Thomas Shelley
Coordinator, Shopping Bag Action Group-Ithaca
- 118 E. Court St.
- Ithaca, New York
- United States
Topics
25 Comments
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Re: Shopping Bags
2009-01-28 17:44:57 UTC
Wanda Redic--You wrote:
"It's a fairly detailed campaign and if you are interested in the details, let me know and I'll forward them to you."
I'm working on a program similar to your ordinance in Ithaca NY. Could you please send me your campaign info. Thanks! Tom Shelley [email protected]
tjs1 -
Re: reusable bags
2008-11-22 20:18:35 UTC
Dear Colleagues--
My tactic, and I'm not sure how successful it is, is to encourage people to keep their reusable bags in their car. That way, even if they forget to bring a bag in the store, as I do about every 5-6 trips to the store, they can go back to the car to get the bags.
Tom --
Tom Shelley
118 E. Court St.
Ithaca, NY 14850
607 342-0864
[email protected]
Compost Educator and General Substantiality Scion -
Re: Incentives for restaurants to decrease waste?
2008-09-13 15:32:33 UTC
Dear Kate and Colleagues--
Here in South Central Upstate New York the cost of having food scraps taken away by a commercial compost firm is significantly less than having the same food scraps taken away as waste. So literally all of the restaurants and food vendors use the compost service provided. This is a no-brainer. Hand-in-hand with this transition, many of the restaurants and food service vendors at our large farmers' market and local festivals have changed to compostable dinnerware which of course also reduces their trash fees. Please feel free to contact me if you would like any additional information.
Take care.
Tom
Tom Shelley
118 E. Court St.
Ithaca, NY 14850
607 342-0864
[email protected]
Compost Educator and General Sustainability Geek -
Re: Compartmentalizing Sustainability
2008-07-22 22:14:00 UTC
Dear Nick and Colleagues--
It happens because either people don't care or they aren't motivated to care. It can be overcome by a strong leadership committed to sustainability. At Cornell our President has signed the Presidents Climate Change agreement and the entire institution is committed to eventually becoming carbon neutral. Our Senior VP is seriously committed to sustainability and all aspects of the institution are being looked at and evaluated for long-term impact on the sustainability of the organization, GHG emissions, etc. Practical means include various topical focus groups, education at departmental meetings, the establishment of employee sustainabiltiy committees, heavy involvement of the students in sustainability efforts, the formation of an academically oriented, well-funded Sustainability Institute to study sustainability issues, etc. For more information see: http://www.sustainablecampus.cornell.edu/
Take care.
Tom
Tom Shelley
118 E. Court St.
Ithaca, NY 14850
607 342-0864
[email protected] -
Re: Recycling at events
2008-07-15 23:03:59 UTC
Dear Julianna and Colleagues
I think this has been discussed recently on this list, but I'm not certain. I have been working on source separation at events for the past year now, on and off, and we have developed a program that works well. First off, all of the bins need to be right next to each other in sets. Secondly, all of the bins must be fully labeled--posters with photos, words and pictograms as needed. Thirdly, each of the sets of bins needs to be populated by a trained staff person or volunteer. We are not just doing source separation, we are doing waste management education--the what's and why's of composting, recycling, waste reduction at the source, etc., all of which lead to an understanding and consciousness of Zero Waste. At big events this is, for us, a volunteer-heavy program and the success of the source separation depends upon the number of volunteers available. [I don't think this list accepts attachments, but I will send you (Julianna) a set of photos of our set up for source separation.] For example, I was the source separation coordinator at a recent medium-sized event--a summertime block party with 1,500 attendees, live music, 3-4 food vendors all using compostable plates, "picnicware", etc., and about 60 tables populated by community orgainizations pushing their agendas. All beverages were vended in PLA cups--no bottles or cans were served, although one large trash bag (19 pounds) of returnable/recyclable cans and bottles was collected. All of these, mostly soda cans and PET plastic water bottles, were carried in from off-site. Two sets of containers were used each consisting of 2 large blue compost collection bins, a trash bin and a recycling bin. The event was from 2-8 p.m. I populated one set of bins and a volunteer and another master composter took turns at the second set of bins. We really needed more volunteers, but didn't have them! At the end of the event, we had 4 very packed full compost bins, the above mentioned bag of bottles and cans, and one smaller garbage bag of trash. The trash was mostly plastic wrap from the vendors and plastic cups and straws carried in from off-site--mostly Starbucks and McDonalds PET beverage cups! The one bag of trash was less than 10 percent of the waste managed from the event. I considered this to be a very successful source separation. I'm not sure about the littering bit. Maybe it was the set up of the trash cans and recycling bins? Maybe it was just the crowd attracted to the event? At any rate, I hope this is useful information. Take care.
