November 2024 UV EAT

 

November 2024 UV EAT Activities

Hello UV EAT!

Here is a quick recap of our meeting on November 10, 2024. This, and all our past actions and meeting updates are on our blog site as well (https://uv-environmental-action-team.blogspot.com/). At our next meeting, we will implement our plastics recycling program at Unity and then discuss a land acknowledgement statement for UV EAT.  

Most of our 11/10 meeting was spent working with Diana on the plastics recycling project. Here is what we will implement for the December 8 collection at Unity. This text will be shared in the Unity bulletin as our Eco tip for the month.  

Plastics Recycling at Unity

With the help of Diana, we can recycle plastics that our local waste haulers (e.g., Sanipac) won't pick up. A volunteer will be available in the Garden Rm. after the 2nd Sunday service of each month, 11:45-noon to collect your cleaned and sorted by number plastics.  Removed all lids. Sometimes lids have a different # than the container. Check anything plastic to see if it has a triangle with a #2, #4 or #5 inside the triangle.

First, separate all #2 plastics:

1.      Any #2 bottles or jugs that are larger than a tennis ball (more than 2” wide x 2” tall) can go to your local waste handler. 

2.      You can bring #2 plastic bottles that are smaller than a tennis ball (e.g., vitamin/prescription bottles). For prescription bottles, remove label or blackout names. 

3.      In another bag, you can bring anything else with #2 besides bottles such as tubs, plastic bins, lids. Lint rollers and PakTech beverage carriers/handles that have a #2.

Then sort #4 and #5 into their own bags as well. Again, remove lids & check lids for their number to sort as well. Can take clean #5 plant pots smaller than 2 gallons.

Next, bring your cleaned and sorted #2, #4, #5 plastics to the Garden room @ Unity on the 2nd Sunday.  We won't accept items that are dirty or moldy. Labels don’t need to be removed, unless it’s a prescription bottle – either black out personal info or remove label.

We do not take plastic bags or #5 plant pots bigger than 2 gallons (which can go to BRING recycling for resale/reuse.)

Thank you for this small step with the Unity Environmental Action Team! 

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We also agreed to spend some time discussing a statement that acknowledges indigenous history and the land the Unity of Valley sits on today.  I have posted several samples of "land acknowledgments" from the University of Oregon. Please look at them on this Google Document: (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1sCFNRotZev_z3SrB0ZkFTleXDCOHPurJFW1svxx4xT0/edit?usp=sharing). You can make comments or suggestions/preferences, but not directly in the document. Your comments will show up as suggestions. You can also simply click the add comment button. Please register your feedback/preference in this way. 

 

We agreed to change the meeting's start and end times. Going forward, we will begin at 12:15 and end at 1:15pm, second Sundays of the month.

 

Finally, remember to send Donna your Eco Tips!  We agreed to provide these to the congregation.  Please send them directly to Donna O'Neil yogawithdonna@gmail.com

October Activities

 

Hello friends. We meet again on Sunday Nov. 10 at 12:15-1:15. See you then. It was wonderful to partner with Willamette Riverkeeper and the City of Eugene to help clean up a small section of the great Willamette river!  Eight members of the Unity's Environmental Action Team met with park officials on the west bank of the river. We were joined by members of Willamette Riverkeepers and the city as we fanned out along the lush river bank to clear garbage, debris and identify anything particularly hazardous.  Our team hauled in a lot of garbage. Scroll down for some photos from the day.

On Sunday October 13, our meeting focused on the issue of plastics recycling. Our guest, Diana Abernathey, instructed us on the basic requirements and confusing complexities of what is and is not recyclable plastic. But she also how to recycle plastics beyond what our waste collectors will do.Diana generously agreed to pick up recyclable plastics between 11:45-12:15 on the second Sundays of the month, right before our meeting - so bring recyclable plastics that your waste hauler doesn't accept. NOTE: only #1 and #2 plastic jugs/jars/bottles larger than a tennis ball can be recycled through most waste handlers like Sanipac. Diana can get the smaller and unusual plastics, including #5s, and take them to a local recycler in Portland. Please review the attached information to better understand the do's and don'ts of recylcing, and also what items to bring to Unity on Sunday, November 10.  This is the link to the 40 page Waste Wise Guide to Sustainability online.

See you on November 10.

English WasteWise Guide

the Spanish one

I've updated the blog to include some pictures from the Willamette river clean up in October.  Thank you everyone for joining that effort. It was a beautiful day to spend time cleaning up the river park.  You can see them here:

This is the full WasteWise site with even more information:

Garbage & Recycling lanecounty.org

A quick training 

A common sight: Before

After

A few needles around identified too

And life on the river is glorious