Can you believe it? The I.D.E.A. Store's one-year anniversary is sneaking right up on us. We opened our doors to the public on Oct. 1, 2010, and you just kept coming - with fabulous donations and great green intentions for interrupting the waste stream while stretching your imagination and your greenbacks! We're planning all kinds of festivities to celebrate the occasion, including even-better-than-usual deals, a special anniversary edition of the this newsletter and - of course, a party! WOO-HOO! Watch your e-mailbox in the next couple of weeks for details.  

Meanwhile, the party's starting a little early over on our Facebook site. 

We've got a great contest up and running through Oct. 1. Post your best reuse/recycling creations (for home, garden, studio, stage, classroom camp, store ... you name it) on the contest event page. Then tell your friends to "like" your post. The idea with the most "likes" by Oct. 1 will be featured in our newsletter and the creator will receive $10 in I.D.E.A. Store BUCKS! We all know how far those bucks can go at the store, don't we?

By the way, if you don't already "like" us on Facebook, be sure to do that, too. We're aiming for 1,000 friends by our anniversary.

Reserve our space for parties, retreats, meetings and more

The I.D.E.A. Store classroom not only functions as the perfect space for our fall workshops and open studios, it's also available for all kinds of other group activities - from parties for children and adults to corporate training, educational retreats and meetings for students, community and professional organizations. For example, we recently provided the site - as well as programming - for a professional development/team-building exercise. At that day-long event, we were able to comfortably accommodate 45 participants.

In addition to providing a bright, well-functioning setting - with kitchen facilities - for up to 50 persons, The I.D.E.A Store's Education Coordinator and Environmental Outreach Specialist are available to discuss, plan and help coordinate corporate or educational programs that might benefit your business or organization.

The space can be reserved for two-hour, half-day or all-day time blocks. The hourly classroom usage fee, without staff, is $25 for the first hour, and $12.50 for each additional half hour. Add-on, fee-based features also are available. Add-ons include programming by store staff, who can introduce participants to the concept of the waste stream and how The I.D.E.A. Store interrupts it; a discussion of the store's donation processing; and art-making projects.

For more information and assistance with planning your event at The I.D.E.A. Store, contact Shauna Carey, 352-7878, or Shauna@the-idea-store.org.

The I.D.E.A. Store Village Green     

Hang on, Sloopy: Try on a 'solar dryer' for size!

By Carol Jo Morgan, MSW, MS                                                     

Environmental Outreach Specialist

Recently, the weather has been ideal for drying laundry outdoors on our clothesline: 70- 80 degrees, 40 percent humidity, light breezes. This activity is one of the most enjoyable ways I've found to "go green" and get some exercise in the fresh air.

An incentive to line-dry is that you can lower your home power bill by up to 10 percent.  You won't contribute to global warming (an important benefit) or have the noise and heat from a mechanical clothes dryer in your home in the warmer months. You'll enjoy the naturally fresh scent your clothes will have (so say "goodbye" to dryer sheets) and they will last longer, won't shrink and may dry actually faster on the line when conditions are good. You can eliminate the use of bleach because sunlight is a natural disinfectant and whitener for your whites.

Of course, inclement weather conditions temporarily prevent use of your clothesline or slow the drying time. If you have a clothespin malfunction and something falls off the line, it may need to be washed again. Unfortunately, you may have a neighbor who simply doesn't appreciate the beauty of a nicely hung clothesline.

Steps to start outdoor line-drying: 

Check the rules where you live. If your neighborhood has a homeowners association, carefully check the covenants for clothesline restrictions or bans of their use in your yard. Florida, Colorado, Utah, and Vermont have passed "right to dry" laws forbidding bans on clotheslines.

Look at site possibilities. If you want to set up an outdoor clothesline, start by looking up. The line should be near - but not under - trees that produce berries or sap or host roosting birds. Periods of sunlight and shade are desirable, and breezes shouldn't be blocked.

Choose a clothesline style. Historically, a line was strung between two trees. Today, there are clotheslines for every type of site. Choices include retractable clotheslines, folding umbrella lines and fixed T-bars. An Internet search is time well spent.  Project Laundry List offers advice, photos, and contacts with the clothesline community. Remember to call J.U.L.I.E. before you dig a hole for a permanent pole.

Get accessories. You'll use clothesline, pins or pegs and a bag or apron to hold them, and a laundry basket. You can find donated clothespins at The I.D.E.A. Store, and we welcome broken clothespin pieces, too! 

Practice clothesline etiquette.  Be considerate of your neighbors by taking your line down or rolling it in when not in use. If you have a permanent line, don't leave clothespins on it. Hang your "dainties," a.k.a. intimate apparel, indoors.  Consult an experienced "line dryer" about ways to hang laundry efficiently and attractively. Here's an opportunity to ask your parents or grandparents about their clothesline memories, while you (and your children) begin to make some of your own.

One last tip. When airing out your clean jeans and jammies, go ahead and kick out the jams, too. In other words, have fun with it! Whistle while you work ... OR ... if you prefer, lift your voice skyward as you pin. Here's the perfect song to sing while hangin' out "some old wild shirts and a couple of pairs of pants."