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Greener Homes and Gardens Fair, May 17th and 18th, is featuring the Habitat LEED sustainable home design along with offering all donations made from attendance to the show! In exchange for this attention and genorous donation we need to find amazing volunteers to help set up and make sure the show runs smoothly. We still need a good amount of people. Friday for set up, Saturday afternoon help at the doors, and Sunday all day.
We also will have a smaller event with a similiar focus on Saturday, May 31st. The Helensview Green Living Street Fair will be taking place on 64th Ave. and Killingsworth where they will be featuring a new LEED community that has begun there. There will be free workshops and other helpful information for home owners. They also have a similiar situation where home owners may volunteer time in exchange for affordability. We need a couple of people to represent the ReStore, and to let people know we are an affordable/sustainable option and a place home owners can volunteer with.
If you are available for either of these events, please email molly@pdxrestore.org as soon as you can!
Regular Volunteer Needs at the ReStore: Help at the ReStore by going out on pick ups on the donations truck. Our trusty drivers need help as they go out to collect all the world has to offer. As an assistant to the driver you will help load, give directions, and maneuver when backing up. We need people for Tuesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays and the shifts run from 9am-2pm. If interested or would like more info. please email.
ReStore needs volunteers in the warehouse Tuesday through Saturday. Stop by if you have a free day!
Take Care,
Molly Enright-VolunteerCoordinator |
| Greener Home and Garden Show
Coming May 17 and 18 @ the Expo Center |
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This will be the ReDirect Guide's 6th annual sustainable home and garden show. The ReStore is this year's volunteer host as well as the beneficiary of the show's $3 admission donations. A centerpiece of the event will be a model of Habitat's first LEED-certified home in Oregon, being built in NE Portland this spring.
There will be seminars and do-it-yourself workshops on home, garden, and alternative energy projects; a Seed Swap and Starter Plant Market; a transportation pavilion and car show; and a creative and custom bike competition. The first solar-powered, biofuel hybrid RV in the Pacific Northwest will make its debut.
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Getting Carpet Out of the Landfill
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Here at the ReStore we sell only new, never installed carpeting. According to store director, Joe Connell, "We used to have quite a few problems when we took used-carpets are bulky and difficult to inspect for wear, holes, cutouts, stains, etc." As a result of our policy, we regularly turn away callers wanting to donate used carpet to us. We always try to give out alternative reuse or recycling referrals. However, there are few local options for used carpeting, mainly Craig's List, freecycle.org and one recycling center, ECR (Environmentally Conscious Recycling), in northeast Portland. More needs to be done to improve carpet recycling in the Portland area, and in the whole country, for that matter.
 Carpet recycling @ Los Angeles Fiber
The Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI), an industry trade association, estimates that carpets and rugs cover 70% of floors in the United States. 40% of carpets use nylon 6,6; 30% nylon 6; 20% polypropylene, 7% polyester; and 3% other materials. Nylon is a petroleum-based synthetic fiber. In 1996, CRI introduced an ID system, a 7-digit barcode that is placed on carpet backing, specifically for identifying types of carpet to facilitate sorting for recycling.
Every year between 5 and 6 billion pounds of old carpeting ends up in landfills. In 2007, only about 5% was recycled. In the Metropolitan Portland area, 3.5% of the local landfill is carpeting--44,000 pounds. Clearly there is a lot of work to do to change this wasteful situation.
Although a few carpet companies were already recycling, an important turning point came in 2002, when the carpet industry, governmental agencies (especially about 13 state and local ones), plus several non-profits signed an agreement that led to the creation of CARE, the Carpet America Recovery Effort. Through this Memorandum of Understanding for Carpet Stewardship, an infrastructure was initiated to facilitate the reclamation and recycling of carpet. CARE set as its goal diverting 40% of carpet, 2.3 billion pounds, from landfills, by 2012.
 Logo for CARE
Here it is six years later. How does it look for reaching this goal? While progress has definitely been made, it seems unlikely that goal will be reached in just four more years. It helps that the number of collection sites has increased from 5 in 2002 to 61 in 2008, including one in the Portland area, ECR. However, according to CARE's 2006 figures, 240 million pounds, 4.6%, was recycled. That was less than half its goal for the year. External economic issues, such as low housing starts and a slump in the auto industry (some plastic auto parts are made from recycled carpet), played a role in these disappointing statistics.
Nevertheless, several major companies, mostly based in the southeastern United States, are leading the way with significant and innovative manufacturing protocols that are positively impacting the environment.
*Invista opened its Carpet Reclamation Center in 1991-the first nationwide program. It processes about 15 million pounds each year.
