we didn't have the "green thing" back then? 

Can We Afford to Recycle?

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Importing garbage for energy is good business for Sweden from Sweden on Vimeo.

Ellen Smyth, the Director of our city's Environmental Services, sent me a link to a very provacative article: American recycling is stalling, and the big blue bin is one reason why. It is well worth taking time to read (and it won't take but a few minutes). First bottom line: prices for recycled goods have been dropping which means that the business of recycling is becoming less profitable. Second bottom line: guess who pays to make up the difference?

I've often wondered why El Paso and other municipalities don't use the practice of cities in the Seattle (King County), Washington area. People get three small bins: one for paper, one for plastics and metals and one for glass. On pick-up day the bins are placed curbside and are distributed in three different compartments of the collection truck. Nevertheless, there are are still those falling commodity prices.

It isn't all bad as the article explains. There are some silver linings. But shouldn't we ask ourselves whether we should be recycling differently or recycling less items.

If you haven't visited the City of El Paso curbside recycling pages, please do so by starting HERE and following the links. It clearly tells us what we can and cannot recycle and has some helpful videos.

It's time to have a serious debate about garbage to energy. The Swedish program is exemplary. (Want to talk about alternative sources of energy? Here you go.) 



Is garbage to energy green? In Sweden there really is no debate and their process scrubs down emissions to more than meet standards.

Finally, are there ways that we can reuse or repurpose some of the items that we recycle? You can get creative. There are plenty of suggestions such as HERE and HERE. (Just Google "reusing recyclables".) 

We can even build using recyclables. (Now Google "building with recyclables".) I liked Build Your House From Recycled Materials from Mother Earth News. Can you imagine the pushback if we attempted to change building codes to allow recyclables? There would be much screaming and moaning and gnashing of teeth. 

However, it it time to start thinking outside of the cardboard box.


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Recycle Electronics and More at EPCC during Earth Week

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A message from EPCC Environmental Specialist, Mayra Cordero-Villalobos:

El Paso Community College Recycling Program in conjunction with KEPB and many other wonderful organizations will be celebrating Earth Day in the month of April.

We are aware of the importance of reminding people, not only about recycling, but conserving all our resources as well as taking care of our health, in one word: SUSTAINABILITY! That is why we would love for EVERYBODY to join us at these FREE great events. Attached and below is the flyer.

Don’t forget to bring old clothes, which will be donated to people in need, and electronic waste, this includes any TV's, appliances, computers, printers, cell phones, home phones, anything you can plug into an electrical socket to RECYCLE and everybody participates in the door prizes such a 40’’ TV, gift cards, and free food!

We look forward to work together for a GREENER & healthier community!

Recycle Your Old Tennis Shoes!

Here's a great way to recycle your old tennis shoes and sneakers. One creative Girl Scout is collecting these old shoes to be ground up and used to re-surface playgrounds. Here's her Mom's message and a contact number for them:

Dear Friends,

Sofia is working towards her Girl Scout Silver Award Project. The project focuses in making an impact in improving our communities

Her GS troop decided to collect old tennis shoes/ sneakers that will be turned into grind used to resurface playgrounds.

She is working collectively with her troop however each girl scout has an individual commitment.

We are collecting tennis shoes of any brand any size any gender. This is a great opportunity for all of us to clean up our closets and help.

Let us know and we will pick up the items at your home.

Also if you have any friends and family that you would like to forward this message, we are appreciative of any and all assistance you can provide us.

Kindly note that we will pick up any donations

Please help Sofia meet her individual goal and also help our troop meet the project objective of a 1,000 pairs.

With your help we are confident to meet the goal!

Thank You for your support

Erika Marquez & Sofia

274-3623

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