I did some looking on YouTube for some information on plastic bags and I found the videos below.  ENJOY!

Animal Planet PSA:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBZdUA8zxJ0

A look at San Fransisco’s ban on plastic bags:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uv4Q1oLjGs

The sad life of a plastic bag:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNsDxRytmXQ

This week has been all about giving thanks.  Not only did we celebrate this Thanksgiving by spending time with friends and family, but we also spent some time giving back.  The abundance we have is not shared by everybody and felt it giving back was an appropriate challenge for the week.  The ways in which we gave back were useful for our community and also green.

One day we spent volunteering our time at Fill the Dome, where local students raised food and money to help the needy in our area.  Not only does this serve the needy of our community, it also promotes reuse and being green.  We also went through our closets to find stuff that is no longer, or only lightly used.  We collected this stuff together and sent it off to the Boys Ranch of North Dakota so that they can better help the people of our community and promote the reuse of items.

Although we did this as a part of our journey of going green, it also was really a great feeling to help out in our community.  I feel very fortunate to have the people in my life that I do and the means to get by in this world.  I understand that my situation could change at any moment and so I feel we must be thankful for what we have today.  Giving back is a way that I am able to express my thanks.

So we have done a few things to help out in the community, but I also know there are people that do so much every day.  Here is a big fat “thank you” from us! 

In closing, I want to share some of the people/critters I am thankful for.  All of my family!  I am also thankful for my wife Ashley, my dog Charlie, and our kitties Dufus, Velcro and Milo.

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Let us know what you are thankful for in the comment area below.

This week’s task was to give thanks by giving back in a green way.  On Monday, we spent some time at Fill the Dome where we were able to help the hungry in our area as well as work for food recovery and redistribution.  On Thursday, we spent some time of our own with our families eating too much.  During the last half of the week, I spent time gathering stuff that we do not use to give to the North Dakota Boy’s Ranch, which is a charitable organization in the area.  Giving this stuff to the Boy’s Ranch promotes ‘green’ by reusing items and getting product into the hands of those who might use it more than I.  I was absolutely amazed at how much stuff I have that I never use and wonder if other families are like ours.

First, I went through all of the shirts that are hanging our closet and came up with

Stuff we gave away

 over 80.  Looking at that number alone, one may think me to be a guy who shops a lot or has an extensive fashionable wardrobe, but that is not the case.  I don’t think I am that out of the ordinary in that I really only buy new shirts when on vacation or for work.  I think I have accumulated such a collection of shirts just because I never throw anything out.  Some of these shirts have not been worn for years and that was the litmus test for keeping a shirt.  If I had not remembered the last time I wore the shirt, it was going to charity.  I have widdled the number of shirts I own down to about 40.

Even though you might still think 40 is a lot of shirts, I do live in a climate that demands a variety of clothing.  Speaking of climate appropriate clothing, I found one beauty I have nicknamed my Broke Back Mountain coat pictured here.  This

Me wearing the Brokeback Mountain jacket

grand prize of winter fashion faux-pas was found in my aunt’s garage and is likely from the 60s or 70s.  Honestly, it is very warm, but not for me.  It is a beautiful coat not deserving to be in my possession and now available at the Boy’s Ranch in Fargo.

Another winner is a penis tie that my cousin gave me as a gag gift.  It is a normal tie with penises all over it.  I certainly could wear it if I needed to wear a tie to work and wanted to be fired.  I do appreciate the gift and thought about regifting this gem of a tie, but thought I would send it to the Boy’s Ranch.

Between Ashley and me, we collected a huge box of clothing, a fax machine, a travel bag that we no longer use and a box of various computer parts that someone may use.  Instead of letting this pile of stuff gather dust at our house, we are putting it to good use by sending it to a charitable organization.  Not only is it helpful to those who may need these items, it also is green because it promotes a basic tenet of ‘going green’ by reusing what we already have.

On Monday, Ashley and I spent some time at the Fargodome helping to move cans for a local food drive event called Fill the Dome.  This event is put on by all of the High School kids in the area and supported by the college students in Fargo, various businesses and members of the public.  The basic goal of the program is to fill the entire floor of the Fargodome (80,000 sq ft) with donated food.  The kids accomplished this for the 3^rd year in a row!