*Shaw partners with recycling companies around the country. Its Endurance II carpet pad contains 100% recycled material, using 25 million pounds of post-industrial carpet waste each year.
*Mohawk's Greeenworks Center can process all three major types of synthetic face fiber, as well as carpet backing. 90% is recovered and turned into usable products. It also uses old car tires, old windshield glass, and recycled plastic soda bottles in some of its carpet products.
*InterfaceFLOR's Mission Zero has as its goal to have no environmental impact (total sustainability) by the year 2020.
*At Milliken's carpet manufacturing plants, there has been zero waste to landfills since 1999, an industry first. Milliken was the first to eliminate PVC from all its carpet.
*Los Angeles Fiber is the largest recycler of post-consumer carpet in North America. Its synthetic carpet cushion is 100% post-consumer carpet.
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Consumers have an important role to play in carpet recycling and reuse:
*Shop for new carpet at the ReStore.
*Purchase carpet squares instead of regular carpeting. It's much easier and more conserving to replace individual squares than a whole carpet.
*Purchase carpeting with high recycled content. This encourages the development and success of green products.
*When you remove old carpeting, be sure to recycle it.
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Sustainable Vancouver
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How many of us in Portland are aware that our neighbor across the river, Vancouver (soon to be home to a new ReStore), is a beehive of environmental activism? It is one of 700 cities nationwide that has signed onto a climate action plan, and it requires all new city buildings be LEED-certified.
"Sustainability is about meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs," stated Vancouver Mayor Royce Pollard in this year's State of the City address. "Given that," he continued, "everything we do today must be with a consideration of sustaining our activities and our quality of life into the long-term future."
In July, 2007, the city created a Sustainability Coordinator, and last November formed a Green Ribbon Panel in order to get broader input into the development of its green policies. The panel is composed of 20 business people, technical experts, environmental activists, neighborhood association leaders, and a State Senator.
Vancouver has had curbside recycling for more than 15 years. A recently completed pilot project tested moving from a 3-bin program to a dual stream, cart-based system (similar to what Portland starts this summer). The city also participates in two innovative re-use programs. 2good2toss.com is a materials exchange website that is sponsored by the state of Washington's Department of Ecology. Clark County is one of 14 counties that lists reusable building materials and large household items available. You must live or work in the county to use this service. CREAM (Computer Re-use and Marketing) is a partnership between the city of Vancouver, Clark College, Clark County, Columbia Resource Company, and the Salvation Army. The non-profits refurbish those machines which can be repaired, and then distribute them to adults and children in need. The other equipment is recycled.
Coming July 10, 11, and 12 is the SW Washington Sustainability Conference, Trade Show, and Greenfest at the LEED-certified Vancouver Hilton and Conference Center, 301 W 6th Street. This major event, presented by the City of Vancouver and Clark County, is orgnanized into three tracks: climate, commerce, and community. There will be speakers from all over the country, including environmental activist-attorney Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The public "Greenfest" on Saturday, July 12th will feature free workshops, music, food, and activities, such as The Mayor's Bike Ride.
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| TRASH BASH ART SHOW, in Manzanita, Friday, May 16th |
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Cart'm Recycling, north Oregon Coast's dynamic recycling and reuse center, is celebrating its 10th anniversary with a Trash Bash Art Show. There will also be entertainment by local music talent and activities for kids.
Cart'm Recycling is a non-profit community organization. It runs a free recycling center and resale store, featuring used building materials, housewares, books, toys, tools, electronics, furniture, art supplies and more.
For more information, call them at 503-368-7746, or visit their Web Site. |
Free Workshop: Starting a Craft Business
Using Reclaimed Materials
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When: Saturday, May 24th, 10:30am-2:30pm
Where: Hollywood Library, 4040 N.E. Tillamook Street, Portland
Do you make crafts from reclaimed materials?
Are you thinking about starting a business selling your products?
Come learn about what it takes to get started
or help grow a new recycled art craft business:
-Basics of starting a small craft business
-Aspects of a business plan
-Reclaimed materials resources
-Small business resources
-Question and answer session with experienced crafters
Snacks and drinks provided by Food Front Co-Op and local bakery!
Contact Rachel @ (503) 618-2789 to attend or for more info.
Please note, workshop space is limited!
Rachel Zarfas
NWSA AmeriCorps Volunteer
(503) 618-2789
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Please Give Us Feedback!
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Please let us know what you think of the ReStore Newsletter. Are you finding useful information and/or resources? Do you have ideas for articles you would like us to do? Are there aspects of the newsletter that you think need improvement. Please help us make this newsletter better. Contact robin@pdxrestore.org with your thoughts. Thank you!
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RESTORE HOURS
Tuesday through Saturday
9am-5pm | |
May 2008
