Hooray! The Holidays!
 by Solid Waste Program Manager Angela Brantley'

They’re fun, they’re exciting, they’re a time to meet and talk with your loved ones. Are you hearing a “BUT” in there? No, I’m not the bearer of bad news BUT I do want to encourage you to prevent generating as much waste as possible. How? You ask? Simple:

1. Buy an artificial tree. Use it year after year after year and get a bunch of pine smelling candles. You don’t have to light them, just have them around and it will smell like Christmas trees in your home. They make some excellent artificial trees. Real trees are wonderful BUT the fuel and air pollution generated in getting them to the sale lots and then to your homes and then transporting them to be recycled and then the mulching of them…makes them a great candidate to reduce waste.
2. Use paper bags for wrapping paper. You can individually decorate them using last year’s Christmas card pictures, have your children create artwork on them, color them, and more. Then you can easily recycle them or burn them in your fireplace.
3. Collect your Christmas cards this year and use them to make your next year cards. I personally enjoy this when people do it. They’re fun and much more personalized. Some people have made an envelope and letter with their re-used cards and they’re great.
4. Give gift certificates. This ensures that the person will actually use the stuff and not just discard it.
5. Use regular plates and cutlery as much as possible. So much trash is generated using plates (paper or plastic) once and then throw them away.
6. Put out a clearly marked “Recycling” container for bottles and cans. Make it easier on your guests to dispose of their recycling AND trash. It’s a great way to monitor what you are generating and try to eliminate generating as much trash next year.
7. Take a bus, walk or bicycle to shop. It saves gas and it’s fun and you definitely won’t overbuy.
8. Write down every manufacturer that over-packages their product. Email or send them a note letting them know you’re mad as heck and you’re not going to take it anymore, then tell them to cut down on their packaging and wasting valuable resources. Remember that they want you to buy their product and what you say matters to them.
9. Start a composting bin. Look at www.monterey.org/recycle/3r/ingarden/composting.html   and compost. It’s cold now and the worms will be slow in eating so start our slowly, allow the worms to meet and greet and nestle in to begin working.

See, was that so tough? No. Like our friends at Nike say: Just Do It! You’ll make a WORLD of difference.
   Here’s a helpful tip from our employees, PJ and Ron Garcia: Ron (affectionately called Ronnie by PJ) cleaned PJ’s BLACK mustang with a waterless cleaner. I bring this up to you not to advertise for this company but to introduce you to new ways to reduce waste, in this case water. Her car looked beautiful. IBIZ is the company and the Web site is waxdirect.com/. It is a waterless wash & wax protectant that has a non-abrasive formula. There are lots of companies out there.
   PJ and Ron(nie) will be rewarded for this suggestion (as soon as we figure out a good reward and please don’t expect Hawaii tickets). Thanks to both of you. Any helpful tips, please forward to us.
   Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of you!

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Rain Water! How Can You Profit From It?
 by Solid Waste Program Manager Angela Brantley

I bet you are wondering what I’m up to now! Just another conservation tip and great idea from Hans Uslar (and he got this idea from his 90-year-old dad!). Rainwater collection is the age-old method of using rainwater to do such things as water your gardens, your compost bins or clean your cars, as examples. Why do it? Simply stated, it’s free, it’s available, and it’s a wasted resource when it is allowed to flow down our storm drains.
   Check out this website: www.rainbarrelguide.com/  The following excerpt taken from this web states:
   “The Freshwater Facts..."
   "To illustrate how important and how limited a resource freshwater is in our world, consider the following. More than 70 percent of the Earth's surface is covered by water, but only 2.5% of this supply is considered fresh water. The rest is found in the form of salt water in the oceans. Of the fresh water that exists, most is locked up in glaciers and ice caps. Water can also be found in the form of clouds and humidity in the soil. That leaves us 3/10 of 1 percent found in the form of lakes, rivers and streams. Unfortunately, much of this small amount of freshwater is in danger of drying up through desertification or becoming so contaminated that it cannot be used for human consumption. Changing our habits of water use can help to abate this growing problem…”
   At this website, www.abundantearth.com/store/rainbarrelkits.html they state the following:
   “Rain Water Collection Made from Food-Grade Recycled Barrels!"
   "Cut your water costs, lighten the load on your sewer and municipal system, protect nearby rivers and streams, help recycle industrial food grade barrels, keep water away from your foundation, and come out with a great looking yard and garden to boot - all using the rainwater that falls on your roof. Rainwater is oxygenated, un-chlorinated and (usually) warmer than tap water, which makes the Rain Barrel Rainwater Collection System preferable for watering your plants, garden and lawn, and for adding moisture to compost…”
   To find out more, just use your search engine and type in Rainwater Collection Systems. There’s “gallons” of information out there to read. These two websites I have included give you measurement information for your use too.
   Good luck and if you choose to start a system such as this, please share the information.

