Recycle Your Outdoor Gear

The Mountain Fund started Gear4Good as a direct and logical outgrowth of their “Pass on the Passion” partnership with Osprey Packs. Osprey had a vision to get good used packs into the hands of disadvantaged people who needed them and at the same time provide the opportunity and the incentive by rewarding the donor with a discounted price on a new Osprey Pack.

Almost as soon as this program with Osprey started, we were asked about how people could donate other outdoor equipment and we received requests from outdoor groups that were in need of the equipment. By expanding the opportunity to donate beyond packs, we have been able to get good, used equipment into the hands of those who can use it. It’s better by far for the environment than the landfill and creates new opportunities for outdoor recreation to populations that would not have access to them without the donations of equipment.

To view a current list of equipment needs, please visit this link:

http://web.mac.com/smaclen/iWeb/Gear4Good/Gear%20Needed.html

Do What You Can, Where You Are, With What You Have

According to one of my best friends this is the sister to the Golden Rule: The Golden Rule being, do unto others as you would wish have done to you, its sister being do what you can, where you are, with what you have.

I sometimes refer to it as the What/Where/With Model…its pretty simple and makes logical sense if you’re interested in sustainability issues in general, as it encourages you to consider the resources, tools and individuals which already exist in your life and are readily available to you. It also encourages creative thinking and problem solving skills as it reminds us to only do that which we are capable of with the resources available to us at the time. Moreover, I feel it serves as a reminder that no matter where you are, there is probably something you can do with the resources immediately surrounding you, be those resources new relationships you can seek to create or simply using a recycled product instead of a new one. Often you hear people say its about the little things – I believe its about the simple ones too.

Creativity-reuse and generate many alternatives

How many ways can we reuse a water bottle?

10,000 if we don’t consider the practical uses first. On the internet, I have been looking at web sites and programs that talk about green ideas that have been submitted by users. Many lack the originality that demonstrates creative thought.

I am a graduate student being specifically trained in Creative Studies, or how people generate and implement new ideas. Creativity is the process of generating and communicating those ideas. This article is the first of many that will introduce some of the core skills that make that process possible.

So briefly, let’s run the water bottle through a nice checklist model developed by E. P. Torrence. Ask an open ended question to take an object and figure out how to make it larger, how to take something away from it for a new use, how might it be used for another purpose, and how might it work with something else.

What can we do…

to make the bottle larger? Fill it with pressurized water and launch it like a rocket.

to take away from the bottle? Cut it down, fill it with soil, and germinate a plant.

to substitute what goes in it? Reuse the bottle for other drinks.

to combine it with something else? Create a bottle art display.

These are just 4 questions that you can use to figure out new ways to reuse the bottle based upon asking the right questions. The questions to be asked will vary with the bottle itself. For example, an enormous water bottle could be redeveloped in a baby’s playpen, but a small one could only be a toy.

More to come.

Clean out your closets!

As you ring in the New Year, some of you may have made the resolution to become more organized. If you’re cleaning out your closets, and come across any unused outdoor gear that you’d like to dish, then here’s a great source for you to donate to: Gear4Good.

The Gear4Good program of The Mountain Fund began through inspiration of Osprey Packs and the “Pass on the Passion” program, which started in 2007.

In the U.S., there are dozens of outdoor programs for at-risk youth, which can use packs, sleeping bags, boots and outerwear. Trekking Porter support programs in Nepal, Peru and Tanzania always need good sturdy gear. Search-and-rescue teams in developing countries need the same.

Turn your out-of-date apparel into something good. Send us that green and pink Gore-Tex jacket you wore in the ’80s, along with that screaming yellow Colorado Suit you used to ice climb in. Last year’s hot trail running shoes are much needed by porters, as well as those way out-of-date plastic boots you are still climbing in.

The Mountain Fund will find second homes for your used gear, and if we can’t, we’ll list it on our e-Bay charity auction site and turn it into cash to support all of our programs.

Why Reuse Makes Sense:

(Adapted from Choose to Reuse,by Nikki & David Goldbeck.)

