November 2021

A New Twist on the Recycling Conversation

Upcyclethat.com defines upcycling as: “The act of taking something no longer in use and giving it a second life and new function. In doing so, the finished product often becomes more practical, valuable and beautiful than what it previously was.” 

There are many different items that can be upcycled including art, furniture, decor, and even treats for your pet! Upcycling gives us the chance to tap into our creative sides and use materials in a clever way to give them a new chance at life.

Did you know that in Monroe County there are several options for textile recycling? Most thrift stores take more than just clothes, accepting footwear, bedding, curtains, stuffed animals, and other items made from fabric. Ecopark has a list of all of the locations where you can donate. 

The Re-Clothe NY Coalition is made up of textiles recyclers, local governments, non-profit reuse organizations, and others working together to increase the amount of textiles recovered for reuse and recycling in New York State. The goal of their campaign is to encourage New Yorkers to divert their unwanted textiles from landfills through reuse and recycling. 

If you’d like to try your hand at some DIY textile recycling, check out the resources available at SewGreen@Rochester, a nonprofit organization in Rochester with a storefront on West Main Street. The organization is dedicated to the “rescue and reuse of fabric, sewing machines, and all kinds of sewing, and needlework materials [to] extend the usefulness of these supplies and keep them out of landfills.” The second half of the organization’s mission is to educate folks of all ages and walks of life in all varieties of creative and practical machine and hand needle arts. SewGreen teaches low cost classes and camps virtually and has many free club opportunities for the community.

When we think about recycling, we often think about the 3 R’s: reduce, reuse, recycle. Before you recycle, think about these additional 10 options:

• Reduce: Cut down on the materials you are using on a regular basis.
• Reuse: Come up with creative ways to reuse items that you would normally think of throwing away.
• Refuse: Think about your usage. What can you say no to? Does that document need to be printed? Do you need that straw in your water glass when you’re dining out?
• Refill: Save your old containers and fill them up again.
• Repair: Ask yourself if what you’re planning to toss is actually repairable. 
• Repurpose: Consider an alternative way to give your item a second life.
• Regift: Before tossing an item, stop and think if there is someone else in your life who could use it. If you can’t find someone you know, consider posting the item on The Freecycle Network to find a new home for it. 
• Rethink: Take a second to stop and think about your contributions to our recycling and landfills. Are you doing everything you can? How could you do better?
• Recover: Upcycle your recyclable materials by making them into something else!
• Restore: Try to bring back materials that are about to be recycled and use them productively. 

• Grant will support community gardens in Beechwood (Rochester City Newspaper)
• Google launches new features to help users shrink their carbon footprints (The Verge)
• Free Returns Are Complicated, Laborious, and Gross (The Atlantic)
• 7 Ways to Manage Climate Anxiety (Teen Vogue)
• Suppressing Indigenous Knowledge Created Uncontrollable Wildfires (B*tch Media)
• The Colorado River is drying up. Here's how that affects Indigenous water rights (Grist)
• NASA satellite photos show oil spill, pollution in Venezuela’s Lake Maracaibo (The Washington Post)
• How the West’s obsession with fast fashion compounds an environmental nightmare in Ghana (The World)
• Resist Line 3. (Anti-racism Daily)

Events & Announcements 

Quarterly Event Recap

Our thanks and appreciation go out to everyone who attended October’s webinar about food preservation with Cornell Cooperative Extension's Master Food Preserver Michele Conners. Michele provided us with a plethora of good information about how to properly preserve food, including the seven methods of home preservation:

1. Refrigeration
2. Canning low acid, high acid
3. Pickling and fermenting
4. Freezing
5. Dehydrating
6. Curing & smoking
7. Create a root cellar

Check out her blog for other tips. Let us know if you'd like to review the materials Michele shared with us.

Landfill Tour

Date TBD

Join University students and employees for a guided bus tour of Waste Management’s High Acres Landfill. This local facility features a methane gas renewable energy plant that produces enough energy to power 9,000 homes. During the tour, we’ll

• Learn about how the landfill was engineered to protect the air, water, soil, and environmental integrity of the surrounding area
• Meet the landfill’s unique workforce of falcons (That’s right—predatory birds! 🦅) that help to control the seagull population naturally
• Get an inside look at the composting operation to which the University sends food waste and other organic materials

Sustainability Superstar 🌟

Photo by Lisa Rand

Lisa Rand, Administrator, SMD Faculty Professionalism Council in the Dean’s Office

Lisa began her career at the University in 2010 on River Campus working in Advancement, joined the Medical Center in 2014 as a staff member in the Department of Neurosurgery, and became part of the Dean’s office in 2017. Prior to joining the University, Lisa worked as an executive assistant, legislative aide, and health policy analyst. She holds a Master’s in Social Work from the University of Connecticut.

Lisa serves as the Medical Center contact for the University’s participation in the Nike Reuse-a-Shoe Program which feeds Nike Grind. Lisa became involved when she had sneakers to donate and learned there was no collection box at the Medical Center. She volunteered to put a box in her office and her contact information on the flyer, as well as deliver the sneakers to the storage facility on campus, in coordination with the sustainability coordinator, Amy Kadrie. During the pandemic, she volunteered to collect the sneakers at the boxes at Corporate Woods. She states, “There should be boxes all over both campuses. Everyone has old sneakers that are too used to donate and they belong in a collection box.”

In her personal life, Lisa is committed to living a life with fewer things and therefore, less waste. “When I want something new, I ask myself: Do I really need it? Could I get it used? Where will this item be in 100 years?” she explains. She uses apps like Next Door and Facebook Marketplace to donate, buy, and sell gently used items. She composts food waste for use in her flower beds and pots. Lisa also utilizes Monroe County’s EcoPark to properly dispose of a variety of items and has a Terracycle All in One Zero Waste Box. She also buys the majority of her clothing and shoes on ThredUp and Poshmark. She prides herself on creating the least amount of trash possible. “I also try to support companies whose environmental values match mine and that have proven track records with reducing waste, using locally sourced ingredients, and where possible, I try to buy products made in the USA.” She recently bought a compostable phone case made entirely from plants!

Your Green Reps Challenge for November

Photo by J. Adam Fenster

Try to implement at least one of these action items in your area this month:

1. Do you repurpose materials to make new items? Let us know so we can feature you on social media!
2. Email Amy Kadrie to RSVP and secure your spot on the landfill tour.
3. Do you have gym shoes that need to be recycled? Check out the How to Recycle page for more information about where you can drop them off.