Peter Geyer and Andrea Parrish of Spokane WA are getting married off of the proceeds of recycling 400,000 pounds of aluminum cans. Alcoa, Inc. has added 150,000 to their stock pile bringing their total to about 260,000 cans, or about 65% or their goal.

Follow their success by going to their website, www.weddingcans.com. Everyone from the Seattle Times to the Washington Post have picked it up this story. Read the many sources at this Google link.

Good luck and Congratulations!

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is sponsoring a video contest looking for filmmakers and students to produce short, creative videos highlighting the “Three Rs” - reduce, reuse, recycle - with awards including cash prizes of up to $2,500. The EPA will be accepting video submissions through February 16, 2010.

“What we buy, use, and throw away contributes over 40 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States,” said Jeff Scott, director of the EPA’s Waste Management Division for the Pacific Southwest Region, in a press release announcing the contest. “We want to get the message out about how important it is for each of us to take personal action to help the environment.”

Details about the contest are available at http://tinyurl.com/epacontest.

Jasmine Fullman of Lake Oswego, Oregon has made a niche for herself making accessories out of factory scraps, recycled fibers, and sustainably harvested natural fibers, including bamboo. The former kindergarten teacher uses new technologies and creativity to make wraps, clutches, totes and even accessories for babies.

Read more about Jasmine’s success on the Sherwood Gazette website, or visit her company, Naturally Knotty.

Is it illegal to toss your TV in a landfill? It soon is in Oregon. As of January 1, 2010 it will become illegal to dispose of TVs, computers and monitors at landfills, transfer stations, incinerators or at the curb.

What happens when you break the law?

If you knowingly break the new law, you will face up to $500 per offence. Each TV, computer or monitor is considered a separate offence. Oregon has already placed a free E-Cycling law allowing for the free disposal of the items included on the ban.

Read all the details on Recycling Today’s site.

Reduce. Reuse. Recycle. Rethink. Remarry?

In BRING Recycling’s latest project, the Garden of Earthly Delights, weddings are soon to be recycled.  The Chapel of Second Chances, a longtime project initiated by BRING in conjunction with the University of Oregon School of Architecture and Allied Arts, will be installed by UO students within the next month.

It is an open-air structure made of recycled wood, aluminum and fiberglass from BRING and is intended for second-wedding ceremonies and the renewal of vows.

Read all about it on the Ashland Daily Tidings website.

North-central and northeast Oregon residents can drop off for free their unwanted televisions, computers and monitors for recycling at a collection event form 9a.m. to 3p.m. Saturday at the Morrow County Fairgrounds, 74473 Highway 74-Lena, in Heppner.

Read all about it at The East Oregonian website!

This weeks contents:
Fuels From the Farm
Researchers Track Trash
Glass Roads
Choice Compost
Ads
The End

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Fuels From the Farm

Join us for the upcoming WRED event. It will be held in the farming community of Snohomish County.  Participants will enjoy a hands-on presentation of the Snohomish County biofuel production process, learn about the recycling of agricultural plastics, tour the Qualco Energy anaerobic digester and Werkhoven Farm.

• Day/Date:                   Friday, October 30th, 2009
• Time:                         10:00 - 2:00
• Location:                    Snohomish County Cathcart Facility - 8915 Cathcart Way, Snohomish WA  98296
• Member Cost:          $65 includes lunch
• Non Member Cost:   $80  includes lunch

More Information and Registration Forms available:

http://www.wsra.net/events/details.asp?Evid=77

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Researchers Track Trash

In Seattle, hundreds of volunteers are tagging their garbage to see where it finally ends up.  This study out of MIT is using cellular technology to track, in real time, our waste.

Read the article for The Chief Engineer

http://www.chiefengineer.org/content/content_display.cfm/seqnumber_content/3996.htm

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City Using Crushed Glass for Road-Building

The City of Spokane is grinding up glass for use in roadbeds.  The newly paved section of Market Street is the first project to use glassto make up 12 to 15 % of the roadbed.

Read the article form the Spokesman Review.

http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2009/oct/02/city-street-paved-in-crushed-glass/

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Choice Compost

Eugene-based Market of Choice is putting in “Green Waste” bins in an effort to keep organic compostable materials out of the landfill and eventually end up in the garden.

The Register Guard has the full story.

http://www.registerguard.com/csp/cms/sites/web/business/20199161-41/story.csp

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Advertise here to over 600 people every issue! Run five lines, 3 times for $15. Have you got more info than five lines? We’ll talk. jim@earthworksrecycling.com . Run a job listing for 3 times for $20.

The following pictures are courtesy of Jim Bill of Ecology. Enjoy these pictures from China! Thanks Jim!

West Lake Hangzhou

Calligraphy Museum - Shaoxing

Commercial Collection - Hangzhou

Recycling at The Great Mosque of XIan

Hangzhou National Wetland Park

Market Street in Hangzhou

Beijing Airport

Shanghai Airport

Xian Airport

Denise Henrickson has sent us pictures and information about the 2008 Swap-o-rama-rama workshop that will be during Green Fest in Seattle. Read more information, and see fun pictures below. Thanks Denise!

What is Swap-o-rama-rama (SORR)?

Swap-O-Rama-Rama* http://www.swaporamarama.org is a giant clothing swap and do-it-yourself workshop in which a community explores reuse and creativity through the recycling of used clothing. It’s easy to make the move from consumer to creator - and it’s fun! At this Swap-O-Rama-Rama you’ll find a host of talent and tools to help you transform your new/used duds into works of your own. It will be happening at the GreenFest from 12-4, both days.

What is the GreenFest?

GreenFest, a joint project of Global Exchange and Co-op America, will bring together more than 400 green businesses, 150 speakers, dozens of community groups and thousands of area residents to explore and celebrate what’s working in our communities – for people, for businesses and for the environment.

Seattle’s first GreenFest will be held at the WA State Convention Center April 12-13 in downtown Seattle. http://www.greenfestivals.org/content/view/767/390/

What we need

Want to have even more fun? Help make the Swap-o-rama-rama happen! We need:

* Clothing donations before the event. You can drop bags of clothes off in Ballard (3029 NW 59th 98107) or West Seattle (7956 34th SW 98126).
* Volunteers to help out at GreenFest, assisting with sewing and brainstorming. All volunteers who work at least one 3-hour shift will get a free pass to GreenFest!!!!. Passes are limited, so let us know if you will be joining us so we can reserve your pass.

For more info…

If you want more information or want to help out before or during the event, please contact: Denise Henrikson, at 206-938-1809 or denise@reuseresources.org- Thanks!

“There is no beauty in the finest cloth if it makes hunger and unhappiness.” Gandhi

*Swap-O-Rama-Rama is an egalitarian community project created by Wendy Tremayne which can be found in over thirty cities around the world. For more information or to produce a swap-o-rama-rama in your area visit: http://www.swaporamarama.org

Sewing machines are generously supplied by Janome http://www.janome.com

This week’s pictures come to us from WSRA President Diana Perey. Diana took these pictures on her belated honeymoon to Mexico with her husband Barry.

Here’s what Diana has to say about the pictures:

The first three pictures were taken in the little town of Troncones where we were staying where plastic recycling was big… The others are of a recycling operation in San Jose Ixtapa.

Even on one’s honeymoon true recyclers go our of their way to take pictures of how things are done in other countries to share with their colleagues.

Thanks for thinking of us Diana!