Since this was put on by High School kids, you may wonder what we did to help.  Well, after all 97.1 TONS of the 2009 Fill the Dome booty is splayed across the Fargodome floor, somebody needs to pack it up and help get it to the Food Bank over at Lutheran Social Services of North Dakota.  That is where the kids needed help and made a call out to the community.  So, instead of going to the gym that day, we decided to go pack and move boxes.

I was really impressed with these kids and all that they have done for our community.  They raised 97.1 tons of food and $96,000 to help those who need it in this area.  What a great thing these kids have accomplished this year and I hope the program continues.

Even though the kids had a challenge, I also have a challenge to meet this week.  My goal is to give back in an environmental manner.  I think helping out with Fill the Dome helps accomplish this.  Not only does it help with a local charitable initiative, it also helps promote food recovery and prevent food waste.  As indicated in a previous week’s challenge, over 96 BILLION pounds of good food is tossed away every year.   An important part of reducing this waste is to get potentially wasted food to those who need it!  Mission accomplished and I got a workout at the same time.

This is only a win-win-win-win situation.  The people who get the food win, the kids who put on Fill the Dome win, the community wins and I win!  I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving and if you have any comments or suggestions, please leave them in the space below.

Going green isn’t merely about changing a light bulb or inflating your tires.  It is also about helping your neighbor.  Since this is the week of Thanksgiving, we are bringing green to a different level.   We will go through our things and donate it to a local thrift store that can use it more than us.  This task, I must say, is sort of selfish of me.   I have been asking Ben to go through our storage closet full of stuff we never look at, and donate it.  This is one way of getting that done, but also help someone also. 

I have been shopping thrift stores for a long time when.  My mom was the person who introduced me to The Dakota Boy’s Ranch.  I buy most of my clothing other home needs at thrift stores; currently I have my eye open for canning supplies.  Plus it is kind of fun not knowing exactly what you will find, and it changes each time you enter the doors.

The thrift stores use the proceeds of its sales to operate the Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch foundation which supports at-risk children and their families.  Most all thrift stores support some organization; which is why we should try to donate items we don’t use anymore instead of throwing it away.  This not only reduces waste, but also gives an extended life to many things.

There is also a newer craze called Freecycle or Craigslist.  I personally haven’t used these before simply because it requires more work and time than stopping by a thrift store on my way home from work.  However, Ben has used Craigslist to purchase a used ice auger that has saved us a little bit of money. 

I am very excited to see how much stuff we can get rid of, or find a new home for.  We will not only open some closet space, but we will also benefit an organization that will help at-risk children.  Please leave any comments on any unique things you do to reuse items that may still have some life left in them.

This week’s challenge is to try and give back and typically on Tuesday I research the topic and try to find out why the current week’s task is important.  This week, the “why” is fairly obvious to me.  I have so many things to be thankful for and appreciate what I have.  There are plenty of folks who could use a little help and giving back may help provide some of that.   The ways I plan on helping this week will also be green since we intend on doing things that stop waste and enables reuse.  Who knows, someday I may need that help.  So, whether you are in the US reading or elsewhere, I think we all have something to give thanks for.   The following is a list of things I am thankful for (some serious and some are fun) and I hope you enjoy!

