PCR: Olla Update - Blessed with free tomato plants!

Flower Pot meets Olla (made of two 4" pots)

Saturday we went by the preparedness fair - lots of cool stuff there. I even had the opportunity to see one of the self-cloning crawdads I wrote about a while back. (Another Cool Aquaponics System and Send in the Clones)

'Went to a garden party...

The Texas Agrilife Extension group and the Master Gardeners were giving tomato seedlings to passersby, so I passered by and scored some free plants. (Thanks Linda and Vikram!).

That left me with four little tomato plants needing to be planted and a small stack of ollas needing to go underground. I put 4 and 2 together, and the grand experiment has begun. I found some old pots on the back porch and threw everything together. The compost box doubled as a planting table. It looks like things are falling in place. We now have tomatoes and ollas on the front porch. If they thrive, I'll post pics. If they don't, I'll invite you to the composting wake. Either way, we'll find a reason to celebrate.

May your grand experiments thrive.

DIY Cargobike inspiration on Austin Craigslist

What can I say? I love the simplicity of this home-built machine. It's on the Austin Craigslist, and it looks like a bargain - if you are into that sort of thing. I am. I see a great vehicle for runs to the recycle center, the hardware store, the water dispensary, and the grocery store. (Keith thought it would be great for runs to and around his favorite liquor store.)

 

Either way, it would be one step closer to living car-free! (And one more reason for my poor wife to wonder about my sanity - Love you, Dear!)

 

Ingredients:

a bike

a shopping cart

two front forks

one more wheel/tire

 

Tools:

hacksaw

a welder

a few wrenches

It looks like the frame was modified to have no rake, which should would make steering easier. Finding a frame with no rake would make the conversion easier. Maybe if you started with a BMX frame, added a hubmotor or a 3-speed hub...

 

Just me speculating on a Friday afternoon.

 

May your brain have a vacation soon too!

Personal Ethics and Being a Mesquite Hugger

It’s a little easier this time of year. It was cold this morning, but there was little wind and no moisture in the air. If you are cold, pedal harder! I rode a bike to work four days this week. The importance of that statement lies not in what I did, but in what I did not do. I did not drive my truck to work four days this week. Now you’re talking! 80% reduction in fuel consumption! Positive steps! Way to go, Mesquite Hugger!

It’s a little but insistent voice that drives a lot of my actions. I have written about it here before – sometimes with lots of nasal Yiddish, sometimes in quiet retrospection, sometimes in seething anger. It’s the voice that keeps tries to keep me in line with my personal ethics. It’s the voice that keeps me defining what my personal ethics are.

As I rode to work this morning, the voice was pretty happy with my actions but was highly judgmental of others’ actions – all the idling cars parked in front of houses, the bank that overwaters daily, the driver with the loud music/rolling stops/no blinkers. Stop being such a self-righteous and judgmental jerk, snagit! Then I started pondering the voice in other people. I played with the idea of creating a survey for you, Dear Reader. After the survey, I could post anonymous results and evaluate the state of our eco-union and all that. I started working on questions.

What issues do you care about and work to improve?

What issues do you care about but not work to improve?

Do you spend any time analyzing your own actions?

Do you spend more time analyzing the actions of others?

What could you do to make the world a better place for all?

What are you doing to make the world a better place for all?

Do you hear voices, and is that a healthy thing?

If the Mesquite Hugger rides by you on his bike, will you bump that self-righteous jerk off the road?

In case you and your voice are wondering about the survey, just scribble the answers on a postcard and mail them to yourself just email, tweet, or text them to yourself. See what your voice has to say about them.

May you have a wonderful day, and may you and your voice be the best of friends!

Minipost: Glass Recycling (sort of) Returns to Lubbock!!!!!

Another uplifting sign from Lubbock, snagit! (photo from the video below)

I just learned about this KCBD story and wanted to share the news - Lubbock residents can get back to recycling glass - thanks to Texas Tech! Here's the story and video:

Texas Tech provides solution to Lubbock family's recycling problem

May good news about recycling keep coming!

