Recycle Clarksville

15. Recycle Clarksville and Softball

2010-09-29T15:09:00.000-07:00

We sponsored our first softball team this year. I really enjoy giving back to the community with this business. It does make the job I do more meaningful in the long run.

Here is a picture of the team.

The Coupon Mint

2010-06-30T04:36:00.000-07:00

Recycle Clarksville will be in the Coupon Mint! Starting July 15th, we will appear in one of the issues of the magazine that goes out to 35,000 units. Wow, I am sort of scared actually about the kind of response I might get. Thank you Coupon Mint for the opportunity!

Fuzz that Wuzz

2009-12-21T14:55:00.000-08:00

Was walking through Borders the other day and saw a very cool product. Little animals that have been made out of 100% recyled plastic. Hats off to Mary Meyer for creating this option to buy green.

Cool Site

2009-12-21T14:47:00.000-08:00

Was listening to Tim Brown from IDEO talk about his participation in a global conference on climate change. He voiced some of his frustrations with how the problem was being addressed. The conversation at the conference centered around how much was going to be subtracted or cut, such as carbon emissions etc. He made a very insightful remark. The conversation needs to center around making these kinds of changes meaningful. IDEO is a design firm, one of the most influential in the world actually. You probably have a toothbrush in your house designed by them.

He left the conference with a resolve to help start a project that will help people innovate ways to be environmentally responsible. As an entrepreneur myself, I love innovation and design. Here is the site he started. Living Climate Change.

Plastiki

2009-05-23T21:19:00.000-07:00

Ever wondered how you could use those plastic bottles that are not currently taken by the Bi-County right now? As in, #3-#7 plastics? Check it out, David De Rothschild built an entire boat out of plastic bottles and will be sailing out this month for The Plastiki Expedition 2009. He is going to be sailing from San Francisco to Australia to raise awareness about recycling. Somebody give this guy an award!

Great Customers

2009-05-05T10:23:00.000-07:00

You know, so far I have only had one person stiff me on payments. Working with people who care about the earth is turning out to be a wonderful experience. I am so thankful for this business and the opportunities it presents to me and my family, not to mention the community and the environment. Thank you Recycle Clarksville customers.

Cool Book

2009-05-05T10:18:00.000-07:00

Garbage Land is a bit of a slow read at first, but it sure uncovers the world of trash here in America. It is almost the kind of deal where ignorance is bliss. But you know, God has not called us to live in bliss. He has called us to make a difference. To be signs and symbols of the new creation. This means taking care of the earth, among a whole host of other issues relating to justice and equality.

Recycling and the Economy

2009-03-01T17:47:00.001-08:00

One of the cool things about this Recycling venture is the economic side of it. Aside from the environmental benefits, it has created an two extra jobs in Clarksville. You might say to yourself, "Two jobs, big deal. There are hundreds out of work right." I choose to look at it like this: Imagine you are out of work from being laid off. One decent paying job is all you need. Recycle Clarksville is able to provide that one job for someone. For this I am grateful.

This is not to say that the recycling industry is not effected by the current economy. As some of you know, the price of cardboard, paper, plastic and aluminum has plummeted. While this has not hurt the overall status of Recycle Clarksville, it has hurt the recycling industry. These are tough times for a lot of people. I am thankful to my customers and their ethical commitment to recycle. Your decision to be environmentally responsible is not only taking care of the earth, it is taking care of people as well.

New Web Site

2009-01-27T03:41:00.000-08:00

I finally got the time to set up a web site for all things GREEN in Clarksville. www.gogreenclarksville.com This is going to be a one stop shop if you want to care for creation and be environmentally responsible. It will have local produce sources, green businesses, and most importantly, if not equally important, a social networking feature to help connect the different pockets of people in Clarksville that want to see some progress in this city becoming more GREEN. Hope you enjoy. Leave a comment to let me know what you think. Add suggestions etc. I want this to be Clarksville's site, not mine.

GLASS!!

2008-09-01T19:27:00.000-07:00

I finally found a company to give us general liability insurance! Mann, Smith and Cummings has given us a great quote and coverage so that we can start accepting glass again. Glass is 100% recyclable, so it was a real downer when I had to back off of it for a while. We start collecting it again tomorrow. I am so grateful for all of my customers who hung in there with me during the time I was not able to collect it. Thank you Recycle Clarksville customers!

