May 2, 2010 will be the next time the Green Team will host the recycling of household plastics that are not taken by the Waste Management’s “Blue Bins”.

Here is the list of what Waste management does not accept from curbside:

NON-ACCEPTABLE ITEMS

• Aluminum foil
• Auto glass or ceramics
• Batteries
• Film canisters
• Light bulbs
• Painted wood
• Paper towels
• Plastic grocery bags (Please return to your supermarket)
• Plastic wrap
• Porcelain
• Styrofoam
• Treated wood
• Waste

Most of the items we do accept are the plastic containers that prepared meals come in – e.g., a clear top with a black lower container. Plastic bottle tops and caps are another popular item that we collect for disposal.

• Saturday, April 10, Second Saturday at the Water Resource Education Center. Critters – Spring is here and so are the frogs, newts and snakes…and that’s a good thing! . Family activities 1-3pm. Free Admission. Details call 360-487-7115,www.cityofvancouver.us/watercenter . The Water Center is located at 4600 SE Columbia Way.

• Saturday, April 10.  Critter Count .  9am – 12:30pm.  Learn to identify frogs, snakes salamanders and other cold-blooded animals.   Training from 9am – 9:45 followed by field site data collection.  Free Admission. Details call 360-487-7111,  cory.samia@ci.vancouver.wa.us , www.cityofvancouver.us/watercenter . The Water Center is located at 4600 SE Columbia Way.

• Green Drinks – 2 Year Anniversary Party!  Tuesday, April 27.  Who Song and Larry’s, 6:00pm.  Guest speaker is Tim Leavitt.

• Plant it for the Planet! Saturday, April 17, plant trees and/or visit the EcoFair from 10am – 2pm with live music, free entertainment and more!  Salmon Creek Park.  Register to plant trees by calling the StreamTeam Coordinator at 360-992-8585.  More info athttp://www.clarkpublicutilities.com/ourenvironment/streamTeam/earthDay

• Marshall Center Earth Day Celebration , Saturday, April 17, 10am – 2pm. Free lunch, demonstrations, door prizes, local vendors, hands on fun, garden resources.Marshall Community Center Campus, 1009 E. McLoughlin Blvd.  For more information: Email johnie.tucker@ci.vancouver.wa.us or phone 360-487-7096

• Small Acreage Expo – a day full of workshops and learning opportunities for small farm owners, Saturday, April 17, 9am – 3pm.  Battle Ground.  For more information, visithttp://clark.wsu.edu/horticulture/smallAcreageProgram.html , call (360) 397-6060 ext. 7720  or email Erin.Harwood@clark.wa.gov .

Master Composter/Recyclers will be having several backyard composting and vermicomposting workshops this spring:

• Saturday, April 24, Family Wormshop , 10am – noon, Columbia Springs. To register or for more information email mcr@columbiasprings.org or call 360-882-0936 ext 224. For a complete list of upcoming workshops go to:http://www.columbiasprings.org/mcr/classes.html

• Saturday, April 29, Backyard Composting Workshop , 6pm – 8pm, Columbia Springs. To register or for more information emailmcr@columbiasprings.org or call 360-882-0936 ext 224. For a complete list of upcoming workshops go to:http://www.columbiasprings.org/mcr/classes.html

• Wednesday, April 7, 6:30pm – 9pm. Well and Septic Maintenance Workshop . Learn from local experts how to properly maintain your septic system, prevent costly repairs and protect your drinking water from contamination.  Clark County Fire and Rescue, Dollars Corner, 21609 NE 72nd Avenue, Battle Ground.  Pre-registration is required.  Phone 360-397-6060 ext 0.  Sponsored by the Small Acreage Program, WSU Extension and the Clark County Clean Water Program.

• Saturday, April 10, 10am – noon.  Hanging Baskets and Colorful Pots for Summer. Naturescaping Wildlife Botanical Gardens.  Free for members, $15 for nonmembers.  CASEE Center, Building B, Room 205, 11104 NE 149th Street, Brush Prairie.  To register or for more information: info@naturescaping.org or hannahfa70@yahoo.com.

• Thursday, April 22, 6:30-8:30 p.m.   Green Cleaning Workshop . As you prepare to do your spring cleaning this year, think about the products you’ll use. This workshop will tell you how to reduce your use of household chemicals and save money by making your own.