A previous post on the subject: Eek!

And a little about Glass Recycling

The Nerf Car: KB, We need to work on our Australian accents!

The Spira Foam Car. You know the one - the really cool idea that sparks laughter and derision at almost every turn. Environmentally friendly, pedestrian friendly, parking friendly, budget friendly, and definitely a conversation starter. And, for me, it looks like a very enjoyable way to pop around town!

 

So, there's a weird phenomena developing around the Spira. If you see it in a video, it's probably being driven by an Australian on North American soil. And my jealousy is leading to a bit of green bitterness - why is it some rico suavé Australian guy? Why not me?

 

If you check out the latest Translogic video (via Autoblog.com), you'll see a very informative and enjoyable video which creates and answers a lot more questions about my new favorite Nerf.

Down-Under Man attacked by Spira!

Check out the story and video here: Australian Drives a Nerf Car in San Diego

Explaining things to the Australian guy while the car plots its attack

A video clip with other people expressing Australian bitterness Australians?!!! Be warned, it's a bit PG13!

The Spira appears on Shark Week!

To be fair and give a little credit, here are my two favorite Australian contributions to the world:

Colin Hay singing "Overkill"

The almighty platypus!

 

  By the way, this is KB, I am not sure if she is green with envy or she has been drinking too many wheat grass shots - either way, we are trying to get her some help!

 

May your world be platypus amazing today!

 

Looking for another reason to like the Spira? Check out their reservation page:

 

Spira - Place an Order

Spring Dates for Lubbock, Earth Day, Arbor Day, Rain Barrels, Local Food, and Bicyclists

Sure, it's a lazy post, but there are some great spring events listed here!

March 28, 2015
Lubbock Preparedness Fair - The annual fair is set for 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 7014 Frankford Ave.
http://lubbockonline.com/filed-online/2015-03-24/preparedness-fair-provide-emergency-readiness-help

April 22, 2015 (Wednesday)
EARTH DAY CELEBRATION Stop by the Garden & Arts Center and make some earth-friendly crafts and an Earth day pin!
All day and free!
http://www.mylubbock.us/docs/default-source/parks-rec-file-library/activity-guide.pdf?sfvrsn=8

April 22, 2015 (Wednesday)
CitiBus Ride Free Day! (to celebreate Earth Day)
http://www.mylubbock.us/docs/default-source/parks-rec-file-library/activity-guide.pdf?sfvrsn=8

April 24, 2015 (Friday)
National Arbor Day
https://www.arborday.org/celebrate/

April 25, 2015 (Saturday)
ARBORETUM PLANT SALE Annual plant sale to benefit the Arboretum and its ongoing projects. Sale features water-wise perennials, herbs and specialty plants that grow well in Lubbock. Experts on hand to answer your questions. Adults and families welcome. (6 hrs)
9am-3pm
http://www.mylubbock.us/docs/default-source/parks-rec-file-library/activity-guide.pdf?sfvrsn=8

May 1, 2015 (Friday)
The National Bike Challenge begins!!! (Woohoo!)
Learn more and sign up at https://nationalbikechallenge.org/

May 2, 2015 (Saturday)
RAIN WATER HARVESTING WORKSHOP Learn the bascis of rain water harvesting in this informative workshop! One re- cycled 50 gallon rainbarrel is included with each workshop registration. Barrels may also be purchased separately for $60 each. Call 797-4520 to register or to reserve barrels for pick up between 1 PM - 3 PM. (2 hrs)
Lubbock Memorial Arboretum
http://www.mylubbock.us/docs/default-source/parks-rec-file-library/activity-guide.pdf?sfvrsn=8

May 11-15, 2015 (Saturday)
Bike to Work Week and Bike to Work Day (May 15)
Learn more at http://bikeleague.org/content/bike-month-dates-events-0
(May is also National Bike Month.)