1. My wife Ashley and how I am lucky that she married one of the goofiest guys alive (Me).
2. All three of our kitty cats even though they keep me up at night… Dufus who is the most annoying but cuddly, Velcro who is timid but just a sweetheart and Milo who is one tubby kitty and has an awesome disposition.
3. My coworkers and the great work atmosphere they provide.
4. Kansas.  The state and the band.
5. The upcoming season of Lost
6. My mother who did a pretty darn good job of making me the way I am.
7. My puppy dog Charlie who bites his feet, scoots on the carpet and stares at me continuously, but is the sweetest, nicest animal I know.
8. My health because I know it could be gone at any moment.
9. My house and all the warmth and awesomeness within it.
10. www.guygoesgreen.com that has allowed me to make a difference
11. Netflix because they send me kickass movies and I am in the process of watching every Best Picture ever made.
12. Ice fishing
13. The people I go ice fishing with.
14. My friends who are some of the coolest people in the world
15. The folks I served with in the Army.
16. The folks I never served with in the Army.
17. The folks who lost their lives in the military so that we can enjoy our lives.
18. The food in my fridge, because I know so many in the world do not have that luxury.
19.  My dad who I think I got my sense of humor and some of my resourcefulness from.
20. Our NatureMill composter
21. My bed… cuz that is where the magic happens.  By magic I mean sleep.
22. My comic book collection, which is not that spectacular, but have kept it since I was a kid.
23. All of my new internet friends which include Franke James, Mrs. Green and Eco Geeco.
24. Mashed potatoes and gravy on Thanksgiving.  YUM!
25. My siblings.
26. More cowbell, because couldn’t we all use it?
27. For Thai food in Fargo, ND.  It took forever to get here, but holy crap it was awesome to get.
28. The city of Fargo, ND.   I love my community.
29. That my city and my house did not get flooded last year during the flood of 09.
30. Strange Brew the movie.
31. Arnold Schwarzenegger.  Mostly for his acting career.
32. The opportunity to get an education.
33. Sanford and Son.  Red Foxx is absolutely great in that show.
34. Facebook and Twitter.  They are my addictions
35. My ability to get along with people because it has provided my livelihood.
36. My little Saturn that has not had any problems in the 105k miles I have put on.
37. Conan O’Brien for being freakishly tall and David Lettermen for the freakish gap in his teeth.
38. Brett Favre coming to the Minnesota Vikings.
39. My In-Laws who have been teaching us how to garden and can.
40. Homemade tomato soup.  YUM!
41. Reddit… another addiction.
42. The United States Olympic Curling Team.  One of these days I will train to be on it.
43. That I do not live under oppression and that I am in a very free country.
44. The UFC, because I like watching dudes fight.
45. All of the good policemen, firefighters and EMT folks who risk their lives every day at work.
46. All of the charitable organizations out there that are doing good out there.
47. For hope that things will improve for me and for everyone that needs it!
48. For a country that I generally am proud of.
49. gravity

SXTB8S5BQ2DJ

A quick update on my Week 2 challenge of trying to stop junk mail.  I sent in a letter to the editor at our local paper (The Fargo Forum) after being sent phone books shortly after requesting to be removed from the list.  It was published and wanted to share it with you all!  The link is here, but for those having problems with the link, I am copying the text here:

Quit sending me phone books

It would really be appreciated if the phone companies would stop sending me phone books. I have asked to have my name removed from Dex, Yellowbook and 702 Communications lists, and, not more than two weeks later, I have received phone books from Yellowbook and 702 Communications.

As I stare at the eight phone books sitting before me, I really wonder how necessary all of these are. I have used a phone book probably three times in the past year, and it was certainly handy to have on those occasions, but I do not think I need this many. Really, I could just as easily have used the Internet. I do understand why households want phone books, but can you please allow me to find numbers on the Internet?

All I really want is the ability to be removed from your lists. The resources taken to create, print and deliver these phone books are annoying for me, costly for you and a detriment to our environment. More than 100 million trees are cut down every year for junk mail, and it has been reported that 40 percent of that goes straight into the garbage. I don’t want to add to that waste.

Even if you do not agree with environmental agendas, I hope we can agree that this is wasteful. Just give me an opportunity to save you money and stop sending me phone books.

Earlier this week, I indicated I was going to investigate food recovery in my local area and I was pleasantly surprised for the City of Fargo.  Although my knowledge on the subject is still fairly limited, I learned that my little ‘ol town of Fargo, ND has done pretty well in both recovering food that could be used for feeding those who need it, but also in regards to reducing the other issues associated with food in our landfills.  If my experience is any indicator to what you can find in your area, you can easily find out information about your city and how they are doing.

The first thing that impressed me is the speed in which these local officials and organizations responded.  I send a few inquiry emails late Wednesday night and received much of the information I was looking for on Thursday.  The information I found can be broken up into two parts, Food Recovery and Waste Management.

