Organizing as if the Planet Mattered

Greetings, Dear Reader,

I came across an article in AARP Magazine concerning “death cleaning.”  Despite the rather morbid name, actually death cleaning has as its central tenet the notion that one should have their home (and estate affairs) in good order.  I've personally seen homes of departed loved ones who DIDN'T have anything in order and, well, things were a big mess...and on so many levels.

Here’s an article I saw in AARP Magazine...concise and to the point!:

 

https://www.aarp.org/home-family/friends-family/info-2018/swedish-death-cleaning-fd.html

  

There are many other articles addressing this latest trend regarding de-cluttering, including this video I found:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQRUSQFwT2U

 

It's summertime and a timely article was recently penned by Jyssica Yelas in the recent Willamette Week regarding sustainable mindfulness as many Portlanders (and others in other locations) seek to spruce up their wardrobes.

Here is Yelas's article on "Seven Steps to Sustainable Summer Style" which I think many of you will enjoy perusing:

http://www.wweek.com/…/seven-steps-to-sustainable-summer-s…/

Boy, do I love spontaneous green ideas that crop up in the unlikeliest of places!  

I was visiting my hair stylist for my usual trim when, looking around her new salon, noted a number of receptacles for various hair-salon-related products, including actual human hair!  

On a nearby coffee table, I spotted and read some publicity put out by Green Circle Salons.  It's an organization based in Canada that provides resources (with the help of various spa/haircare product sponsors) to help barbers, salons, spas and other beauty-related shops become environmentally sustainable.

This is good news as it seems the present zeitgeist in Washington, DC-The Administration seems excessively anti-environment.  Hooray for small efforts in the form of Green Circle Salons!  

And what a difference the partnership makes for individual beauty-related businesses...significant waste reduction and, a bonus, customers wind up getting educated (including me), noting how assorted products (and yes, hair!) get recycled (or creatively reused).  

For more information, see the link below...

https://www.greencirclesalons.ca/

The main obstacle to being smart/smarter may be due to overexposure to too much information and being unable to discern what information is relevant...and what is not.  Financial Times writer, Robert Armstrong discusses how getting ourselves over-informed can actually represent so much mental clutter.  

With the internet, for instance, being an endless fountain of ideas, information, education and opinions, it's all too easy to lose sight of what really matters in our lives.  We all allow so much "mental junk" to fill our minds.

Armstrong pointedly questions how many of us allow for this accumulation to continue unabated.   He calls for a "cognitive equivalent of decluttering guru, Marie Kondo."  

Here's the article...

https://www.ft.com/content/2092c62c-2839-11e8-b27e-cc62a39d57a0

Betty Shelley, sustainability expert, shares upcoming events, classes and articles for the new year

The annual shoe drive, taking place now through December 31st, takes place at the Tualitin  California Closets office, located at: 18866 SW Teton Avenue or the Design Studios, 1235 W. Burnside Street, Portland.    I love their tagline: "Wearing out poverty." 

The nice thing about this partnership: Each customer bringing in used shoes, gets a discount of up to 10% off a new closet system, for a maximum of $1,000.00.  Clearly a win-win, if you ask me. Plus, this is yet another way less stuff winds up in the landfill!  

Here's the link/URL to this special program:   https://www.californiaclosets.com/soles-4-souls-2017-or019/

Here's a brief article discussing how Japan, among other countries, is taking the lead in recycling e-waste (shorthand for electronic waste):

http://time.com/4970288/mitsubishi-gold-rush-for-ewaste/


My question is...why not the U.S.?  I find it amazing that a country like ours can't seem (or doesn't want) to find a way to address not only electronic waste, but waste products of any sort!  We can do better than this, in my opinion : )  

Here's an article about it:
https://eridirect.com/blog/2015/04/3-reason-why-the-u-s-is-losing-the-e-waste-battle/

Dear Reader,

Very recently, I got this message from a friend who was part of the Oregon Metro, working in the recycling/hazardous waste hotline, who received the following email from an employed of Far West Fibers, a company which handles  a good deal of waste products that, depending on market conditions, are recycled at their various facilities.  Read on...

Hello, Because of the changing market conditions, we will be pulling the bins for comingle plastics, plastic film/bags, and bulky rigid plastics at all the depots. The depots will be set up similar to how they were during the Green Fence operation. We will only be accepting sorted plastic bottles, #2 HDPE and #1 PET. The changes will be in place by tomorrow morning. I’ll try to keep you informed of additional changes as they take place. Sorry for the short notice, things are happening quickly.

Plastic recycling is not an easy process.  So many factors figure into meaningfully reusing/repurposing throwaway plastics...it's quite a huge problem and, in my view, a true conundrum!

Here is an article I came across, addressing the many facets - and issues - related to plastic recycling...it's, uh, complicated : (  
http://www.sustainablebrands.com/news_and_views/waste_not/tom_szaky/many_challenges_plastic_recyclin...

What are your thoughts about plastics, overall?  You would think with the word "innovation" bandied about by manufacturers, that we'd find alternative materials that don't further foul our precious planet!

"Made in America"...those three words still strike a chord in many USA'nians.  Often reflecting high standards, good jobs and outstanding quality...does the "Made in America" label still mean or stand for something...or not?  

Personally, I've seen labels that mention something like: "Engineered in the U.S.," or "Designed in the U.S.; assembled in..."China," "Mexico," etc...

There are many products still made in the U.S. but then again, things get blurry when some/most components come from lands far from the U.S.  Seems many products, even with roots in the U.S. are, at best, a mix of components that come from around the world.

Then again, there's the matter of increasing automation, even here in the U.S. which translates to fewer workers.  But then robots and machines don't "need" anything but workers sure do.

I came across an interesting and provocative article through a Consumer Reports magazine dating back a couple of years that got me thinking about U.S. manufacturing, so...

Here's the article I pulled from the Consumer Reports archives for your perusal:

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine/2015/05/made-in-america/index.htm