June 20, 2015 (Saturday)
Lubbock Downtown Farmer's Market Opening Day
http://lubbockdowntownfarmersmarket.com/file/Lubbock-Downtown-Farmers-Market-Schedule-2014.jpg

May you thrive in creating a healthier you and a healthier world!

Walking, Coffee, Stuff, Minimalism Challenge, Saturday Mornings, etc.

As I get a bit older, I keep thinking differently about stuff and busy-ness.

Some of that fancy latté art

Let's talk about Saturday mornings. I love Saturday mornings. I sleep in a little on Saturdays, almost an hour longer than normal. I get up quietly, throw on some clothes, grab a few things, and walk over to the local coffeehouse. Besides clothes, I have my ever-present phone, wallet, and keys. I also carry a grocery bag, my journal, my bible, a pen, and some cheater glasses. The grocery bag I fill up with trash as I walk the neighborhood and drop it in a dumpster near the coffeehouse. I am usually one of the first to arrive at the coffeehouse. I order a single coffee drink and a whole-wheat cinnamon roll. I sit in the back corner reading, writing, sipping, munching, and sometimes planning blog posts. I am usually there about an hour. As I walk home, I pick recyclables up. When I get home, I usually climb back in bed with my lovely wife - she is not a morning person, and that is probably a good thing.

The thing about these particular Saturday mornings, I have everything I need. I usually spend around five dollars. In our world of stuff and hurry, this is a time of little stuff and little hurry. Weather does not affect it. I can walk in snow, rain, fog, heat, wind. The coffee can be hot, cold, good, terrible. The cinnamon roll can be the same. The temperature inside the building also matters little.

The only variable that ever messes things up for me is noise level. If the music is too loud and distracting or the patrons are too loud and distracting, then I get nervous and don't enjoy the morning so much. I go there seeking a reverential contentment, but noise can melt that away. (I should probably re-think the ever-present cell phone too.)

For me, contentment is the important word. I am not seeking joy or happiness. On Saturday mornings, I work at being content. When I find that - happiness, joy, patience, even a tiny bit of wisdom - things all seem to fall in place. The week is better, and I have more resilience to face it and to care for those who need me.

After having read this far - pat yourself on the back for attention-span endurance - here is a nifty little pair of links to help you if you are trying to slow down a bit to seek a bit of contentment:

Green Livivng Ideas article about the minimalism challenge

The 30-day Minimalism Challenge

I am a big fan of days 1, 4, 10, and 24. I dont think I will struggle much with days 9, 17, and 23.

May you find some contentment in your days. Thank you, as always, for reading this blog!

Lubbock on a Bike: Giving Velomobiles a Second Look

 

It's funny, really, how it all plays out. I have written about velomobiles in Lubbock knowing that ever actually seeing one here is highly unlikely.

Abilene is about 140 miles from here. Saturday we were in Abilene about to head into a restaurant when I spotted a velomobile in the parking lot. The Mesquite Hugger spirit in me leapt! I went over to get a photo for you and was struck with a funny realization - this gorgeous machine was from Lubbock. I even knew the pickup it was in. I had seen it at the grocery store and at the miscommunicated bike meeting I attended recently. There is a velomobile in Lubbock!

You may be asking yourself, "Okay MH, what's so cool about a velomobile?"

 

First, it looks like a torpedo, a retro-futuristic racer, or maybe transportation for a superhero. Second (and much more practical,) it is one of the most efficient land vehicles available. It is light weight, aerodynamic, and has very little rolling resistance. In West Texas terminology, it gives you the best bang for your horsepower buck!

Another big advantage for us bi-pedal humans - it places your body in an ideal position for pedal power. Even more bang for your buck! And if you add a battery pack and small electric motor...

Unfortunately, as I have mentioned before in this blog, it has a distinct disadvantage in the land of SUVs and diesel duallies, it could easily be squished by an inattentive driver - and we have plenty of those in our bike unfriendly town. So I admire these exotic and rare machines but have little desire to adopt one for my daily commute.

