Draft_ECO_Changes

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= ECO =

Our mission is "To support and encourage the Church and its members/friends to take actions toward sustainability and better stewardship of Earth." To this end, we plan events, programs, and opportunities for church members to take action toward better care of our environment. To contact ECO, send an email to ECO@c3huu.org.

toc =Upcoming Featured Events:=

**__ ReUse Rodeo rounds up resources for local non-profits, Saturday April 2 __** The Triangle Reuse Alliance is hosting the first ever ReUse Rodeo in cooperation with Orange County Solid Waste Management! Residents can bring certain reusable materials to one location for the benefit of multiple local non-profits dedicated to reuse and waste reduction. The event will be held on Saturday April 2, 2011 at the Solid WasteManagement Administrative office, 1207 Eubanks Rd in Chapel Hill from 10am-2pm.
 * **Saturday, April 2 ReUse Rodeo**

-Fabric -Sewing notions such as thread, needles and buttons -Yarn -Craft / Art supplies -Corks, bottle caps, twist ties -Picture frames
 * The Scrap Exchange (**@http://www.scrapexchange.org/) will be on hand accepting the following items:


 * The reCYCLEry (**@http://www.recyclery.org/) will collect donations of used bikes in fair to excellent condition. They cannot use severely rusted bikes, so no rust buckets or wrecks, please!


 * Interfaith Council for Social Services Food Pantry (**@http://www.ifcweb.org/) will be collecting reusable grocery bags made of cloth, canvas, vinyl, or string, as well as tissue wrapping paper.


 * Club Nova (**@http://www.clubnova.org/) will be on hand collecting kitchen items such as pots, pans, and small appliances and tools of all types, both manual and motorized. Tools wanted include garden, wood working, craft tools, hand saws, chain saws and the like.

***Please make sure that all items are clean, in working order, and are appropriate for reuse in our community. Volunteers will help with unloading if necessary.**


 * **Saturday, April 9 from 9-12** . ECO and Building and Grounds are hosting a joint workday to clean up the grounds. Come help tend our own patch of Earth! Bring gloves, gardening tools, and the whole family.

1st Sunday Recycling Collections:

 * **November 7:** You brought 21 containers (bottles, vials, tubes, packages) of expired or unwanted **medications** for the NCPA "take back" program.
 * **December 5**: You brought 2 containers of **medication** (see Feedback request below) and lots of **batteries** and **caps**.
 * **January 2**: You brought 32 cubic feet of styrofoam and plastic **packaging materials,** which were taken to a shipping store for reuse. The store, called Pack it! Ship it!, is located at 1201 Raleigh Rd. (Glenwood Square) in Chapel Hill and will gladly take packing materials at any time. Packaging material includes styrofoam blocks, "peanuts," plastic bubble wrap and air "pillows." You also brought 10 containers of medication, 5 pounds of batteries, and lots of caps.
 * **February 6 and 20:** **Greeting cards** (any occasion) to be remade into new cards by children at St. Jude's Ranch, with an extra collection on Feb. 20 for Valentine cards. We will also collect **medication** (see instructions below), **caps** and **batteries**. Caps we can accept are __clean, rigid plastic__ that does not bend easily in your fingers. No child-safety lids, please. Caps go to the [|Aveda cap recycling program].
 * **March 6**: **CDs** (to be donated to the Scrap Exchange), **c****aps and batteries**. Our next medication collection will be May 1.

Medication Collection Instructions:
Meds can be pills or liquids (4 oz. or less if liquid), in original container, OTC or prescription. //Please note that we cannot take controlled substances.// //Prescription numbers starting with 2 or 4 are generally controlled; numbers starting with 6 are not.// For a partial list of controlled substances (common examples are most sleeping pills, pain pills, and anti-anxiety medications, as well as the cold medicines that you have to show i.d. for when purchasing) see []. For privacy reasons you are asked to mark out the patient's name on the prescription label, as well as any other identifying information such as address, phone, or date of birth. An ECO member will ask you questions to determine eligibility but will not read or handle the medication. The collection will be attended or locked up at all times while at church.

