Vickie Ballance of Fifty Forward, the folks who maintain the recycling drop off center in Bellevue, says that the new curbside pick up has not affected the volume at the drop off center. This is great. This sounds as if new people are now recycling.
The Earth is not a Trash CanCarbon Neutral Blog
Am I a MAC or a PC?
I learned how to use a computer on a Mac and have always used a Mac until my layoff in November. Well, I still use a Mac at home. I’m inputting this blog on a G5 IMAC. But if I contract onsite or volunteer for an agency or political party, I am using a Dell. Don’t ask what kind of Dell. They are all the same to me. I’m an Apple addict.
I’m learning to be quite adroit on a Dell and am finally learning right click and left click, although I love my Apple rollerball.
Have I found anything I prefer to a MAC on the Dell? Unfortunately, yes, I have, and it got me wondering the question above: Am I a MAC or a PC?
The PC has a Recycling Bin; my MACs have always had trash cans.
Where Gadgets Go to Die: Facility Strips, Rips and Recycles
http://www.wired.com/gadgets/miscellaneous/news/2009/03/gallery_ewaste_recycling">Recently, the Environmental Protection Agency came under fire for allowing U.S. tech companies to export millions of pounds of hazardous, used electronics to Asian countries where they are recycling with a lot less environmental oversight.
Negative press, new e-waste legislation and a depressed economy are pressuring tech manufacturers into assuming far greater recycling responsibly to show they’re part of the green movement. As a bonus, domestic recycling lets them save some money on materials, such as precious metals, while they’re at it. Manufacturers who handle recycling responsibly in the United States work with professional facilities like this one, where old gadgets are dismantled using a part-man, part-mechanical process.
With 15 locations in the United States, Sims Recycling Solutions is one of the world’s largest electronics scrap recyclers. Pictured here is the “demanufacturing” center of the company’s Roseville, California facility, where workers disassemble everything from printers, cameras and computers to Jumbotrons for their reusable materials. The facility receives roughly 150,000 pounds of used
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A Day in the Life of the Unemployed
It has been more than four months since I lost a very lucrative paying job. I have not found conventional employment with the paid vacation, health insurance and matching 401K, as I have held all of my adult working life. Legally, I am unemployed and looking for work, but in a unique way for me. It is a path that I have never tried before in my career.
I am staying extremely “employed” by blogging, volunteering and working as an independent contractor. I am working to build myself a steady income once the unemployment and health insurance benefit from my former employer runs out.
Here is a typical day for me now. I rise between six and seven a.m. and eat a bowl of nutritious inexpensive oatmeal with walnuts, raisins, cinnamon and soy milk with orange juice and coffee. I read email, online news and blog about whatever I feel.
Since I have been ill, I am playing catch up on my training for the Music City Half Marathon. I had planned to do a 10-mile run today as preparation, but will cut
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How Clean Is Your Air?
I attended a Lunch and Learn meeting in a neighboring town today about clean air and asthma. It was sponsored by Cool People Care, Clean Air Partnership of Middle Tennessee and the local chapter of the American Lung Association. As an environmentalist, I am very glad that I attended, as I learned many disturbing facts about our air, especially the air where I live.
Gail Bost, development director of the local chapter of the American Lung Association spoke and gave us some startling information.
I am an animal lover and have always had a pet, either fish, bird, dog, cat or rabbit. Dog dander stays in a room for six months after the dog leaves, and this includes regular vacuum cleaning. Cat dander hangs around for one year.
In the United States, over 20,000,000 people have asthma. Over 353,000 adults in my home state of Tennessee have asthma. That is one in every 13 persons, which is increasing in epidemic proportions.
St. Louis ranks #1 in American cities with dirty air. Tennessee has three cities in the top ten nationwide with …
Al Gore, Earth Hour and Nashville
Apparently, Al Gore left some security lights on during Earth Hour and some stalker redneck drove by and is harassing him: http://politics.nashvillepost.com/2009/03/30/gq-drew-stands-by-his-story-that-gores-house-was-lit-during-earth-hour/
We were away from home during Earth Hour and left two lights on in the house for the dog. He had had two seizures during the week, and we felt more secure with him home alone in some light. Probably he would not have know the difference.
The whole concept of Earth Hour is to get folks aware of the amount of energy we use all the time. I stated on my Facebook page today that I celebrate Earth Hour all the time. I use the minimum amount of light and energy. You can ask my husband about the controls on the heating and cooling. I control them and put them where the least amount of energy is used to insure our comfort.
We were in downtown Nashville during Earth Hour. Security lights were on in all the buildings. Street lights and traffic lights continued to operate as normal. The intent of Earth Hour is not to cause chaos
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Blogging Lite
I have something which I think is food poisoning. Thus I have not been blogging the past few days. I hope to get over it soon. Later.
Earth Hour
Don’t forget to celebrate Earth Hour tonight at 8:30 p.m.
Today we helped setting up for the Green Tie Affair tonight at the Limelight. This is a fund raising event for the Tennessee Environment Council.
More Unusual Trash In the Streets
During the Great American Clean Up, I have been showing some objects I find that we normally do not think of litter. I found these broken golf tees on a street in a neighborhood close to my neighborhood. They are made of wood which is a natural product and would eventually decay.
These are probably more dangerous to car tires as they are sharp. But again it is irresponsible to throw discarded items on the ground for someone else to pick up and dispose of.
Fish in U.S. Rivers Tainted With Common Medications
From US News and World Report:
Posted March 26, 2009
THURSDAY, March 26 (HealthDay News) — Fish from five U.S. rivers were found to be tainted with traces of medications and common chemicals, according to a new study from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Baylor University.
The common antihistamine diphenhydramine (Benadryl), an anticonvulsant and two types of antidepressants were among the seven types of pharmaceuticals found in the tissue and livers of fish from waterways in or near Chicago, Dallas, Philadelphia, Phoenix and Orlando, Fla. Each river is considered “effluent-dominated,” because they receive large amounts of wastewater discharge from nearby sewage treatment plants.
While federal standards exist for treated wastewater, they do not address pharmaceuticals or most personal care products, and little is known about the effects they have on the environment and wildlife. This study is part of a federal strategy to address the issue.
Previous research has concluded that behavior vital for fish survival, such as mating and fighting, can be affected if too much antidepressant residue collects in their systems.
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