I have been composing another post lately about solar-powered vehicles, about the lure of self-powered transportation. The current struggle with those is how little power is produced by small solar panels vs. how much power is needed to move a large vehicle, especially one weighed down by a big battery pack. So, solar power combined with a hyper-efficient electric-assist velo...a pairing created in Mesquite Hugger heaven.

All this is to say that I become ever more intrigued by velomobiles in general and by solar-powered velos in particular.

The most prominent one these days is less hardcore than many, but it is commercially available and made in the USA. It is the Elf. In theory, I really want one!

Check out the solar panel on the roof!

You can get a naked Elf, a two-seater Elf, and a campus cop version - you could take Paul Blart-ism to a whole new level!

If you want to learn more about velomobiles, check out this great article from Low-Tech Magazine with lots of cool links.

May you be superhero cool while traveling about without fossil fuels!

Instructables Minipost - Get out your bike and your mad scientist tools!

Any excuse to feature a dog wearing goggles - link below

The weekend is almost upon us and I was thinking that you've had the winter blues lately, that you need to get out and do something, and snagit, you need to work off some of that winter weight! Here is a little inspiration to get you and your weenie dog back out in the garage and eventually back on those not-so-mean streets!

Bike Blinkers!

Bike-Powered Meat Grinder!

Another Hot Rod/Rat Rod Trailer!

Add a wooden bike basket!

A bicycle sidecar!

A bicycle sidecar for your weenie dog!

May you and your dog soon be riding stylishly and cleanly past the mean and evil gas stations of the world!

Bonus post link: The previous rat-rod bike trailer post

¡Ollas! (Oi-uhs!) Oy vey! - PCR Garden Progress

While it's still too early to plant, I snuck in a little more prep work this weekend. In a very short period of time and with very little money invested, I made 4 ollas.

 

Why ollas? They are reputed to be simple, efficient, and effective for watering plants with minimal water waste and consumption. And they are super cheap to build! (And I am super cheap! And I love to conserve water!) So I decided to build a few to try them out. I hear that tomato plants really like ollas.

 

Straight out of wikipedia.org:

Because water seeps through the walls of an unglazed olla, these vessels can be used to irrigate plants. The olla is buried in the ground next to the roots of the plant to be irrigated, with the neck of the olla extending above the soil. The olla is filled with water, which gradually seeps into the soil to water the roots of the plant. It is an efficient method, since little water is lost to evaporation or run-off.^[2]

 

I need to go back and do a little sealing with some silicone - the one I tested leaks a bit. In the bottom photo you see $11 worth of pots.

Two four-inch pots, glue, and a plastic sour cream lid.

I used a cordless drill with a stone to quickly remove casting lips on the drain.

Be sure to cut your lid in a perfect circle like I did! I tried to cover the entire bottom surface so that water would only seep out the sides of the olla. Glue the plastic over the hole in the bottom.

Glue the pots together. I used duct tape to hold the glue in place while it dried.

 

What will I do different next time? I will skip the glue and go straight to a silicon product. I will probably purchase a bigger stone bit to open the hole on top of the olla a bit more so that it will be easier to pour water into the olla. I will keep you posted!

 

May we find simple ways to eat better, healthier, and cheaper.

 

 

Click this line to see last Mesquite Hugger post about ollas and a group in Albuquerque that makes some grogeous ollas to sell.

3-Minute Vacation: San Fran, Plug-in Fords, Trials Bicycles

Keep in mind, I am an old, fat guy who struggles to chew gum and walk at the same time, but I do have an unrealistic dream or two. One of those is to be able to plop down the cash for a plug-in car, but anybody with cash can do that. I'd also love to spend a few hours at the City Lights Bookstore in San Francisco. That cash thing again. My third dream (at least in the context of this post) is to ride a bicycle like Danny MacAskill, a guy who makes the impossible look easy, fluid, and lyrical. No amount of money in the world...

 a still shot from the video vacation

I have a new mentor lately, a gentleman much wiser than I, who offers very good advice. He was recommending recently that I needed to get away, to get out and do something that I love without the pressures or expectations of other people, a time when I could experience joy, exhiliration, and peace. I mentioned canoeing on running water, and he said something dangerous. He told me that even if I could not get out on a river, it would be good to find a photo or a short video to let my brain experience a tiny vacation from the day. The 3-Minute Vacation idea was born!