**About the program:** A few members of the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA®) offer a “take back program” for safe disposal of medications, excluding controlled substances. The reason for collecting medicines in this way is to help prevent unsafe use of medications as well as to prevent them from ending up in our water system by being flushed down toilets and drains, or by leaching into the groundwater from landfills. Our collection will go to Briar Creek Pharmacy in Raleigh. Only 9 pharmacies within 100 miles of our church are part of this program. See [|www.disposemymeds.org/] for information on the “take back” program, participating pharmacy locator and a link to federal guidelines for safe disposal if there are no local “take back” programs.

**Feedback wanted** about medication collection: ECO would like to know whether this a useful service for church members. We'd appreciate it if you could take a moment to email us at ECO@c3huu.org with answers to the following questions. 1) Have you brought or do you intend to bring unwanted medications to this collection? 2) If not, why not?

=Recent Events:=


 * **March 11:** Screening of ** [|King Corn] ,** the award winning documentary about "two friends, one acre of corn, and the subsidized crop that drives our fast food nation." In the Straley Room. If you missed it, you can borrow the DVD from ECO. Contact ECO@c3huu.org**.**
 * **March 19th****:** **Workshop on home water efficiency****.** Susan McDaniel, church member and certified "Green Plumber," shared the latest and greatest in water efficient technology. Participants learned about ways to save water with low-flow fixtures and efficient water heaters.
 * **November 19:** **Soy Candle Making Class** with George and Linda Thompson. Eight people made 15 soy candles. Participants got to choose the color, shape and fragrance of their candles. Soy candles are earth-friendly because they burn much cleaner and longer than conventional paraffin candles, and the wax is made from soybeans grown in the U.S. as opposed to the petroleum-based wax most often made in China.
 * **Cleaner Hog Farms:** In October, ECO signed a letter urging the NC General Assembly to set a deadline for ending the use of open air manure lagoons, which are associated with serious environmental and public health problems. This would be an important step toward transitioning North Carolina industrial farms toward a more sustainable model. To see the letter click here: [[file:1 pg v NC Organization Value Statement Coalition Letter.doc]]


 * **September 19: Pedal Power**: Lots of people of all ages came by on September 19 to check out our bicycle event featuring Cycle 9 ([|www.cycle9.com]), a Carrboro bike shop specializing in electric bikes, cargo bikes and folding bikes. The pedal-powered smoothies were delicious, too! Four used bikes were donated to The ReCYCLEry ([|www.recyclery.org]) in Carrboro. ReCYCLEry volunteers were delighted to get them and will repair them and give them to new owners who may not otherwise have been able to afford a bike.

Related Area Events
> @http://www.ci.chapel-hill.nc.us/index.aspx?page=1450 > @http://www.cycle9.com/blog/bikes/bike-swap-is-back-sunday-april-10/ > @http://snurl.com/ChapelHillEarthAction
 * Bike Ride around Chapel Hill Friday evening 21May 5:30pm Wallace Deck (Rosemary Street Parking Deck in Chapel Hill
 * Spring Bike Swap presented by Cycle 9, Carrboro – Sunday April 10 9am-3pm
 * Saturday 9April noon-5pm: Earth Action Day at Southern Village Park, see:

Previous Events
Click here to see past ECO events and results of recycling collections.

Other Available Resources:

 * Borrow a Kill-A-Watt unit to measure the electricity used by your appliances and electronics. It's easy - just plug it in! Contact ECO@c3huu.org.
 * Request a HEAT (Home Energy Assessment Team) team to walk through your house to identify potential energy-saving changes. We have training materials for do-it-yourself-ers, as well as names of professional contractors. Contact HEAT.
 * Borrow a DVD: [|Kilowatt Ours], [|Escape from Suburbia], [|A Crude Awakening], [|A Sea Change] , [|Renewal] , [|No Impact Man] , [|The Story of Stuff] . Click here [[file:DVDNotes.doc]] for a brief description of these and other DVDs for loan. Contact ECO@c3huu.orgor visit the ECO table on the first Sunday of the month to borrow a DVD.
 * Join groups to actively Reuse and Recycle resources, such as [|Recycles.org]. C3HUU is a member; you can join as an individual, too. Our Recycles.org sponsor has more information.
 * To find out more about recycling all sorts of items, visit [|Orange County's recycling page.]l Also try [|Freecycle] to give away items you don't need or find items you do need.