2 R's

Reuse, Recycle

Stumbled across these bottle openers made from used bike chains & sprockets on a forum I frequent and thought they looked pretty cool. You can even get your own custom logo engraved on them.


More re-'cycle'd (ha ha) items here:

https://www.resourcerevival.com/store/retail?category=21

--JOsh

Here, you recycle this

So you want to recycle, but you have things other than the typical paper and plastic. You have broken toys, an old TV, or a monitor and other computer parts. Where can you take it? Well I don't know, but Earth911 probably does! Earth911 is a relatively untapped resource for me, but one of their very useful functions so far is the Recycling Center search. You simply type in what you want to recycle and the area you live in, they do the rest by pulling up recycling options near you. Give it a try!

CFL and After

One of the methods I am using to be more energy conscious is very judicious use of CFL in my house. Thus far I have replaced several entire rooms, and I intend to continue this until I am completely rid of incandescent.

I originally planned to wait and replace as incandescent bulbs burnt out, but at this point I'm wondering why I shouldn't reap those savings sooner. Especially when companies such as Alliant Energy are providing rebates for purchasing these bulbs.

One thing that has concerned me with CFL though is my perception that people are relatively uninformed about how these bulbs should be disposed. The mercury in the bulbs means that they can no longer simply be tossed in the trash.

I was very encouraged though to see a flier up at my kids' gymnastics class stating the a CFL recycling program had been setup in a nearby town. This prompted me to look for and then find some additional CFL recycling information and information for Iowa specifically.

Luckily for me personally there is a center about 10 minutes away. I do think there is still a need to greatly expand on the number of these centers available, so I hope more people will setup local drop off centers.