Wednesday, April 15, 2009

From the Ground Up

A mixed bag

Putting these bits together may seem odd, but it's more efficient, meaning less random electrons spewed into the atmosphere or something. Plus, it looks like I did a lot of work. Anyway, here goes the mix.

Local events
This weekend is filling up with envirotainment just before Earth Day on next Wednesday. Keep Amarillo Beautiful is hosting the 2009 Recycling Day on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Allied Waste Recyclery on South Garfield just north of S.E. 10th Avenue. The idea is to bring things to recycle like the common newsprint, aluminum cans and rinsed plastic containers without lids or plastic bags but also things to reuse like eyeglasses, cell phones, clothing and household appliances. The reusable items will go to local organizations. Recycle/reuse, you still leave room in the landfill for the yucky stuff.

On the other side of town, Wildcat Bluff on Soncy Road north of I-40, is having an event Saturday that promises to provide education frosted with fun. You can drop off recycleables there that day, too. I blogged this before, but take a look here for details.

From deep in the ground up
Potter County commissioners voted Monday to reduce their earthquake insurance to save on premiums. They were carrying $25 million in coverage but are down to $10 million now. By dropping that and their flood coverage, they'll save $9,000 per year. Do you think you could rest easily knowing an earthquake could wipe us out and we only have $10 million in insurance? County Judge Arthur Ware may be wondering. "I have a yellow streak down my back," he said in reference to the possibility, but he voted on it anyway.

The American way - ecomarketplace
Green, clean, sustainable, whatever you call it, the American business sector has latched on. They're having a weeklong conference in NYC in May with lots of speakers from companies like Unilever and Kraft to talk about marketing sustainability, and oh yeah, there's the open bars like any convention. It's not a crime to make money off of green products, but I don't want as many press releases like "What's tappening" about replacing bottled water with tap water.

Anyway, here's one that arrived recently. There's a company out there telling us it's better to do your laundry on the kitchen counter than in your washer/dryer. I get the energy savings, and they talk about preserving your septic tank (if you have one, you know the fear of that malfunction. I do).

The washer they tout allegedly uses 90 percent less water and detergent, turning your clothes a green clean in one to two minutes. Really? And the dryer looks kind of like a hopped up salad spinner. Maybe it all works. The threat of laundry lint doing in the septic tank makes you hope so.

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