I popped over to youtube this weekend and ran across a video where guys who can ride a lot like Danny Mac cruise about the Bay Area in plug-in Fords to reach places to ride their bikes. Living the dream!

Bike Parkour - Streets of San Francisco

May you enjoy your Spring Break, no matter how short, and may you get there using green transportation!

Lubbock on a Bike and Urban Ducks March 2015

Beautiful weather this weekend. Spring seems to be springing. I took advantage of the weather and hopped on the bike several times. Besides my usual 400 reasons to ride a bike, I am also gearing up for the the National Bike Challenge 2015. The challenge begins in May, but I am hoping to be in the habit when it starts. Also, I have missed Clapp Park (See the tadpole posts for more on my neighborhood park.)

 

 

The overall is looking good so far - lots of water and lots of birds.

 

The close-up is a lot rougher - lots of litter. (If you see a bicyle dork out there picking up trash, please come over and introduce yourself!)

The old Mongoose was rolling happily.

 

The duck watching was great. Lots of mallards and Northern shovellers, a few wigeons, and two newcomers that I had to look up.

A scaup! (photo from larkwire)

 

Northern pintails - they were beautiful!

 

Bicycling and urban wildlife - snagit, I'm glad Spring is coming! This park is 1.1 miles from my home, and I am thankful!

 

May you have health and beauty so close to home. Thanks for reading.

 

Bonus link: Ride a bike, pay for a house!

 

 

Let's Talk Coffee: Conservation, Creativity, Composting, and Learning

Acorn coffee?!!! Keep reading....

Do you ever have those weeks when the world seems to be pointing you at some topic or other? I am having one of those, and it's pointing me to coffee this week. So, here we go!

A guy from work (Hi Matt!) was lamenting the poor flavor and the waste of K-cup machines. The conversation turned to more flavorful - and less wasteful - methods of brewing. These days there are lots of choices: French presses, old school stove-top espresso makers and coffee percolators, pour-overs, chemexes, etcetera ad nauseum. Oy vey! It's overwhelming. (I think I'll get the percolator out tomorrow and bubble up a cup or two.)

9 low-tech ways to brew great coffee with minimal waste

Refillable cups and mugs: My wife was turned away from another place this week. (She and I have been striving to get away from disposable dishes, but we both love our coffee.) I am needing to do a little research to find out what the local regulations are. When we are turned away, the issue is always blamed on health codes - never on company policy, but all anecdotal evidence leads to that not being the case. I'll update this when I have an answer. Until then, check out this Ask Umbra response:

Which is worse, a K-Cup or a throw-away coffee cup?

Other stuff

Have you always wanted to roast your own beans (That sounds inappropriately painful.) I read about this a while back and discussed it with Mad Science Rusty. As always, he was way ahead of the curve and had used this method for quite some time until stepping up to a real roaster. If you strive to be like MS Rusty (and you should) here is an Instructable to help you get started and help you find unroasted beans.

Roast Your Own Instructable (using a popcorn popper!)

How else would you expect a mad scientist to dress?

Devoted readers of this blog (Hi, Keith) may have seen a mention of Yellowhouse Coffee. Yellowhouse, J and B, and a few other coffee places around town freely share their used coffee grounds with local gardeners and composters. If you are intrigued but don't know what to do with those grounds, here is an article for you:

Composting Coffee Grounds

Free coffee!

Speaking of Yellowhouse, if you want to become one of those discriminating coffee connoisseurs who drink with their pinkies sticking out, Yellowhouse is offering another coffee class next month. Be sure to sign up soon - the spots always fill up fast. Tell them that the Mesquite Hugger's pinky sent you.

Sign up!

