Clear the Air Challenge Prize Winner

The winner of our Mid-August drawing for the Clear the Air Challenge is Ronda from DOPL. Ronda picked the prize of a book mark made by Ann Blath Paipeir, from newspapers.

Congratulations, Ronda!!



For more information re/Ann Blath Paipeir, see: http://www.etsy.com/shop/anblathpaipeir

Our next drawing for the Clear the Air Challenge will be at the end of the month, so make sure to track your saved costs and emissions until I ask for your My Tracker record again.

Agriculture Advocates

Thanks to Carolyn for this link about Agriculture Advocates: As she notes, buying local translates into a smaller carbon footprint. Check out the site; it has lots of great information! http://www.agriadvocates.org/

More Upcycling Photos

Upcycling photos from Commerce colleagues and others:

Pics of a hot tub surround made of pop can insulated, concrete covered triangles; and I hear it works!

Lee's basket made from Christmas cards, and Valeri's quilt made from her son's T-shirts! Thanks, Ladies!

Flowers made from paper (phone books, magazines) then turned into jewelry, book markers, etc. See more at this website: http://www.etsy.com/shop/anblathpaipeir


Junk mail turned into gems:
http://www.junkmailgems.com/index.html

AND a boat made out of plastic bottles crosses the Pacific Ocean:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38412525/ns/world_news-world_environment/

Upcycling Lunch - Additional Recycling Update

Upcycling Entries:

Thanks to all who have submitted entries for the upcycling campaign. You have been very creative in using recycled items to make things that are fun and useful. The above pictures show items I received since the last blog (had some trouble with the orientation of the pictures): a 2 liter plastic bottle made into a sprinkler head, toilet paper rolls used for coiling extension cords, decorated with wrapping paper and Christmas cards; clothing made out of other clothing or bed sheets, a wall decoration upcycled from an item once used as a bottle stop/lid, a crocheted produce bag made from a prior craft project, a wooden stool cover made from an old skirt, etc. Thanks for your entries Karen, Kathy, and Carolyn. Our winner from a drawing of these entries is Carolyn from DOPL. Congratulations, Carolyn.

Upcycling Lunch:

We will have a pot luck lunch rather than a brown bag lunch on Tue 7/27 from noon to 1 pm in Rm 210. For those who are able to bring their entries (if I don't already have them), please bring them for viewing. Those who attend the lunch can vote for three upcycling items that they like - the top three vote getters will receive a prize. We will also have some upcycling items that we can make and take. Please RSVP, mmedcalf@utah.gov, and let me know if you can make the lunch.

Recycling Update:

Thank you all for your continued ideas on what we should recycle around here. After researching these ideas, we came up with yet other ways that we can become more green.

--So, please take note that we can now collect dust-off canisters:
http://www.falconsafety.com/falconSafety/environment/recyclingAndTechnicalTraining.aspx
"For consumers wishing to know how and if Dust-Off canisters can be recycled. Dust-Off cans are made of steel and can be recycled with metals in accordance to your local recycling programs. However, PLEASE make sure that all cans are empty of compressed gas prior to recycling. "

--We can also collect lithium batteries for laptops. (We are also still collecting household alkaline and rechargeable batteries).

--Just bring these items to me.

Your ETeam Captain,

Masuda

Brown Bag & Recycling

Plastics Recycling -


Update as to recycling plastics in the U.S., current data as to improvements in recycling plastics and the reasons why some still find it difficult to recycle. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38173694/ns/business-oil_and_energy/

For consumers wishing to know how and if Dust-Off canisters can be recycled. Dust-Off cans are made of steel and can be recycled with metals in accordance to your local recycling programs. However, PLEASE make sure that all cans are empty of compressed gas prior to recycling. http://www.falconsafety.com/falconSafety/environment/recyclingAndTechnicalTraining.aspx

Commerce Wins - What We've Made With Recyclables

Thanks to all of you for your commitment to the Think! Energy campaign and its message, and CONGRATULATIONS!!!! I got the official notice yesterday from the National Energy Foundation that Commerce has won the Pledge Contest, with over 60% of our Department employees pledging to be energy efficient!!!

