Contest! Prizes! Send in your clever reuse/upcycling ideas by April 2, 2012

So, for the last couple years, I've been bothered by the tremendous resource waste represented by the packaging on dental floss -- a few cents of waxed string delivered in a very highly engineered and complex package made from petrochemicals and (overwhelmingly) discarded after a short period of use.

Reading about the TerraCycle folks made me think again about this, and decide to ask folks if they could come up with a creative reuse or "upcycling" method for using these empty containers for a good purpose. SO if you're a creative type, or just have been around enough to know of a clever reuse or way to repurpose these containers, send me your idea.

If I get any ideas that seem really exciting and plausible, I'll work on getting them tested and implemented. I'll rate the ideas on the following criteria (in a totally subjective way):

• 1) Ease of implementation -- the less work needed to do the repurposing, the better.
  
  
• 2) Size of potential market -- if only a few people in the world would value the repurposed container in its new incarnation, then even if your idea is clever and easy to implement, it's not going to result in getting many of these things out of the landfill.
  
  
• 3) Lack of special tools needed -- this is related to ease of implementation, but not identical. A great idea for a big market would make it sensible for a business to buy or make special tools to accomplish the transformation of the object from waste into a new, valuable thing. But if the tooling would be costly or hard, then that counts against the idea.
  
  
• 4) Repurposed product durability -- the best idea is one that will keep these things out of the waste stream as long as possible, if not indefinitely, while accomplishing a useful goal. If your upcycled use will cause the product to fail quickly, then the idea might still be ok, but it's definitely better if your idea accounts for durability.

Send me your ideas by April 2, 2012 (preferably in a drawing or by arranging for us to meet and you can show it to me). As I say, it's going to be my subjective opinion solely as to the best idea received, but it might turn into a business opportunity for us down the road (or for Garten or some other worthy nonprofit). If I get any great ideas, I'll pick the best and arrange for you and a friend to have two tickets for a show at Salem Cinema, and run through all the ideas on this website on Earth Day. (In other words, if you send me your ideas, they will or may be shared with others -- don't send me anything you want to remain a secret.)

Good luck and creative thinking everyone!

Concert for Japan -- today, free, 2:30 pm @ Loucks Auditorium

Looking For Hope....
A concert to honor the victims of the disaster in Japan.

The Salem Public Library will host a musical concert featuring the traditional music of Japan. Performers include Masumi Timson and Noriko Dozono on koto, Larry Tyrrell on shakuhachi flute and Monmouth Taiko on drums. The concert is free, at Loucks Auditorium near the Salem Public Library, on Saturday, March 3rd, starting at 2:30 PM. There is general seating. Doors open at 2 PM.

This event will raise awareness of how Japanese citizens are dealing with the tragic disaster that occurred last year. Recovery after the earthquake, tsunami and radiation leak slowly continues. Residents near the Fukushima Power facility face a very uncertain future and need our support. Concerned performers with emotional ties to Japan have come together to honor the victims and offer hope through the sharing of traditional music.

The welcoming address will be given by the Honorable Takamichi Okabe, Consul General of Japan. After the intermission, there will be a short slide presentation by Kazue Suzuki, who will show images from a recent visit into areas affected by the disaster.

Items offered for sale include cd’s, t-shirts, origami earrings, etc. Monetary proceeds from the sales will be donated to the town of Minami-Souma City, to help with the relief efforts there.

Please come enjoy the music and help us to help others in Japan! 
For more information, go to  HYPERLINK "http://www.monmouthtaiko.org" www.monmouthtaiko.org

Word: In Salem, as in Portland, the Megabridge Dreams are Simply Pork for Contractors

Most excellent

A LOVESalem local cool stuff correspondent sends:

If I'm emailing you it's because I think you might be interested in this local coffee roaster either because it's local, because it's sustainable, or because it's tasty. :) It gets delivered by bicycle to your house once a week on the day it's roasted. Not sure coffee gets more fresh than that! Matt and I have tried it and think it's delicious and have signed up.

Here's the promo video (which is cool even if you hate coffee) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfTJso63fRM



And the website with more details - www.steelbridgecoffee.com

Thanks, and if you know someone else who might be interested in Salem, feel free to forward this on!

Our Fiendish Predicament Summed Up in a Single Graph

What fossil fuels made possible, the inexorable end of fossil fuels will make impossible to continue

Two Englishmen Shooting Balloons in Slow Motion . . . That Is All « Fun

http://jonathanturley.org/2012/01/06/two-englishmen-shooting-balloons-in-slow-motion-that-is-all/

More Saturday fun

Strike a blow for common sense and sustainability 6:30 pm MONDAY NIGHT at City Hall

Well, thanks to more tireless work by the Chickens in the Yard (CITY) folks, the city staff has prepared a recommendation for City Council to make substantial, significant improvements to the original hen-keeping ordinance adopted a while back.

So, once again into the breach, public-spirited citizens of Salem! Please show up at City Hall Council Chambers tonight for the first reading and to testify in favor of the proposed rewrites. They won't be adopted tonight, but they do have to get enough support to get to second reading and then, ultimately, final adoption. And that's where you come in: come and show your support for more sensible rules for keeping hens in Salem!

Here's a word from Barb Palermo, Henactivist Extraordinaire. Contact Barb if you have questions about the proposed changes and how long you can expect to be there, etc.

The revised chicken ordinance (to be discussed and voted on Monday night) has been posted on the city's website (pdf) . . . . City staff is recommending passage of the revisions. They left the price of the chicken license up to the council to decide and instead of the coop being 10' from your own house, it's 3' - but other than that they have rewritten it exactly as proposed, including increasing the number of hens to five and allowing them at community gardens!

We still need 5 votes though, so another good show of supporters Monday night is essential. Could you please write about this in your blog in hopes of getting folks to attend?

Isabel Allende tells Tales of Passion

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/heb/_tells_tales_of_passion.html

Bring the joy back to teaching and learning

Best thing on Ed for some time. Sadly, it is retired educators who seem to be able to stand up to the charlatans like Arne Duncan and the No Child Left Behind Snake Oil chorus.

http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2012/02/bring_the_joy_back_to_teaching.html

More on our predicament: Business trying to silence the warnings on climate

http://jonathanturley.org/2012/02/18/cyberbulling-scientists-using-threats-in-an-effort-to-silence-the-discussion-on-climate-change/

Cyberbullying Scientists: Using Threats in an Effort to Silence the Discussion on Climate Change « JONATHAN TURLEY