Eco Planning in Spring Brings Year-Round Benefits
By BETH TURNER
Tulsa Master Recyclers Association
HAZ-MAT READY: City employees and local volunteers are suited up and ready to accept and sort hazardous waste materials from Tulsa residents. M.E.T. Tulsa hosts this event twice a year, once in the spring and once in the fall.
GTR Newspapers photo
As someone notorious in our family circle for forgetting birthdays and anniversaries, I’ve adopted the habit of celebrating momentous occasions throughout a week, month or season. The same goes for Earth Day. This year’s focus will be on e-savings. My tip for you is to set your search engine home pages to Blackle. Invented by Google, this search engine simply flips your background to black and your lettering to white, saving energy every time you “Google.” You can also do this for your electronic reading devices such as iBooks, which is also easier on your eyes. Below are a few other tips I thought you’d enjoy.
Spring Cleaning
Tulsa residents took full advantage of the free Household Pollutant drop-off event now held bi-annually by Tulsa’s Metropolitan Environmental Trust, or M.E.T. Held over a two-day period at the Tulsa Fairgrounds, it took eleven local government entities, 35 city employees and more than 100 volunteers to pull off this growing event. M.E.T. Executive Director Michael Patton reports hundreds more vehicles than expected showed up to drop off hazardous supplies. “For example,” says Patton, “we unloaded 1,165 vehicles within a five-hour period. The longest wait-time for some was 30 minutes.” Patton says his team will debrief for the next collection event planned for November.
Water Savers
Oklahoma spring has many people wondering what kind of summer we have in store for us. If it’s anything like the past two years, now is the time to invest in rain barrels for a little extra help during the dry season. Learn how to make your own and install it properly by catching a local workshop such as the one being held by The Third Annual Great American Clean-Up! located at the Heritage Center and Park April 20. One lucky learner will take home a free rain barrel. There are also instructions found online by locals such as TulsaMasterGardeners.org.
Jenks Recycling
City officials in Jenks recently made an upgrade to their trash system. It’s called The One Cart Recycling Program. Thanks to a partnership with American Waste Control, curbside customers can now place their bagged trash in the bottom of their bin and recycling let loose on the top of the bin for a service that now recycles their waste while adding no new costs to their bill or bins to their curbside. Thanks to forward-thinking community leaders, Green Country is saving green in many ways these days.
Stay in Touch
Post your recycling ideas and questions, as well as your Earth Day celebration pictures on Newspaper’s Facebook page or send them in to bturner@gtrnews.com. Also, follow me on Twitter @TrashTalkTulsa.
Updated 04-22-2013
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