Tis the Season to Green Up Green Country
Trash Talk by BETH TURNER
Tulsa Master Recyclers Association
UPCYCLING INSPIRATION: Community support makes all things possible. Thanks to Union Transportation, students at Union Alternative School are turning a retired school bus into a fully functional camper.
Courtesy Union Public Schools
I realized this year that Valentine’s Day marks the end of my feelings of hibernation. A scattering of warmer days inspires me to get up, go outside and reconnect with other humans, especially my sweetie, after months of burrowing into my winter’s nest in the ugliest jammies you’ve ever seen.
Not only do warmer days inspire me to reconnect with people, it also inspires me to reconnect with my environment, with nature…now that I’m ready to stop being bitter about the cold.
Get Eco-Inspired
We still face some days of low temperatures, so find some eco-inspiration inside with ’s Fourth Sustainability Conference. This event will be Feb. 22 at the Center for Creativity located downtown on the Metro Campus.
This day-long event is sure to inspire. The focus is to discuss issues and offer practical ways to move our community towards sustainability, specifically in the areas of food and food systems. This event is free and open to the public. Learn more at tulsacc.edu/sustainability-conference.
Eco Meet-and-Greet
Sustainable Tulsa offers several ways to stay engaged and on the cutting edge of sustainability in Green Country, thanks to B2B, or Business-to-Business, and First Thursdays.
B2B is a breakfast meet-and-greet. The next event will be at OU-Tulsa May 10th.
Meeting at ’s Center for Creativity, First Thursdays is held, well, the first Thursday of each month at 11:30 a.m., providing lunch and networking as well as information about those in our area working for a greener Tulsa County. Can’t be there? Watch meetings online at www.SustainableTulsa.org.
Eco-Teacher Needed
The Metropolitan Environmental Trust (The ) has an opening for a part time educator. The primary responsibility will be to continue to develop and manage their Green program along with other various educational opportunities including school clubs, scouts, and event booths. For more information, email Graham Brannin at greengraham@metrecycle.com.
Spring Cleanup
It’s always an incredible trip to clean up the Mulberry River in Ozark, Arkansas. This year’s annual river cleanup event will be Saturday, March 3. There’s a pretty nice canoe being offered for the raffle, too. Learn more at www.TurnerBend.com.
Inspired by Next Generation
Working at Union Public Schools continually brings me good news for the future of recycling, upcycling and sustainability. Recently, students at Union Alternative School got to work dismantling a retired school bus to turn it into a fully-functional camper. As a girl who grew up taking trips in an old upcycled school bus, this is the thing eco-dreams are made of.
Union Board Members honored its 12 National Merit Finalists at the February board meeting and gave each the chance to talk about their future plans, and wow, was I inspired by each of them.
Sometimes I get down and wonder who will take up the mantra for a greener Earth when I’m gone. Morbid, but true. Well, I was very inspired by merit finalist Madeline McTigue. She told the audience she wasn’t excited to take AP Environmental Science in the beginning but then found it to inspire her towards an exciting career.
“I want to study the relationship between environmental health and people’s health, she said. “I want to help people understand that what is healthy for the environment is beneficial to our bodies as well.”
McTigue says she also found career inspiration through AP Biology. “I am also interested in genetic sequencing and how to personalize medicine.”
Hearing from McTigue and her fellow finalists makes me feel that a sustainable future is brighter than it sometimes appears.
Stay Connected
There’s been a lot of negative news out there, and as you know, here at Trash Talk we like to keep our sights on the positive. What are you finding to inspire you? Tell us your thoughts TrashTalkTulsa or email bethturnerme.com.
Updated 03-06-2018
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