And now for something completely different for those of you overwhemled by acorns:

Acorn Coffee Instructable

I raise my cup to you, Dear Reader! May you drink joyfully and sustainably!

PCR: Our FoodIsFreeProject Update and the Noocity Version

Our favorite sailor man is going to be proud!

Impatience and urban farming...snagit! They don't go together too well, but I know that you are dying for an up date, so here goes:

Tiny non-GMO spinach!

We have spinach sprouting - indoors. The shoots are sharing a little of the LED grow light from the aquaponics setup and some indirect sunlight from a north-facing window. And they are growing quickly. (The photo was taken Monday. They have quadrupled in size since then.) The general consensus is that it is folly to do much planting here in Lubbock before mid-April. Even then it's a gamble.

Okay, that's it for our first foodisfreeproject.org garden; however, I did find something cool to share with you in vaguely the same neighborhood.

Let's say that you are one of those four people who have been following our self-watering garden project and you have been thinking that you want to do that, but you have more money than time and you live in a place where they have an ordinance against pallet-based construction and gosh-darnit you don't want to attract any ukulele-playing Austinites to your yard but gosh that garden is cool and so on and so forth.

Surely it's not better looking than ours....

Well, you are in luck! (St Patrick's Day is coming!) Somebody (Noocity) decided to build you pretty much the same garden and design it as a flat-pack so they can ship it to you easily. You can assemble it with no tools and you won't get dirty until you add your own dirt!

You can start checking it out in the Derek Markham article on TH, then follow the links to the Noocity website and their Indiegogo campaign. Have your Euro conversion table handy and be prepared for some Euro shipping too.

These modular urban gardening growbeds water themselves

May your thumb be Shamrock green and help you feed your veggie-loving neighborhood with truly local food!

Lubbock on a Bike: Helping Others Ride (Co-Op Bike Shops)

Two days in a row commuting on the bike! Beautiful weather! Snagit, it feels good to leave Lucy (the Ford Ranger) at home and pedal to work. It feels good to pedal in silence. It feels good not to be polluting, not to be paying money, not to be supporting OPEC, and not to be getting fatter in traffic.

• Super-low-cost transportation
• Super-low-cost workout program
• Significant personal carbon reduction
• I get to be outside (Yesterday I saw that the Northern Shovelers and the wigeons are back in town!)
• And life is more enjoyable behind handlebars

So, dust off your bike and join me! (I have almost gotten around to the point.)

Besides finding joy in riding, I also find joy in helping others ride. It's not a rare occasion at all to have one of the neighborhood kids show up needing advice or help with repair work. It's not much more rare to have an adult ask for help or advice as well. And my limited mechanical skills are very well suited to things with no carburetors or electronics. (In other words, I'm not the sharpest  tack in the road, but I can help you remove that tack from your tire - and plug the hole!)

I read an article on Grist today that discusses two places where people feel like I do about the joy of biking and the joy of helping others bike.

This co-op bike shop will teach you to fix your own damn bike (and that matters) - Be sure to read about the Bikery and BICAS to see two different approaches.

Co-op, workshop, bike kitchen, whatever you would like to call it, I love the idea of a community space to promote and support bicycling by helping and sharing with people.

Here is my first post on the topic: upCYCLE!

May health, wealth, and joy ride with you!

Simple Conservation Tips for Lubbock: Bottles and Bags

Bottles and cans: plastic, tin, aluminum, or glass?

My favorite brewery favors aluminum cans!

When aluminum is available, it is my favorite option. It is lightweight, transports and recycles easily, and end consumers can save cans and sell them by the pound or donate them to charities that sell aluminum to support their operations. Aluminum is almost infinitely recyclable. Tin has many of the same virtues; however, there is a lot less money in selling it to recyclers. Recycling aluminum and tin lessens the need for mining and the environmental destruction that comes with it.

Choose glass only if you choose to reuse the container for another purpose. Glass does recycle well, but it is expensive to haul and to recycle. It is often cheaper to make new glass than it is to recycle old glass. Plus, Lubbock's glass tumbler is broken - our city no longer recycles glass at all.

