Welcome back!

As we gear back up for the school year here at Jewell, we're also gearing the blog back up. I encourage you to subscribe, follow (in the right column), or check back often to see what we're blogging about here. Or, become our fan on Facebook and get updates from the blog there. Either way, make sure to leave us comments and let us know what you think about it!

I thought we'd start the year of blogging with a bit of information about cardboard recycling, since we're expanding that on campus this year. We started in the residence halls last spring, and now with the help of two CJS Recycling Interns, we're taking it campus wide, so look for the new bins throughout campus, next to the paper and plastic bins. So, here is some information to spur you on as you're breaking down those boxes.

"Recycling cardboard (like any other type of paper) reduces the demand for new paper from virgin pulp, thereby saving trees and decreasing the amount of pollution generated in new paper production. Finally, because cardboard is such bulky waste, recycling it saves significant amounts of space in landfills and reduces pollution in areas where trash is incinerated." (www.riverwired.com)

"Facts about recycling 1 ton of corrugated cardboard:
Saves 17 trees from having to be cut down and used for pulp
Saves 7000 gallons of water
Saves 11 barrels – 462 gallons – of oil
Saves more than 3 cubic yards of landfill space
Corrugated can be recycled an average of 7 times before the fibers become too short and they are filtered out as sludge during the pulping process, which is then used as cover at landfills." (www.papertrail.com)

According to the EPA, paper products take up 34% of landfills. (www.epa.gov)

Making the pulp used in unrecycled cardboard creates sulfur dioxide, a gas that contributes to acid rain. (www.valleyrecycling.org)

Finally, it is important to buy recycled cardboard (and other recycled products) in order to close the loop. If we don't create a market for recycled products by buying them, companies cannot afford to use our recyclables in their manufacturing, which defeats all of our effort in the first place.

Socially Conscious Shopping

Confident that you are buying good, socially conscious brands? Find out the real story behind all that marketing money and store visibility.

Burt's Bees, Tom's of Maine, Naked Juice: Your Favorite Brands? Take Another Look -- They May Not Be What They Seem
http://www.alternet.org/healthwellness/131910

Green ideas for dorms?

I just found an article from the Utne Reader about environmental sustainability and the unique challenges apartment dwelling brings to the table. I know many of our students here have similar concerns about living in the dorms. We as a college community are working on ways we can address the sustainability of our campus and dorms, but what can you the students do on your individual level? I think the article about apartments has some good ideas that apply to dorm living too.

• your choice of cleaing products (provided you ever clean that thing that is!)
• use programmable and/or smart power strips
• reduce the amount of meat and processed foods you eat in the cafeteria and in the dorms
  
• use less hot water
• turn lights and things off when you're not using them
• join the 350 Green Campaign!
  

There's a LOT more where these ideas came from in the article itself. Check it out.

Are there things that you do in dorms or apartments that you would share with us?

Beautiful Weather

My wife and I took advantage of the beautiful weather in Kansas City yesterday to do some laundry. "Why would you do that on such a day?!" you might ask. Well, because we love to dry our clothes outside in the breeze and sun.


As we have become more conscious of our carbon footprint in the last few years, line drying our laundry was one thing that we were holding out on. It just seemed like so much more work. We always made lots of excuses while we lived in apartments, even though our good friends and neighbors who lived right upstairs found creative ways to line dry theirs. When we bought a house most of the excuses we had made for years were even less valid than before, so we decided to give it a try. Turns out, it is not nearly as much work as it seems, and in fact it is quite enjoyable. I have grown to really enjoy the 10 quiet minutes after each load while I stand in the breeze and sunshine hanging up clothes.

This spring as we see more and more of these beautiful days like we had yesterday, why don't you consider investing $5 in a clothesline and find the nearest tree to give it a try. What's the worst that could happen?

Now, if you're living in the college dorms, or just have a small apartment, you have good options for line drying your laundry too. For around $20 you can head over to your favorite retailer and get a drying rack with 25 feet of space, all in a compact rack that fits in the corner of your room and then folds up nicely. We use these in the winter for inside drying. I know $20 sounds like a lot to spend on laundry, but when you think about all those quarters going into the dryer every week, $20 goes pretty quickly.

From here on out it's pretty simple. Enjoy the smell and feel of your clothes that no amount of "summer breeze" fabric softener can ever duplicate. There are lots of tips all over the internet for the best ways to hang what items and so one, or better yet, ask your grandma!

Do you have any tips for line drying your clothes? Have you ever done this before? What is holding you back from trying it? Leave your comments here and check back to see what others think about the idea.

p.s. We didn't just enjoy the nice weather by doing chores - we also left the laundry hanging for a while and took the motorcycle out for a spin too!