Why Reuse Is Better Than Recycle:

Reuse is often confused with recycling, but they are really quite different. Reuse in the broadest sense means any activity that lengthens the life of an item. Recycling, on the other hand, is the reprocessing of an item into a new raw material for use in a new product — for example grinding the tire and incorporating it into a road-surfacing compound. Reuse is nothing new. What is new is the need to reuse.

A Simple Solution…

Reuse is accomplished through many different methods: purchasing durable goods, buying and selling in the used marketplace, borrowing, renting, subscribing to business waste exchanges and making or receiving charitable transfers. It is also achieved by attending to maintenance and repair, as well as by designing in relation to reuse. This may mean developing products that are reusable, long-lived, capable of being remanufactured or creatively refashioning used items.

Why is reuse so important? Because at the same time that it confronts the challenges of waste reduction, reuse also sustains a comfortable quality of life and supports a productive economy. With few exceptions reuse accomplishes these goals more effectively than recycling, and it does so in the following ways:

• Reuse keeps goods and materials out of the waste stream • Reuse advances source reduction • Reuse preserves the “embodied energy” that was originally used to manufacture an item • Reuse reduces the strain on valuable resources, such as fuel, forests and water supplies, and helps safeguard wildlife habitats • Reuse creates less air and water pollution than making a new item or recycling • Reuse results in less hazardous waste • Reuse saves money in purchases and disposal costs • Reuse generates new business and employment opportunities for both small entrepreneurs and large enterprises • Reuse creates an affordable supply of goods that are often of excellent quality.

Unique to reuse is that it also brings resources to individuals and organizations that might otherwise be unable to acquire them.

To view Gear4Good in action and/or to see their list of needs, please visit www.mountainfund.org and click the left sidebar for Gear4Good.

Thank you and have a great new year! Jenn Spradlin, The Mountain Fund

Related Links: www.osprey.com

Helping the environment with “eco-friendly lunch boxes”

Learn how a caterer made the switch to compostable packaging on ethipedia.net

Summary: 

Founded in 2001, Avec Plaisirs is a corporate catering company with over 60 employees that delivers business meals throughout the greater Montréal area. The company is affiliated with La Maison Traiteurs, a food services business group whose members include Agnus Dei Inc., a special events caterer, and Origine Bistro.

Thanks to owner David Carrier’s concern for environmental issues, Avec Plaisirs has introduced a number of measures to reduce the company’s environmental footprint and do more for the community. One of these measures, launched in 2008, is the “Ecofriendly Lunch Box”, which is made from 100% recycled cardboard and vegetable dyes. Not only is the box itself recyclable, but all utensils and food containers (the latter made from corn starch) can be composted.

The Ecofriendly Lunch box is based on the principles of “eco-design”, whereby the life-cycle of all the box’s components are taken into account: choice of materials, method of manufacture, transport, lifespan, waste disposal, etc. As mentioned above, the lunch box consists of biodegradable containers, dishware and cutlery; furthermore, contrary to most disposable and compostable packaging, the containers furnished by Avec Plaisirs are more solid and last longer. The company also offers biodegradable bags in which to dispose of the box, containers and utensils after the meal is finished.
Hoping to cut down on garbage and avoid wasting food, Avec Plaisirs tries to determine exactly how much food its customers require. In terms of nutrition, the company’s lunch box is aimed at providing healthy and balanced meals. Overall, sustainability is a primary concern for the company, and the lunch box has been designed with the following criteria in mind:
-Social sustainability: high-quality food = better health;
-Environmental sustainability: minimizing the lunch box’s environmental footprint and any waste produced;
-Economic sustainability: the product will help the company move into new markets.

Implementation: 

After months of research and development, Avec Plaisirs was at last able to get its Ecofriendly Lunch Box off the ground. Doing so was difficult, but the company’s employees are proud to have overcome this challenge; if anything, working to make the lunch box a reality has brought them closer together.
When the company decided to move ahead with the project, it hired Pierre Morency of Nova Envirocom, a firm that specializes in environmental programs and waste management.
Avec Plaisirs also worked closely with renowned nutritional expert Isabelle Huot; this partnership has enabled the company to offer a menu full of nutritious and seasonal dishes all year long.