Tom
Tom Shelley
118 E. Court St.
Ithaca, NY 14850
607 342-0864
[email protected]
Compost Educator and
General Sustainability Geek
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Re: the down side of flourescent bulbs and cfl's
2008-07-10 10:52:37 UTC
Dear Friends
I think that the public is being better informed than they used to be on how to deal with a broken CFL and how to handle them for disposal. Many state and local agencies care disposal and clean up information on their Web sites. Home Depot takes back the CFL of an brand. Home Depot states that there is a retain store within 10 miles or less of 90 percent of the US population, so the concern about using lots of gas to dispose of a CFL is no longer really a concern. Besides, my local Solid Waste site, which also takes CFLs, is as close to our local urban population as is the local Home Deopt, so we have two "always open" sites for CFL disposal. I really don't think this is an issue of the magnitude that should discourage consumers from using CFLs. I have prepared a document to assist our local population in the disposal and clean up of broken CFLs. This is in the process of being distributed in our area (Tompkins County, Ithaca, Upstate NY). I can provide a web link to the document in a couple of days. Please feel free to crib if you care to do so. (I didn't attach it to this e-mail as I'm not sure if the list accepts attachments. If it does, I can send it as an attachment.) See my additional comments below. Have a wonderful day.
Tom
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Re: Humanure
2008-04-29 15:58:36 UTC
Holly--
Fairbanks, Alaska, has been composting sewage treatment plant sludge. Not direct composting of human waste, but close. Most true "Humanure" composting is home scale.
Tom
Tom Shelley
118 E. Court St.
Ithaca, NY 14850
607 342-0864
[email protected]
http://www.myspace.com/99319958
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Re: social marketing to keep cats indoors
2008-03-18 18:37:14 UTC
Dear Emily, Elizabeth and Friends
We have developed a compromise. Twenty years or so ago my wife and I built a large cat cage next to our house. It is 18' x 32' by 10' tall. It is entered by the cats via a cat door in a cellar window and by us via a personnel door on the cage itself. One side is a weathered picket fence and a 2nd side is a hedge nearly the height of the cage itself. I have constructed all sorts of perches and walkways up high in the cage and various types of access to the same. The cats have the best of the outside and the inside in this way, but can't get run over, killed by raccoons or catch horrible feline diseases. I realize that this is not possible for a lot of folks (no yard, cost of construction, building code restrictions, etc.). but it has been great for our cats and for us. I have seen photos of smaller scale outside cages that work well for other cat owners, as well.
Take care.
Tom
Tom Shelley
118 E. Court St.
Ithaca, NY 14850
607 342-0864
[email protected]
http://www.myspace.com/99319958
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Re: social marketing to keep cats indoors
2008-03-17 21:58:38 UTC
The Sierra Club has for a long time had a "cats indoors" program. See, for example" http://wfcb.ucdavis.edu/www/Faculty/Peter/petermoyle/publications/chapter12.pdf The American Bird Conservancy also supports a similar program and has a dedicated Web site: http://www.abcbirds.org/abcprograms/policy/cats/index.html Perhaps the staff at one or both or these organizations can give you further leads.
Take care.
Tom
Tom Shelley
118 E. Court St.
Ithaca, NY 14850
607 342-0864
[email protected]
http://www.myspace.com/99319958
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Composting and Other Sustainability Efforts
2008-03-05 21:58:19 UTC
Dear Colleagues
I am taking a Master Composter training program at our local Cornell Cooperative Extension office. Two of my class mates and myself are developing an out-of-class project that is a requirement for the program. Our topic is the relationship between composting programs and other sustainability efforts; i.e., using composting as a "window" to other social/economic/sustainability educational efforts. Do any of you know of existing programs that incorporate composting into other sustainability efforts, especially centering on education of the public around sustainability efforts? Any governmental or academic studies that have been undertaken? We are aware that recycling programs are often a "link" to some people becoming interested in broader sustainability efforts.
Thanks in advance for any information you may be able to provide to us.
Tom Shelley
(with Tom O'Connell and Adam Baratz of Cornell University)
Tom Shelley
118 E. Court St.
Ithaca, NY 14850
607 342-0864
[email protected]
http://www.myspace.com/99319958
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