Glass

2008-08-04T11:34:00.000-07:00

Thsi is a sad post. We had to stop taking glass in our program about a month ago. It is a dilemma with insurance and safety. Right now, our equipment does not allow us to collect it in a safe manner. Add to this the unbeleivable cost of general lilability insurance, and we had to make a disappointing decision to postpone our glass collection for now. Whenever we generate enough capital to not only pay for the insurance, but also purchase equipment to collect it safely, we will be back on track with collecting this 100% recyclable material. Until then, we will be incomplete as a curb side pick up service.

Thanks to all of our customers who have dished out encouragement and patience in view of this decision.

Paper

2008-08-04T11:27:00.000-07:00

All you have to do is just keep an eye out during the week at your job to realize how much paper is out there. It really makes you wonder where all the trees are that produce all of this paper!

Well, recycling paper can cut down (no pun intended) on the amount of trees being slaughtered for paper consumption. But trees are not the only things we conserve when we recycle paper. Check out this video.

Plastic Bags

2008-08-04T11:13:00.001-07:00

Me and my wife, reluctantly, shop at Walmart from time to time. Well....pretty often actually. We just bought their black bags in the front of the store so we would not have to use their plastic bags at the check out.

We take these plastic bags in our curb side pick up service, but it would be ideal if people would not even use these bags. Below is a powerpoint slide show of some nasty side effects of plastic bags in the world.

Closing the Loop

2008-08-01T05:59:00.000-07:00

In the recycling industry there is this philosophy of closing the loop. The idea is that a product goes from the manufacturer, the customer, gets recycled, and then goes back on the shelf for resale. When you buy a product that has been recycled, you are closing the loop.

Right before I quit FedEx to do Recycle Clarksville full time, I delivered a package to one of my Recycle CLarksville Customers in a Fed Ex box while I was in my Fed Ex uniform.. The next Tuesday I picked the exact same box up from their Recycling Clarksville Bin and threw it into my truck to be recycled.

I thought it was kind of neat that I handled the box twice, once to deleiver, and several days later again to recyle it. Not a fully closed loop, but it is this kind of expereince that I get excited about when I think about Recycling Clarksville.

Six Degrees of Separation

2008-07-25T05:16:00.000-07:00

Marketing Recycle Clarksville has been an amazing experience in the power of networking and the whole concept of six degrees of separation. There have been so many kind people who have willingly mentioned to their friends, neighbors and co-workers about Recyle Clarksville.

I am so thankful to all my customers. They are so easy to work with and so generous in getting the word out. What a great surprise!

http://www.recycleclarksville.com/

Recycling and the Future

2008-07-25T05:10:00.000-07:00

I began to develop a conviction about being a good steward of the earth as I delved into the concept of what God will do to the earth when he come back in fresh creative power. He will transform the earth into a new heavens and a new earth. As such, our participation in caring for the earth is a foreshadowing of that event. When we take care of the earth we are participating in the culture of God and his desire to take care of all his creation, both people and the earth.

I was initially led to this interest in the environment through my study of eschatology. I do not get into the whole pre-mil, a-mil, post-mil discussions. I sort of thing those miss the point of eschatology. What will happen in the end can be discussed in a broader framework of God's activity and relationship with all of creation. either way you slice the pie, God will step in with fresh creative power and transform our cosmos into a new heavens and a new earth.So what does that have to do with us today?

Participating with God in the world means functioning as a sign or symbol of that very transformation. Our lives and our ministries should foreshadow the coming transformation of the cosmos. This of course includes the transformation of people into the image of God. (Romans 8:28-30) But it also means participating in the management of creation. Being a good steward of the earth is an element of discipleship. It is a moral issue. It is a systemic issue.We can no longer live under that Platonic notion that spirit is good and material is inferior. God created the spirit and the body. He will redeem both in the end. This also includes the creation at large. Romans 8. I am wrestling with how to capitalize on this recycling venture for the kingdom.

There was a great article in the paper that allowed me to point to God and his formative influence on my interests in the environment. IT is this kind of thing that gets me excited because it sort of shatters the perception that Christians are merely concerned about boosting their own kingdoms.I guess what I am trying to say is, the environment is from God, to ignore it, abuse or misuse it is an assault on our divine purpose as stewards of the earth. Genesis 1-2. Maybe this whole GREEN element can be a great platform for us to step in on what is often seen as a secular issue and show that Christianity truly is Relevant to the issues of the world. Any thoughts out there?

www.recycleclarksville.com

Curb Side Pick up in Clarksville

2008-07-25T05:08:00.000-07:00

Thats right! We now have curb side pick up in Clarksville! This blog is about my experiences in starting and operating Recycle Clarksville.