Washington County (OR) business recycling workshop

From Metro:

Hillsboro (OR) Business Recycling Workshop
September 22nd

Join the Washington County Recycle at Work program, with the City of Hillsboro and the Hillsboro Chamber of Commerce, for a free business recycling workshops. Gain a marketing advantage over your competitors — learn how to reduce the amount of waste your business sends to the landfill and save money on your bottom line.

For details contact thomas_egleston@co.washington.or.us.

Backyard Makeover Exhibit at the Oregon Zoo

One of the exhibits at the Oregon Zoo is the Backyard Makeover. There are two little demonstration “backyards” side by side. One is fairly standard: lawn with a fair-sized concrete patio, a few flowers along the fence, the fence is solid wood slats, one small tree and a birdhouse. The other has a smaller area of lawn, far more flowers & shrubs (of varying height), a couple of trees, the patio is made of stone blocks and has patio chairs on it, and the fence is slatted wood that lets a bit of light and air through but still affords privacy. The game is to find the seven things the same in the two yards, and to also notice what’s different about the yards. There is also some signage about what plants are in the yards, how the second, “improved” yard allows for more and more-varied wildlife passing through, requires less watering overall and gives reasons for using less (or no) pesticides and fertilizers. Next to these two yards is a booth where volunteers are often on hand to talk about how to reorganize your yard to bring in beneficial bugs, more birds & other wildlife, how to reduce use of pesticides & fertilizers, how to compost, how & why to set up worm bins and all that good stuff.

The last few years, the exhibit has been staffed by Oregon Zoo volunteers and Master Gardeners. This year, once a month, the exhibit is staffed by Master Recyclers (such as yours truly). We might not have been able to identify all the plants in the exhibit, but we did spend all day talking about composting and rainwater harvesting and why having more bugs in your yard can be a good thing. We also borrowed a worm bin from the Oregon Zoo horticulturists and invited kids (and the grownups!) to pet the worms. The kids were fantastic! They started out as or quickly became expert worm-handlers. We talked about where worms live, how to hold them, and what worms do in the bins and in the gardens at home. We only lost one worm to a very small toddler’s instinctive squishing as the worm wriggled about and tickled his palm.

As I (or another volunteer) helped the kids pet the worms, other volunteers talked with the grownups about recycling and composting and gardening questions. Most of the volunteers had some gardening experience and one of our volunteers is a long-time Master Gardener as well, so we were able to at least give good resources if not actual answers and advice.

The Backyard Makeover exhibit is a permanent part of the zoo, with volunteers available everyday 10am-4pm. Weekdays, the booth is usually staffed by Oregon Zoo volunteers, weekends by Master Gardeners, and for the next two months, Master Recyclers will be out there as well on the first Fridays. I will be back on September 2nd. I’ll do another “take a picture with the Trashmaster, win a prize” event as well. Come on out, say hello and pet a worm with me!

Backyard Makeover event at the Oregon Zoo

I will be at the Oregon Zoo’s Backyard Makeover exhibit tomorrow, Friday July 1, 10am-2pm. We’ll be on hand to answer questions and talk about composting, ways to increase wildlife habitat in your yard (birds, butterflies, & such), how to decrease use of toxic chemicals (fertilizers & pesticides), and generally find ways to enjoy your yard even more. Bring your questions, bring your stories, and check out the exhibit!

Regular zoo admission and $2 parking, or take the MAX!

Come by and say hi! Get your picture taking with me and win a prize! (I don’t know what the prizes are yet, but I’ll come up with something!)

Reusable Sandwich Bags

A while ago, I mentioned I’d bought myself a Snack Taxi.



I’ve really been liking it, but sometimes I don’t have a chance to clean it out before I need to pack the next lunch. The universe must have noticed my little dilemma, because just a week or so ago, I came across a Groupon for ReUsies. How could I pass this up? So I bought a couple.






Sure, if you’re at all crafty, the reusable sandwich bags aren’t hard to make. You can find all sorts of patterns on the internet. As my sewing machine is still packed away at the moment (and my sewing skills questionable at best anyhow), I went ahead and bought the bags.

This one is one of my favorites – I have an apron I made in a “learn how to sew” class made out of the same sushi fabric, and another 3-4 yards of it waiting to become a skirt.



I love that the bags are all large enough to accomodate a wide range of sizes and shapes of bread. I also love that the bags can go straight into the washer (inside out, and on cold/gentle, please!).

I will admit: I do use plastics to transport some lunch items. I know some of you have switched to glass containers. This is a bad idea for me – I am a wee bit on the clumsy side, I throw everything in my backpack which ends up on the floor and bumped around on the bus, and I work in a small room with lots of little kids in and out all day. Having glass in this sort of situation is just asking for bad things to happen. Plus, I already own the plastic and it’s still in good shape, so there’s no reason to throw it out just yet. So, when I take messy stuff, such as the tuna & miracle whip mix that will become my sandwich, I put the tuna mix in a plastic and the bread in a reusable bag, and just make up the sandwich when it’s time to eat. Sandwiches that are less squishy, like PB&J, goes whole into the bag. I haven’t had any problems wiping the PB&J part off the bags yet, or any issues with them staining. The bags have also been great for crackers and chips. Throw in a cloth napkin, some durable tableware and a reusable water bottle, and you are set!

What do you use for packing your lunch?
What are your favorite lunches to pack?
Need some encouragement to take pack your lunch more often? Check out Lunch It, Punch It!
Tons more reusable snack & sandwich bags

City Repair Earth Day fest follow-up

I’d said I would follow up on some of what I saw at the City Repair Earth Day fest ~

Goat Rental NW The basic idea is that these folks will rent you goats to help clear brush and invasive species from your yard. If your yard looks like mine, you’ll agree that these are good deals. I have no connection or experience with this business – if you have, I’d love to hear about it. I just love the idea of having goats meandering around my yard, taking care of the blackberries and thistles for me. They’ve definitely got good press – read here and here.

Cornerstone Funeral Services & Cremation offers green burial options, including burial without embalming, funeral services at home, and cremation. The website says they also work with organ donation organizations, so you’ll still be able to be an anatomical donor. Again, I have no connection with the business, and I’d love to hear from anyone who has worked with these folks.

I did buy myself a Snack Taxi. It’s a reusable sandwich bag. I’ve been looking for one for a while. I’ve found other similar products, but the ones I’d found were too small for the breads I tend to buy or make, or were made with fabric I wasn’t exactly thrilled to be seen with. Mine has hedgehogs romping around on it. I also bought my husband a Wrap-n-Mat. It’s like a reusable sandwich bag that folds all the way out to a placemat. His is dark blue and has chalk outlines of sharks and fishes all over it. We’re both set and stylin’ now!