We "Go Bagless". Do you? by MCR Rifat S.

Who doesn’t know the importance of grasscycling in summer?
As an advocate of grasscycling, I have been talking about it to my friends, especially those who have a house with a lawn, and it’s great to see some of them have started going bagless! I feel very happy about that! I do not have a lawn of my own, so in my mind I wished to show my support in any way possible. And it is well said that where there is a will, there is a way! Who knew my wish would come true?

I live in an apartment in an old neighbourhood near Whyte Avenue, which is home to about 50 families. There was no blue bin before for this complex, and we recently got one! Within a few days, I saw that many of the neighbours were not aware of recycling in a proper way. They were putting all the wrong things in the recycling bin, and leaving big items beside it, and the resident manager was so worried about that. One of my goals is to teach my friends and neighbours about “What Goes Where”, and so I approached the manager to see if I could help her by providing information to all the neighbours. She was more than happy! She saw the offer as a favour, and that actually helped achieve the next step!

I approached her next about grasscycling, and showing support with a ‘Go Bagless’ lawn sign. She was interested, but explained the fact that it might be difficult to convince the property management office and the shareholders involved with the apartment. But sometimes I can be super devilish...of course for something good! I kept knocking on her door, chitchatting with her so she was thinking about the issue, and giving her information to pass along. I did not want to lose the chance to make it happen!

…And yes, we succeeded! Now not only me, but also another 50 families with about 100 people from this apartment can say we “Go Bagless’! Do you?

Can you see the treasure on our lawn?

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I have my greatest passion to contribute to building sustainable communities. Being an MCR-in-training, I am happy that I can do something for the community. I feel a sense of accomplishment when I see my friends and neighbours are following waste-reduction tips in their life that I pass on to them!

Worms at Work by MCR Trina G.

Photo Credit via coastaldigest.com

“Can I feed the worms?” a co-worker asked me as I was digging around in their little home in the kitchen.

“Sure, whatcha got?” I asked.

“An apple core,” he tentatively offered to my wiggling wormies, “will they eat that?”

Yes, yes, yes they will!  So my co-worker got to feed the worms.  You would swear I’d given him a gift from the look on his face.

The truth is I had given him a gift - a bit of education on vermicomposting.  He, among others around the office, ask constantly how the worms are doing.  

My confession: these are my best-kept secret at the office.  I keep a small container of worms under my desk, feeding them offerings from the coffee machine and from co-workers once every two weeks. How did I accomplish it?

Getting everyone on board

• I informed everyone I was going to be bringing in a small, unobtrusive tub for composting in the office and answered any questions my co-workers had.  (Will they crawl out? No. Will it stink? Not if I do it right.) For those who don’t like worms, I don’t pull out the bin around them.
• I assured my co-workers that even though they were contributing, they would not have any responsibility other than finding a home for the compost at the end of the process.
• I put a well-labelled ice cream pail in the kitchen, detailing what can be fed to the worms.

Keeping everyone happy

• I empty the pail regularly.
• I invite people who want to feed the worms into the kitchen to help me fluff the bin.
• I feed the worms in the kitchen and clean well afterward.
• After I had some compost built up, I found out when the green thumbs on my floor were going to transplant or add soil to their plants and did a harvest right then for them.
• When I was done harvesting, I asked others if they wanted the extra compost. We buried a bit in their soil right then.
• I talked to those who took compost a few weeks later and asked if they saw the difference in their plants. Many did! That improvement convinced them of the value of compost.

Keeping my compost in the office has been a great experience, but it does take work. What are my keys to success with having wiggly worms in the office? 

B-SET

• Building relationships with my colleagues first and foremost.
• Starting conversations prior to bringing in the worms, answering questions.
• Encouraging participation.
• Thanking them with compost!

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Trina graduated from the MCR program in May 2014 and is dedicated to helping others reduce their waste footprint through fun and creative methods. Her goal as an MCR is to educate others, help them find solutions for waste issues that are important to them and encourage them to take action!

Activities for Community League Day

Community League Day is coming - are you involved? In the spirit of MCR Maria K, here are three "simple suggestions" for promoting waste reduction at your Community League Day celebration.

Host a Free Table

Got a pile of stuff you were saving for your favourite second hand store? Most of us do! Invite your friends and neighbours to bring their charity-bound items for a swap or "free stuff" table.

They'll save a trip to the local thrift shop, while still making sure their items will be used again.

Make sure you have a plan to get leftover items to your charity of choice afterward.

Collect Batteries

Everyone has a few dead batteries for disposal. Show friends and neighbours that batteries and light bulbs are just like paint and bleach - hazardous waste that should go to the Eco Station!

Set up a collection box for household batteries, that you will transport to an Eco Station after the event.

Batteries should never go in the garbage!

Note: Eco Stations do NOT receive waste from businesses and institutions. If MCRs collect a bunch of household batteries, contact the MCR Team for instructions.

Collect [Gently Used] Warm Clothes for Donation
We know that Edmonton winters can be harsh. Set up a collection station for warm clothing to donate.