Held at CASEE – 11104 NE 149th Street, Brush Prairie, WA
Please pre-register for this free workshop. A green cleaning kit is available for purchase on the day of the event for $15. Pre-register by calling 360-397-6060 x 7703 or emailing watershed.stewards@clark.wa.gov

Looking for a little more guidance in the garden? Check out the FarmHand Checklist E-mail subscription . It is a weekly “checklist” of things that can be done that week in the Pacific Northwest garden. the annual subscription rate of $35 gets you a checklist the beginning of each week, through October 31 that includes what can be done in the garden, a weekly tip, and a weekly event or place to visit. Subscription is activated upon receipt of payment mailed to: Urban Farm School, PO Box 393, Ridgefield, WA 98642. Please, include “farmhand checklist” in the note section and include your E-mail address.

Block Foam : Saturday, April 3, 9am – 1pm, Fisher’s Landing Transit Center, 3510 SE 164th Avenue. FREE. Recycle clean, dry block foam at this event. No packing peanuts (but you can check with your local shipping store to see if they can use them) or polyurethane foam will be accepted. For more information call 360-397-6118 ext 4352.

Next block foam collection event:  Saturday, May 1, Clark College Yellow #1 Parking Lot, Fort Vancouver Way, 9am – 1pm.

Household Hazardous Waste:  HHW, Electronics and Block Foam

Amboy, Saturday, April 10. 9am – 11am.  Amboy Middle School, 22115 NE Chelatchie Road. Free for waste from households.

Yacolt, Saturday, April 10 .  2pm – 4pm.  Yacolt Primary School,  406 West Yacolt Road.  Free for waste from households.

Ridgefield, Saturday, April 17 .  9am – 1pm.  Ridgefield High School, 2630 S Hillhurst Road.  Free for waste from households.

Vancouver, Saturday, April 24 .  9am – 1pm.  Clark College, Purple #1 Parking Lot, 1900 Block of Fort Vancouver Way.  Free for waste from households.

Have items you want to recycle but aren’t sure where to take them? Check out www.RecyclingA-Z.com for a comprehensive resource guide.

One of several interesting and useful publications by the Worldwatch Institute is the “Good Stuff Guide”.

The guide contains many tips, facts and links to make informed decisions on 25 categories of purchases such as healthcare, appliances, cars, computers, paper and even chocolate!

The introduction contains a great “ten principles of good consumption.” Perhaps many of us already know much of this information, but it is a great way to share your understanding, and maybe even increase it!

The Worldwatch Institute (www.worldwatch.org) is a globally focused, independent research and publishing organization based in Washington, D.C. It works to build an environmentally sustainable and socially just world in which the needs of all people are met without threatening the health of the natural environment or the well-being of future generations. Good Stuff is a companion guide to the Institute’s State of the World 2004, which focuses on the consumer society.

To download a free pdf copy or to look at other publications from the Worldwatch Institute, go to http://www.worldwatch.org/taxonomy/term/37

This past year a group of concerned parishioners created a team – “The Green Team” – which meets once a month. We collect materials to recycle that, at least until recently, the county did not pick up for regular curbside collection.

This year, the county has revamped its collection system and most recyclable items are now collected curbside, so there is less need to make our bi-monthly trips to the waste management site with the what the parishioners brought in that they could not recycle from home.

January 2, 2010
9 a.m. – 1 p.m., Clark College Yellow #1 Parking Lot, on the west side of Fort Vancouver Way, Vancouver

February 6, 2010
9 a.m. – 1 p.m., Fisher’s Landing Transit Center, 3510 SE 164th Ave. Vancouver

March 6, 2010
9 a.m. – 1 p.m., Clark College Yellow #1 Parking Lot, on the west side of Fort Vancouver Way, Vancouver

Everyone has been hopping onto the green wagon, and sometimes just for the purpose of making money. Here are a couple of interesting resources to find out more information:

Is green consumption is ever better than no consumption at all? Making “green” decisions is based on the mistaken notion that personal  consumption represents a significant portion of the economy.  In reality, 1,600 pounds of trash are produced per capita. If I reduce that to zero, it’s great. But per capita waste production by industries is on average 26 tons. That is 97 percent of all waste. — Shades of Green by Sarah Morrison

http://www.sfbg.com 12/16/09

Does Green Mean Profit?

Environmentalists and other people who care deeply about the earth are stupendously and catastrophically outgunned and overrun by those whose financial and security pursuits trump a million-fold every attempt to go green, recycle, insulate, garden, or buy a Prius. Our voices and our local sources of empowerment just cannot do battle with those forces deforesting the tropics, overfishing the oceans, and selling us endless amounts of stuff. — Pete Salmansohn
www.commondreams.org/view/2009/12/16-8 <http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/12/16-8>