In undertaking its lunch box project, Avec Plaisirs decided to take a gradual approach, without cutting any corners. Carrier speaks of a philosophy that consists of “moving quickly at our own pace”, meaning that environmental initiatives are undertaken in keeping with the company’s rhythm and objectives.

By doing so, Avec Plaisirs has ensured that environmental concerns are integrated into the economic equation. In fact, it is with this philosophy in mind that all of its sustainability initiatives are implemented. Carrier and his team first check to see if a project is feasible and whether it will be beneficial to the environment and society. They also try to determine what returns the company will see on its investment (e.g., costs, employee involvement, improved brand visibility, etc.).

Challenges and Solutions: 

During a presentation to the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montréal on June 12, 2009, Carrier highlighted the importance of having sufficient “room for error” when implementing sustainable development initiatives. By this he means that a company planning to introduce a sustainable practice has to develop an organisational structure or corporate culture that allows for flexibility. Given that such practices are often innovative and the first of their kind, it is only through trial and error that a high-value and viable product or service can be developed. This is often easier to do for a company the size of Avec Plaisirs than it is for large corporations or government bodies.

However, this process has not always gone smoothly for Avec Plaisirs, and maintaining “room for error” has been crucial. For example, Carrier says the company at one point failed to meet one of the organic decomposition criteria for a certain certification it was seeking, and was therefore forced to begin all over again. He says it was important for him to obtain sufficient certification to ensure that the project was legitimate. It is likely that this episode was rather costly for the company.

In terms of production expenses, some items (such as utensils) cost approximately the same as those made of plastic or styrofoam, but others may be 10-15% more expensive. Everything depends on the volume ordered. The company says that it did not think customers would be willing to pay more, but it believed that the product would be sufficiently appealing to attract new customers.

Social and Environmental Benefits: 

Avec Plaisirs claims that its practice will prevent tens of thousands of plastic containers being thrown away over the next few years. However, we could find no figures to back up this claim, aside from the publicly available information provided by the company.

Results: 

The lunch box project has created a strong sense of belonging amongst the employees at Avec Plaisirs. The initiative has also bolstered its reputation and that of its sister companies. Customers appreciate being able to purchase a product with a low environmental footprint. Avec Plaisirs says in a press release that this initiative has even become one of its trademark products. The company has also become more prominent in Québec’s environmental community, which will no doubt lead to increased business.

Other Examples: 

It seems that the practice’s component of rigorous life-cycle analysis has not been adopted by other businesses, which will thus allow Avec Plaisirs to position itself in Québec as a true leader in terms of sustainable growth. Other lunch box products on the market are often worthwhile with regard to the products they contain, but not necessarily in terms of packaging or manufacturing.

Other companies in Québec’s food and beverage industry that provide catering services, such as Capital Traiteur (Montréal) and Traiteur Fine Bouche (Estrie), now offer compostable dishware.

Java Green Organic Eco-Café, based in Washington, D.C., offers an “Eco Lunch Box Meal”.

In Vancouver, Savoury City Catering offers a range of services that are environmentally-friendly. The company supplies ceramic serving dishes, wicker baskets and utensils made of birch, the latter of which will biodegrade within 45 to 60 days. The same is true for the utensils provided by Avec Plaisirs, but they are not made of wood, which is more solid and appears to be of better quality than standard plastic cutlery.

Savoury City Catering is a member of Vancouver’s Green Table Network, an association of restaurant professionals working together with food producers to develop practical and concrete environmental strategies.

In response to growing demand from consumers, many caterers are now becoming socially responsible. One example is Buffet Insère-Jeunes Montréal, a catering company and bakery that also provides social and professional reintegration services. A member of the Collectif des Entreprises d’Insertion du Québec (CEIQ), Buffet Insère-Jeunes also offers a lunch box product. Another such company is Cuisine Collective Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, also based in Montréal.