Connect with one of the organizations in our city that works to keep homeless and low-income Edmontonians safe and warm. Check with them beforehand about donation guidelines.

Here is a short list of organizations that accept in-kind donations of clothing:

Keep Edmontonians warm this winter by
holding a coat drive.
Image from The Windsor Star

Coats for Kids & Families
Bissell Centre
YESS - Youth Empowerment & Support Services
The Mustard Seed
Wings of Providence
Edmonton Emergency Relief Services Society
Bag of Hope
Hope Mission

Know another organization? Please post in the comments.

September 19, 2015 is Community League Day. Have fun in your 'hood.
Contact your community league. Find your community league.

Composting Toilet Harvest 2015

What's your favourite way to spend a Sunday morning?

If you answered "muck around with a composting toilet," you might just be an MCR!

What does a toilet compost?
Yes. Exactly what you think.

Our compost gurus, Mark and Sheridan, led the charge of harvesting finished compost from the Composting Toilet at the Compost 'S cool. This gem is tucked away in the river valley, at the

John Janzen Nature Centre. 

The toilet was last harvested in summer 2013, and Mark has been patiently tending the new "crop" these past two years. Waste that gets flushed is combined with wood chips and is turned regularly, just like a regular compost bin.

Mark and Sheridan were joined by 4 enthusiastic MCRs, who were eager to see the finished product, and learn about how to use this compost, sometimes called 'humanure'.

Theoretically, the temperature in this system can get high enough to kill pathogens like E.coli, but for safety reasons, you should never use untested humanure to grow food crops. You should also avoid putting it where children play.

If you want to try it at home, we can help with the how-to's and the health & safety information.
Email compost@edmonton.ca

Compost from the Composting Toilet makes an excellent soil amendment for ornamental garden beds! It's full of valuable nutrients that our bodies can't process.
Our perennials have been going strong since the last harvest.

Our intrepid MCRs suited up with sturdy gloves and dug the compost in around the prickly rosebushes and juniper plants. This compost always gets dug in doubly deep. It's safer that way, plus it's right where the roots can take in all of those nutrients.

Special thanks to our MCR helpers: Alena M., Harvey G., Erika D., and Rosemary F.! 

A "Clean Bin Project" Movie Night by MCR Maria K.

It was too hot and smoky to do much on the weekend, so my family (including my husband, daughters, parents and sisters) held a ‘Clean Bin Project’ movie night. To be honest, they weren’t too thrilled with my film choice because I’m always going on about waste reduction and living more lightly when it comes to using our planet’s resources, and they all wanted to see Big Hero 6 instead.

I had a feeling, though, that if I could manage to get the Clean Bin DVD started first, they’d be hooked. And that’s kind of what happened. Once the film’s main characters, Jenny and Grant, explained their competition to see which of them could produce the least waste in a year, interest picked up, I think because we were curious how they'd do, and were wondering how we'd fare in their shoes.

Grant and Jen's self-deprecating humour, as well as their ability to point out the idiocy of the waste that occurs in daily life made us chuckle – and groan. “How are we supposed to get around all that plastic food packaging?” was one question that was voiced as the show moved on. As my family members are all avid recyclers and most of us compost, the idea of reducing waste isn’t new, but the fact that a co-housing place with 20 families only produced as much waste as a single family dwelling kind of blew us away. We can certainly do better. For example, we don’t have to buy the long English cucumbers that are wrapped in plastic! Better to opt for unwrapped field cukes, or grow our own!

Grant and Jen made a great little documentary (I suspect it’s Grant’s original music that plays throughout) that incorporates snippets of historical TV shows and movies, and helps us to see that awareness of waste is a necessary step to reducing waste. Their story certainly underlines how wasteful our society can be. Grant’s throw-away neck brace made me cringe, as my husband recently spent a few days at the mercy of a healthcare system that hands out single-use items like there’s no tomorrow, often for good reason.

Being a follower of the MCR facebook page and blog, I had already seen the art of Chris Jordan (especially his baby albatross pictures) and heard Captain Charles Moore’s Pacific Gyre Garbage Patch stories, but my family hadn’t. I realized that I haven’t been the best at transferring my knowledge of the issues around over-consumption.  It also underlined for me the value of my MCR connections – I have learned a lot from facebook/blog sharing. Now I just need to be sure that what I know rubs off on others.

One way to do that is to have a Clean Bin movie night. It encouraged my family to think more about how they can reduce the waste they create by reducing their consumption – without me having to say a word, which was really great!  As we went our separate ways after screening the movie (and Big Hero 6 afterward to appease everyone), one family member asked another, “So what is one extra thing you are going to do to reduce your waste from now on?”

That’s the question we can all ask ourselves, whether we’ve seen The Clean Bin Project or not.

The Clean Bin Project is available at your nearest branch of the Edmonton Public Library, and it’s worth sharing!

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Maria K. enjoys composting, recycling, and convincing others to do the same. Her regular writings are found at www.simplemoodlings.blogspot.com