What We've Made With Recyclables
So far this month, we have several creative use ideas and actual products made from recycled materials. Here they are, keep them coming!!

1. Thanks Carolyn for you cork trivets:



Also, this article discusses the World Cup, soccer players wearing jerseys made almost entirely from plastic bottles: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/12/business/energy-environment/12sustain.html?ref=recycling_of_waste_materials


2. These are all awesome, Lee!!
**Ribbon Photo Corners - Giving a decorative touch to photo albums using ribbons from gifts received - http://www.marthastewart.com/good-things/ribbon-photo-corners
**using a toilet paper roll to hold an extension cord


**using a paper towel roll on a wire hanger to keep your pants from getting a crease when you hang them in half



**making gift bags from scraps of material, or old shirts, jeans, etc. (easy sewing, or glue for those who do not sew)





**making Christmas ornaments from Christmas cards - below



**making book marks from Christmas Cards and from corners of envelopes




**shredding scrap paper and old gift wrapping paper for use as filler in gift bags





3. Skirts made out of old dresses, cut-offs from old pair of pants, pillow cases from an old sheet (Karen you are wiz with your sewing machine!)

Future Campaign Ideas - Thanks Shauna
(a) Have staff complete a water audit of their water use to become aware one month, report usage before. The water audit or water check can be done through the "slow the flow" website. The following month set a goal to reduce use by a percentage and report after usage.

(b) Education on water resistance planting and xerioscaping, with the challenge to have staff plant at least one or more plants and submit a picture.

(c) Become clutter free in our homes and offices, recycling the abundance, redundance and just plain extra. i.e., count the number of clutter items they freed themselves of (taking a bag and walking around the home with a challenge to remove 25 items not being used and taking up valuable space)

Century Gothic font uses 30% less ink than Arial? http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=125639616 (Thanks Jeff)

Make and Take Brown Bag and Contest in July
With many of us taking summer vacations, we are going to extend the current campaign into July. Towards the end of July, we will hold a Brown Bag when we can use the upcycling ideas I am receiving from you, we can make and take some of the more simple items, and we can also vote on our favorite upcycled items entered into the contest.

So, keep bringing in your entries (remember that each upcycled item is a separate entry into our drawing)!!

Now, if you are an early bird reader of this blog entry, send me an email for a little bonus.

June Campaign Details

For the June Think! Energy Campaign, I would like to see:

(1) yours or your family/friends' attempts at upcycling, making something usable with recycled materials; and

(2) your ideas for future monthly campaigns.

UPCYCLED ITEMS: You can bring these items to me, I will take pictures and post them on our blog for others to see. I will also hold these items until the end of the month and we will probably have a brown bag lunch or other gathering later this month so that everyone has a chance to see them. Perhaps we will hold a contest to see which upcycled items are found to be the most useful, the most creative, the most likely to sell in a market, etc.

So begin making your upcycling entries. Here are a couple of web sites courtesy of Carolyn from DOPL, that might help you get started - patterns for making grocery and produce bags.

http://wisdomofthemoon.blogspot.com/2008/01/cheap-easy-fabric-produce-bags.html

http://tipnut.com/35-reusable-grocery-bags-totes-free-patterns/

I have skimmed these sites, and they are really great! I also posted other sites on this blog previously with additional links to craft ideas.

By the way, you can have more than one entry for the upcycling contest!

YOUR CAMPAIGN IDEAS: I have been doing this for a year now, and I'm not sure I have any more ideas to throw at you. I am hoping you are still remembering and practicing the habits we tried to learn through the first year: switching power strips off at night, turning off lights in unused rooms, unplugging appliances not in use, eliminating personal appliances; using alternate modes of transportation, limiting driving trips, and not idling automobiles; recycling cans, plastics, cardboard, batteries, etc. and upcycling items where possible. In order to continue the Think! Energy campaign and keep it alive in this Department, I need your help. Please send me your ideas for topics or activities, ways that will help us keep the momentum going and continue to have monthly drawings.

JUNE DRAWING. Your future campaign ideas and upcycled items will earn entries to the June prize drawings! And now, if you are an early bird and send me a quick email and let me know you've read this blog entry, you could be eligible for a little bonus.

Thank you!
Your E-Team Captain,
Masuda