It’s important to stay on top of all the latest green news,and it’s really interesting, too. For instance, the Mafia’s involvement in renewable energy in Italy (we are always interested in Mafia stories, especially after The Sopranos went off the air), or Fracking, or sadly, the glaciers that are melting at such a speed in the tropical Andes that they threatening all the freshwater supplies in Peru and Bolivia.Or how about the artist in New York (who also just happens to be a biologist) that cultivated bacteria from the industrial and human waste that has been stewing for decades in some of that city’s most famous waterways: Gowanus Canal, Newton Creek, the Hudson and East rivers, and the Dead Horse Bay. She extracted mud and water samples and pureed them into steel and glass fixtures—which thus began her series of paintings.
Even with all that crazy news happening globally, there is still a part of the world that thinks of being “green” as a trend—a trend that is nearing its end. Here at Rule29, however, we see it as a trend that is here to stay. We continue to recycle (tracking it continuously), shut off lights, monitor our heating and air conditioning with our handy-dandy nests—and the list goes on.
In 2013, we are determined to be better “green” humans and extend ourselves to both new and existing initiatives. There are new sites we’ve discovered and new things that we’ll be trying. This year, for the first time, we are going to plant a Rule29 garden, eat from it, give our friends veggies, feed the local chipmunks, etc.
We are spoiled at Rule29: We have a fully stocked kitchen full of food, drinks, and snacks to keep us fueled for our day-to-day work. So this year, when shopping for groceries along with our office supplies, we are going to strive to be very considerate of our post-consumer consuming, which really just comes down to reading more of the packaging itself. It’s not just checking for those calories or GMOs, my friends! Buying products with post-consumer content is an easy way to keep the landfills leaner around the world. It also prevents using our virgin resources and helps grow the market for recycled materials. The sad part is that, for all the years we have been recycling, if businesses aren’t taking those recyclable scraps and making something new for us to purchase, the whole cycle breaks down and is pretty much pointless. But the good news is that so many bottles and cans of beverages we purchase regularly—along with boxes of snacks and packing materials we use for shipping—are now made with recycled content! We just have to make a conscious effort to choose these items from now on. This just involves developing the habit of reading the packaging and making sure there is a high percentage of post-consumer waste used.
The website ecycler.com is pretty amazing. You can register for free, and fill in your location, and they will find a “collector” to come and pick up your recycling. You can browse the state list to see what is listed for recycling and even go pick it up if you’re interested— for instance, thirty-three-gallon trash bags filled with PET bottles.
Waste Management has created something called the (DART) Diversion & Recycling Tracking Tool that helps you track your construction diversion and features an online recycling program. Next month we’ll share more of our finds—along with what we really did here at Rule29 in 2012. Did we exceed our goals? Did we even reach them (fingers crossed)?
Are you making a conscious effort this year to make being “green” more of a lifestyle than a dying trend? If you have any hints or suggestions on other things we can add to our daily routine, let us know! We are always open to learning more and becoming better humans.