Waste Management

The City of Fargo Sold Waste Utility Manager, Terry Ludlun, contacted me directly by phone to let me know about the things they are doing to best serve the city and people.  I completely understand that there is ALWAYS a way to do things better and Terry somewhat indicated that our waste process is continually a work in process and research will continue to find better ways to take care of the trash.   But for the time being, I think we are doing fairly well.

Methane does emit from our landfill, but Ludlun informed me that the City of Fargo is capturing this and selling it!  Methane is a horrible gas for the environment and if we can capture and use this gas… great!  To date, the city has generated over 11 Million KW Hours from the methane generated at our landfill.  This number can be tracked real time here and the methane process is outlined here.  Not only does the city capture and use this energy, the City of Fargo is also one of only one of eight municipalities on the Chicago Climate Exchange.  The city list is close to a ‘who’s who in hippie land’…. and Fargo.  Berkely, Portland, Fargo.  It is pretty awesome in my book.

Even though we capture and sell methane gas, Ludlun also discussed food waste and why it is in the landfill to begin with.  Fargo does have a composting program for leaves and clippings during the warm months, but he gave a few reasons outside of selling methane why we do not have a permanent food composting program:

1.  Apparently, large scale composting can be difficult in climates such as ours.  Now, I do not know the science behind this, but I do know that it does get very very very very cold in Fargo, ND.  If you have ever seen the movie Fargo, you caught a glimpse of just how cold it can get.  There are several stereotypes that I think are overblown in that movie, but the frigid cold is not one.  I drive my car onto frozen lakes and fish; that is how cold it gets.  Anyhow, it certainly would make sense that this might cause difficulties for food composting year round and obviously there is no yard clippings in the winter months.
2. Ludlun also indicated that other areas in the county’s middle region have experienced a perception problem when food is introduced into lawn/leaf compost.  Namely, compost usage goes down when people find things like bones in the received compost.  Creating compost supposes that there will be a demand for that compost and if usage goes down, then there is a real problem.

These were some reasons why we are not currently composting food in the City of Fargo, but I know that they are continuing to work on better solutions for us.  I know this because they have recently changed our garbage program in a manner that will likely increase recycling dramatically and make us even greener. 

Food Recovery

Although it is great to see that my community is taking steps to appropriately use food waste, another important (probably more so) part of this is getting good food out of the garbage and into the hands of those who can use it.  With a good number of families living in poverty, it should be imperative for us as a society to accomplish this.  I thought a good place to look for how this works locally was to contact the Salvation Army.  They, in turn, directed me to Lutheran Social Services of North Dakota.  Once again, I was contacted very quickly by the folks at LSSND.

The LSSND representative invited Ashley and I to take a tour of the statewide food recovery and distribution center, which is absolutely great.  As soon as I can connect with them outside of email, I am going to try and set up a time where we can go see where the magic happens.  Possibly, I will have another post with pictures to show my adventure.

They also indicated in the email that last year they recovered 6 million pounds of food valued at more than $8.36 million dollars.  In a state where our population is about 650k, that is not chump change.  Of particular interest to me are the perishable food programs.  I was informed that they work with over 50 restaurants, grocery stores, hospitals, colleges, and bakeries to recover surplus product.  That is absolutely great.  Since starting this week’s challenge, I have heard rumors of various organizations locking dumpsters or intentionally throwing bleach on perfectly good food.  I am not privy to if this actually happens, but if so… what a shame.   We should be doing our best to get these food products to those that need it.  Not only does it benefit the hungry, which is most important, it also is environmentally responsible.  Less food in the landfills means less space taken and less methane gas pumped into the air.  A big hug goes out to the folks at LSSND and there are many in our state that appreciates what you do. 

OK, I have rambled on enough and think I might have become a little passionate about this subject.  It really is a shame that perfectly good food goes in the garbage when it could either be given to people who need it or composted.  This week, I learned that my city is doing fairly well in the food recovery and waste management department.  I think there is always room for improvement but it is nice to know that the folks in my area are taking active steps to ensure a better community.   If this is something that interests you, I would suggest reaching out in your community to see what they are doing and possibly you will find a great volunteer opportunity.  Please let me know about any great green programs from your area in the comments section below.