HOLIDAY MADNESS

This is it, the Sunday before Thanksgiving. You will be going through today’s ads to plan Thanksgiving dinner.

Around the world there is a growing number of people joining the Buy Nothing Day movement on the day after Thanksgiving. Kalle Lasn, co-founder of Buy Nothing Day, stated this year’s slogan is No Purchase Required. Lasn notes: “So much emphasis has been placed on buying carbon offsets, compact fluorescent lamps, and hybrid cars that we are losing sight of the core cause of our environmental problems: we consume far too much.”

Buy Nothing Day is not just about changing for one day. It is about starting a lasting lifestyle commitment. Log onto www.adbusters.org for more information.

Case in point, I recently helped my sister unpack and set up her house. She lived in London for five years and would often hop over to the continent to explore. Consequently, she has souvenirs from amazing places as well as gifts for family and friends.

We sorted through boxes and boxes of stuff that she had in storage and shipped back from London. Her whole life was in these many boxes in the middle of the room. We laughed and cried. Does anyone really need all this stuff? All the stuff that was so carefully crafted will, a few years down the road, end up in a landfill.

So what are you buying this holiday season? My advice is to sit down, grab a cup of tea, a pen and piece of paper and make a green list before heading out the door. When you look at your completed list, consider the global impact and local impact of each item. Then factor in your transportation impact. Are you getting these gifts by driving to the mall, buying locally or letting FedEx deliver online purchases?

If you are giving an electronic item such as a computer or television, include a list of places that will recycle the old ones. Local E-waste recyclers are listed on the Solano County Recycling web site, www.recycle-guide.com. You can find out-of-state recycling centers by calling 1 800 CLEANUP or logging onto www.earth911.org.

About 40 percent of all battery sales occur during the holiday season. Buy Nickel Metal Hydride (N-MHI) rechargeable batteries along with a charger to accompany electronic gifts. This is a good thing since batteries are banned from California landfills. You can recycle used household batteries at VALCORE Recycling or Vallejo Garbage Service.

Consider wrapping your gifts in a reusable shopping bag. Google “cloth bags” and be surprised at the variety out there. A Maine company uses old canvas sails (www.seabags.com); others use oil cloth, bamboo, recycled cotton or Eco Spun which is made from recycled PET water bottles.

Campaign Signs
The elections are over and candidates have removed their plastic campaign signs from every corner of town. Unfortunately, these signs are not recyclable but they are accepted by VALCORE for their ReUse barn. Teachers and customers can pick them up for art projects or other uses.

VALCORE Recycling Board Secretary Jane Bogner's "A Sorted Affair" is published every other week in the Times-Herald, Community Outlook Section. For recycling information call her at 645-8258 or visit www.VALCORErecycling.org.