Change the World, Change a Light Bulb!
 by Public Works Administration Manager Hans Uslar

How about an investment of around three dollars that may save you $38? You can't find this return on investment at the local bank, Wall Street or overseas, but you can in your local neighborhood stores.
   Compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFL) can have a positive impact on energy consumption, greenhouse-gas emissions, global warming or our local landfill. They are more expensive than the usual light bulbs, but they last between 7 to ten years (normal light bulbs last 6 – 8 months considering a daily usage of 4 hours) and they use 75% to 80% less electricity.
   Consider this: there are around 110 million households in the United States using around 50 to 100 normal light bulbs (go ahead – count them). If every household would purchase just one of those swirled compact fluorescent light bulbs replacing a 60W light bulb, we could save enough energy to power 619,814 homes or a city of 1.5 million people. (That is also the equivalent to shutting down 2 typical power plants, or not burning 29,963 railcars of coal, or taking 1.3 million cars of the roads.) So, how about an investment of three dollars?
   For more information read the article written by Charles Fishman at www.fastcompany.com/magazine/108/open_lightbulbs.html
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Inspiration!
 by Solid Waste Program Manager Angela Brantley

What inspires you to change? What inspires you to be innovative in your life? These were the questions that were asked at the annual recycling conference that was held in San Jose this year. I know many of you think that we sit around the forest hugging trees during these events, but nay! We were treated to great speakers such as Steve Wozniak http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Wozniak  and Gunter Pauli www.hypothesis.it/nobel/eng/bio/pauli.htm and www.scizerinm.org/pauliarticles.html (Wozniak is cofounder of Apple Computer and Pauli redesigns manufacturing processes into non-polluting clusters of industries.)
   So, here are some of the things they shared with us:

1. Let your children dream and use their imaginations to the fullest. They don’t need “things” they need experiences.
2. Recycling has its place but it’s the last step in the process. The steps are:
     > Rethink  > Reduce  > Reuse  > Recycle
3. Break things down into simple steps and needs. You’ll find the rewards and freedom of those decisions the most compelling reasons to change your behavior.
4. Lead by example. Ride your bike to work, take a bus, walk to the store, use cloth bags that can be reused. Your body will love the exercise, and your children will join in on the fun. Habits only take 21 days to become ingrained into your behavior.
5. Look at everything with an artistic eye. Reuse it again and again and not necessarily for its intended use.
6. Reduce waste before you even make it. As examples:  Do you need to run all those reports? Can they be sent to people electronically allowing recipients to copy only those pages they need or not copy them if they don’t need them? Are hard copies necessary when PDF files work just as well? Do you contact companies that over-package their products to complain? Your input helps them to make decisions that are popular with their customers.

Many of the speakers at the conference were from the computer industry. All of them are working towards more sustainable practices when designing and improving their products. They are committed to that goal because they know that our future depends on that. They all said the same thing:  The customers voice drives the market. If you don’t like the amount of waste that is created by the production of their products, let them know. Be aware of what goes on around you and LEAD BY EXAMPLE.
   P.S. Remember to recycle your batteries at the City Clerk's Office, Library, community centers, and Whole Foods Market.

Summertime Means Thinking Ahead!
 by Solid Waste Program Manager Angela Brantley

It’s a great time of year but it’s also a time of year that produces large amounts of trash. People are away from home, producing lots of unnecessary trash and throwing away valuable recyclables. Trash is usually the last thing on your mind when you’re packing for a trip but consider the following ideas to help reduce the amount of waste you produce while picnicking, camping or visiting friends this summer:

• Use reusable cups, glasses, plates and cutlery. Put each person's name on the back of their stuff and make them responsible for washing and storing them or give each person a particular color combination of glasses, cups, plates and cutlery and turn them loose. You’ll be amazed at how little trash you produce once you’ve converted to reusable material.
• When possible, buy in larger quantities to eliminate over-packaging. Bring large Ziploc bags to make storage easier. Buying drinks in liter sizes and using reusable cups really cuts down on the amount of waste produced. Remember to bring a clear plastic bag to store all the cans and bottles in. Clear bags help you recognize at a glance that it is recycling and not trash.
• If possible, store foodstuff in large clear plastic boxes. It keeps food clean and prevents people from scrounging through bags and leaving containers open. Label the boxes to make things easier to find.
• If you are going to Lake San Antonio, please note the terrific recycling program that the recycling team from Monterey County has installed. You can place paper, such as newspaper, paper sacks, soda cartons and cans and bottles in the clearly marked containers.
• If you don’t find recycling containers at your camping sites, please find the space to bring the material back to your curbside bins. I won’t give you all the statistical information regarding the amount of time it takes for a can to disintegrate but it’s a very, very long time.