| TOP TO BOTTOM NEWS FROM THE FRONT & BACK |
It’s the time of the year when sunshine fills the days, verdant nature spills into every vacant site, and plentiful streams of lumber and other material choke into the BRING yard. Its “decon” season which means houses are coming down and the bounty of materials flowing into BRING is sweeter than cherry cider. C’mon down and have a taste.
BRING started deconstructing buildings in 1997. The biggest job we worked on was a 15,000 sq. ft. apartment house in downtown Eugene. This year, already, we have taken down three houses, two barns, several sheds and a large deck, and more jobs are in the queue. When BRING takes down the house, we make sure there are plenty of useful pieces to go around. Items such as flooring, paneling, cabinets, plumbing fixtures, and electrical items are carefully removed and brought to our yard for sale |
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to the public. It’s amazing the amount of stuff that went into a house that comes out again. Fully 80%, and sometimes more, of a wood-framed structure is reusable.
BRING charges a fee for its work to deconstruct a building, but often that fee is offset in part or entirely by the tax deduction earned from donating the salvage. The community also benefits from the decision to deconstruct. Besides the obvious derailment of the heaving trainload going to the dump, deconstruction creates jobs, conserves fossil fuels, and eliminates pollution. The only better way to remove a house is to pick it up and take it someplace else.
To find out more about deconstruction or to enquire about materials you need that we may have, give BRING a call at 746-3023. You won’t be sorry.—David Wollner
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Saturday Compost Demonstration Workshops
Sponsored by the City of Eugene |
| June 14 |
10:00 - 11:30 am |
GRG |
| June 28 |
10:00 - 11:30 am |
RH |
| July 12 |
10:00 - 11:30 am |
GRG |
| Sept. 6 |
10:00 - 11:30 am |
GRG |
| Oct. 18 |
10:00 - 11:30 am |
GRG |
| Nov. 1 |
10:00 - 11:30 am |
GRG |
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Locations:
RH = Riverhouse compost education garden at Maurie Jacobs Park.
GRG = Grass Roots Garden, 1465 Coburg Rd. (behind St. Thomas Episcopal Chruch |
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EARTH MACHINE COMPOSTERS
on sale at the BRING Warehouse
$45 while supplies last
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| THE JOY OF A SIMPLICITY CIRCLE |
I am writing to share my experiences as a member of a simplicity circle. As you can tell from the title, I really enjoyed it. It gave me a support group of like thinking folks to discuss a simpler, more environmentally responsible and enjoyable life.
The group format was a study circle, providing equal time for all to share their thoughts and experiences in a very friendly, respectful and non-judgmental way. We followed a structured ten-week program with weekly readings, questions to think about and personal action commitments to work on.
It helped me question why I did things—out of guilt or fear, or out of thoughtful choice, reason and love. It also helped me slow down and recognize the importance of being present (or in the moment) instead of planning the next ten |
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things that I need to do. We talked about the clutter of our lives, having too much stuff, where all of our time goes and the ever-elusive search for a balanced life. It gave me a greater appreciation for my passions and helped me direct my energy towards them. It left me wanting to reach out even more and attempt to build community in my neighborhood and town. Lastly, it gave me seven wonderful new friends.
I see life as a journey, and I feel certain my participation in a simplicity circle has helped me consider more consciously where I am headed and how I am choosing to live. —Tim Boyden
If you are interested in joining a simplicity circle, contact BRING at 746-3023 or sarah@bringrecycling.org. We will introduce you to others and give you guidance on this enriching form or study circle. |
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CONCERNED ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT?
LCC Offers “Your Money or Your Life” Class |
Learn how to reduce debt, care for the environment and create a lifestyle with time for the things that are really important to you. Based on the best selling book “Your Money or Your Life”, this class is for anyone who is stuck on the “earn-more/spend” more treadmill, feels like their finances are out of control, or that they don’t have enough time or money. It is based on a nine-step program for financial freedom and a new way of looking at money and paid employment.
Say instructors Dale Lugenbehl and Sandy Aldridge, |
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"Many people find themselves stuck in a pointless cycle of working in order to buy things in order to recuperate from work. But things don’t make us happy and we are left with the sad reality that the way we are living is destroying the natural world and the health of our environment."
Class meets Wednesdays 6 to 8 pm starting October 8 on the LCC Main Campus. Registration is open to all. Sign up information can be found in the Extended Learning section of the LCC Fall Term class schedule. Questions? Contact Dale or Sandy at 942-0583 or e-mail to lugenbehld@lanecc.edu.
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Recycling Tidbits
Easy Phone Book Recycling
By now you’ve received your new phone book, so it’s time to recycle the old one. It couldn’t be easier this year. If you live in the Eugene/Springfield metro area you can put it in your bin at the curb along with the mixed paper. Elsewhere in the county, you can turn them in to all Lane County recycling and disposal sites (except Florence and Mapleton, why, we don’t know).
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Minnesota bans CRT disposal
The Minnesota Legislature has passed a ban on the placement of cathode ray tubes (CRTs) in municipal solid waste, beginning in July 2005. CRTs are used in computer monitors, televisions and other display units.
Minnesota becomes the fourth state to ban disposal of this material, following California, Massachusetts and Maine. Will Oregon be next?
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An Odd Shoe Solution
Believe it or not there is an organization called the National Odd Shoe Exchange. We've donated to them in the past. Here's a brief description...“non-profit organization that is a source of footwear for those requiring single shoes or pairs of differing sizes. Many have this need due to injury, disease or genetic disorders.” Check out www.oddshoe.org.
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 Don’t Forget the Materials Exchange
Bike tubes and thread spools, wine corks and CD. White boxes, film bags, hangers and house paint. All these you’ll find on BRING’s BMEX page. The BMEX is for listing items “available” or “wanted” Proving over and over that one person’s trash is another’s treasure. |
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USDA Forest Service Funds
Planet Improvement Center
We are very proud to have been selected by the USDA Forest Service for a technical assistance grant which will provide $48,500 to pay for the engineering, surveying and design work that remains to be done before we can develop the new site, dubbed the Planet Improvement Center. Gloria Perez, Community Development Specialist for the Willamette/Siuslaw National Forests, was instrumental in helping us secure this funding |
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SIMPLICITY CONFERENCE
IN SEATTLE AUGUST 24
"Simplicity: Integrating Sustainability, Social Justice & Spirit - A Participatory Conference" will be held Sunday, August 24, 2003, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. in Seattle.
This national conference is co-hosted by Seeds of Simplicity and the Simplicity Forum. Speakers include Duane Elgin, Vicki Robin, Cecile Andrews, Wanda Urbanska, John de Graaf, and Jerome Segal. Take Back Your Time Day, coming on October 24, will also be highlighted. Registration cost is $25. For more information, write to: seeds@seedsofsimplicity.org
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