Update on Rethink Waste Project’s multifamily recycling project!

December 10, 2020

Remember WAY back in 2019, that The Environmental Center’s Rethink Waste Project won a grant from DEQ? Well, despite all the challenges this year has brought we’ve still been able to move forward with the project. Here’s what we’ve been up to so far. Recycle Right Toolkits We began the project focusing on two different […]

Single Use Disposables. Are they actually better than reusables?

November 30, 2020

What’s better, paper or plastic? Single-use foodware made of petroleum-based or compostable plastics? A reusable canvas bag or a single-use plastic bag? A plastic-lined paper coffee cup or a durable reusable stainless steel Hydroflask? Many studies have been done comparing different product materials using what’s called a life cycle analysis or LCA. This is a […]

What do you do with broken crayon bits? Don’t toss ’em!

November 23, 2020

Ya know when you’re using a box of crayons and they break into little bits to the point where they are just hard to use anymore? Well Julie A. C. Wilson of Jactra Studios showed me a way to re-purpose or re-use them without tossing them. You could do it too! How to make new […]

A few thoughts about waste, awareness, and November.

November 9, 2020

Imagine your perfect 4th-Thursday-in-November holiday scenario. What does it look like? In the year 2020 (an election year, at that), the economy isn’t doing great and many people have lost their jobs due to a global pandemic. It’s unsafe to travel and gather in large groups. And we are in the midst of the biggest […]

3 Tips for a Low Waste Halloween

October 8, 2020

Halloween! Such a fun fantastical holiday when you can really be whoever you want to be: Storm from the X-Men? Willy Wonka? Or popular and scary Freddy Krueger? Well, even scarier might be the incredible amount of plastic waste generated during this holiday. One study estimated that the UK tossed over 2,000 tons of new […]

Learn from the kids: reusables!

August 6, 2020

Reusables! They are the best. Sometimes they do require an upfront investment, but over time, as you use, the costs equalize. Yes, costs. You won’t have to buy single-use disposables over and over AND the tax on the earth also lessens. Reusables are great for: Camping – You can just set up a dishwashing station. […]

Rethink Waste in and around your garden with Bend Urban Gardens

July 29, 2020

There is so much waste that can happen in backyard gardening: building materials, toxic chemicals from herbicides and pesticides, not to mention water, energy, and food waste potentials that can occur. I had a chance to sit down with a professional to learn about some best practices around waste reduction in the garden. From non-toxic […]

Out the door with disposable diapers? And other questions answered by the pros.

July 2, 2020

Waste with babies! It can be overwhelming when you start to look at the increase in volume of waste in your garbage can when an infant joins the household: Diapers! Cleaning up after your baby Food waste and garbage associated with food packaging So much more… I am not a mother, so I can’t claim […]

Rethink Waste: DIY Beeswax Wrap!

May 27, 2020

We’re up to our armpits in our second Rethink Food Waste Challenge! Folks are learning all about ways to reduce their household food waste through shopping with a list, keeping their refrigerator organized with an Eat First shelf (a place to keep all the food that needs to be eaten soon!), and only buying what […]

Springtime Reuse in the Garden

May 7, 2020

Spring is in full-fledged now. Frosty nights (my chicken’s water was frozen over this morning) make way for warm days and sprouting seeds. As you move through your garden deciding on new places to plant, expand, and build, I challenge you to find places creative reuse. Why should I care about reuse? The newest DEQ […]

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Category: Reduce/Reuse