Plastic - while plastic has the virtues of light weight and recyclability, it has two big flaws. First, plastic degrades with each recycling, so it cannot be recycled over and over like aluminum, tin, and glass can. Second, plastic is almost always a petroleum-based product that comes at a high carbon cost to the environment and increases our country's dependence on others for petroleum. We are seeing more and more plant-based plastics, but these can still be environmentally destructive because they are very water intensive and also divert farmers from growing food crops - which can lead to higher food prices and food shortages.

Bags: Paper or Plastic?

The most obvious answer is neither. The best option avaialable is to take your own reusable bag. It is even worth it to invest a few more dollars in cotton or canvas bags that hold up longer and that tolerate frequent laundering. Stash a few in your car or backpack so that you always have extras for those unexpected shopping trips (or the windfall veggies from your coworker who overplanted this year's garden.)

You will look eco-sexy shopping with bags like these!

Next in line I choose paper. While both are recyclable, the paper bags are also biodegradable and are not petroleum-based. Do not be afraid to reuse either paper or plastic bags on your shopping trips. You may get a funny look from a cashier, but I have never had a cashier refuse to use a shopping bag I brought with me. Just be mindful that a retailer may not be happy to see your Target or Walmart bag in their store.

May your simple steps make great strides!

Tiny Post: The perfect vehicle(s) for tiny house people?

Really, I saw a Lloyd Alter piece on TH that made me want to share my favorite print ad of all time with you: (With a little vaguely artistic license)

 It makes your [tiny] house look bigger.

The article is actually about a tribute ad that promotes bicycling and does so beautifully.

Chained to work.

May small, simple, and effective be your beauty.

The Lloyd Alter Treehugger article: Ad promoting cycling to work looks very familiar

Extrinsic Reward: Lubbock, Recycle!

A portion of the EPA's Municipal Solid Waste Infographic

In an ideal world, intrinsic motivation would be enough. We would recognize a problem, realize that we need to do something about it, and get to work until the problem is solved.

But we don't work that way. We need a reward. We crave a reward. Snagit, give me that reward!

The free peppermint from the Sonic Drive-In

 

Once upon a time in a fairy tale land, I was a public school teacher. Imagine, if you will, 37 freshmen eagerly fighting to be the one who had the opportunity to answer a question in English class. Sound like a fairy tale? It was reality - it was the Sonic Mint Question of the Day. Thirty-seven young people who understood the value of learning but could care less about learning for learning's sake were ready to do whatever it took to win one crappy mint that I had received for free - I ate a lot of Sonic back then.

Neighbor, how do you feel about recycling? Do you recognize garbage and waste as a problem? Do you realize that we are destroying ourselves and others with our mountains of waste? Are you aware of the garbage islands forming in our oceans? Do you know that plastic is a petroleum product and that recycling reduces our dependence on foreign oil?

Big Question #1: Do you feel a moral imprerative to care for the earth and the people who live on it?

If your answer to BQ1 is "yes," please follow your intrinsic voice - and the Mesquite Hugger loves you!
If your answer to BQ1 is "no," please keep reading - and the Mesquite Hugger has hopes for you and still likes you.

Big Question #2: Would you recycle if someone offered you a mint good stuff in return?

If your answer to BQ2 is "yes," pease check out Recyclebank.com, recycle, and get yourself some stuff for recycling.
If your answer to BQ2 is "no," please stop consuming anything!

If you have influence upon Lubbock's your city's recycling operations, please check out https://www.recyclebank.com/corporate-info/partner-with-us/municipalities and get your town in gear.

From the recent TH article Growing recycling programs help us inch closer to Zero Waste:
They also  sponsor municipalities as well; the city of Rochester Hills, Michigan, for example, signed up for the program in 2008 and proceeded to increase recycling by 323% by 2014.

May we step up the pace to Zero Waste!

PS. More Lubbock recycling to come - please stay tuned.