They’re becoming common, everyday words — reclaim, reuse, recycle and go green — and they’re all aimed at encouraging citizens, businesses and communities across the country to take an active part in protecting the environment.
What about Ardmore? Are people responding? More importantly, are local community and businesses leaders doing their part and encouraging others to follow their lead? A cross section of interviews shows the answer is yes.
City Manager Dan Parrott said a programmable thermostat and finding ways to recycle plastic bags are two of the ways he and his wife are tackling the issue at home. Parrott said being a smart shopper is also a way to go green. Smart shopping eliminates excess packaging that would otherwise be headed for the landfill.
“We always buy loose vegetables and fruits, rather than those that are prepackaged,” he said.
According to Parrott, the City of Ardmore is also doing its part.
“We are recycling cans. We are also installing ‘smart’ light switches in offices that turn off the lights if no motion is detected, which means we’re not using electricity in empty offices,” he said. “We’ve also replaced all light bulbs in City Hall with energy-efficient ones.”
Carter County Sheriff Ken Grace said water is a vital resource and he is working to do his part to conserve it by mowing his lawn without the grass-clipping bag attached to his mower.
“Grass clippings left on the lawn help retain moisture in the ground by retarding evaporation,” Grace said. “An added bonus is the grass clippings are a natural soil enhancer.”
On the job, Grace said he has implemented several conservation policies.
“We’ve turned up the air conditioning thermostat two degrees in the office and in the jail. That doesn’t sound like a lot, but it makes a big difference in the amount of energy used,” he said. “We also have extended the mileage between oil changes on our cars by 1,000 miles, and deputies now turn off their engines while out on calls.”
Maj. Rickey D. Lawrence, Ardmore Police Department, is also a father and he said he thinks the surge to go green should be a family affair.
“I think it’s important that children, as well as adults, start learning to take responsibility for our environment. It’s never too early or too late to start,” Lawrence said. “And even the little things can add up to a big difference, like turning off the water while brushing your teeth.”
Maria Wilkinson of Maria’s Garden points to the new recycling center sponsored by Michelin of North America, located at 2001 12th Ave. NW, as a prime example of how Ardmore residents are embracing the reclaiming, recycling, reusing and going green idea. She said the center has become so popular, bins are now being emptied twice a week.
“I personally use it every seven to 10 days. It is clean, well lighted and convenient. In fact, I’ve been so happy about it I sent Dave Brenner (Michelin) flowers,” she said.
And Wilkinson isn’t the only business owner excited about the prospect of recycling centers in Ardmore. Tim Longest, who is part of the efforts to rehab downtown buildings on or near East Main Street, said he’s offering a portion of the parking lot behind his project at “the old Daube building” as a site for a downtown recycling center. Longest said he came up with the idea after tenants who moved into the loft apartments he created in what was the “Studebaker” building told him they were interested in recycling.
“Logistically, big recycling bins would be a problem in the halls. But we can sure do it in the parking lot and a recycling center would be great for the entire area,” he said.
Longest said he’s also going green in the renovations of his downtown buildings.
“We reuse things that were part of the buildings originally, like metal ceiling tiles and other building materials, in our rehab projects,” he said.
Cardboard can be a big problem for retailers, but Wilkinson said there is a “go green” answer.
“I flatten the boxes my merchandise comes in and store it in a closet. The next time a supplier delivers to my store, they take back their previous boxes for reuse,” she said. “I also recycle packing peanuts through the local UPS stores.”
Additionally, Wilkinson said once the creative juices started flowing, she found several other ways to reclaim, recycle and reuse cardboard boxes.
“I have some merchandise that comes packed in boxes specifically fitted with Styrofoam that prevents breakage. I’ve found I can reuse those boxes by turning them into delivery cartons for flower deliveries,” she said.
Pam Plesher of Main Street Coffee has an abundance of coffee grounds and she has found plenty of ways to reuse the brew discards. Plesher said a quick surf of the Web yields coffee grounds ideas everyone can use. (See story below) Plesher said not only are the ideas great for the environment, the unexpected uses add fun to everyday chores.
Reclaim, Recycle, Reuse ... Simple, creative ideas to use at home
Maria Wilkinson and Pam Plesher offer the following go-green ideas for around the house.
n Newspapers are a great weed and grass barrier. Layer areas like flower beds, where grass and weed barriers are needed, with several sheets of newspaper, saturate with water and then disguise the newspaper with a thin layer of mulch.
n Bedding plant plastic six-packs and 4-inch pots make great drainage alternatives for planters. Turn the pots upside down in the bottom of the planter, add potting soil and plant.
n Packing peanuts can also be used as a lightweight alternative to other drainage mediums. But Wilkinson warns, “stay out of the wind” when pouring layers of peanuts into a pot or attempting to re-pot.
n Discarded objects like birdcages, children’s toys, gardening tools, boxes, even old boots can become instant landscape art and plant containers.
n Coffee grounds can be used to deodorize refrigerators, closets and even hands. Fill an old margarine tub with grounds, punch holes in the plastic lid and secure it on the tub. Set the tub inside the refrigerator. Dry grounds and pour into sections of discarded pantyhose, tie ends closed and place in closets. Use coffee grounds as a scrub to remove odors and soften hands.
n Steep grounds, dip cotton swab into the liquid and use it to touch up furniture scratches.
n Ants will not cross coffee grounds. In the yard, ring anthills with grounds and the ants will abandon them
n Fabric and paper can be given an aged appearance with the liquid from steeped coffee grounds.
n Use coffee grounds to scour greasy pots and pans.
n Coffee grounds can be used as a skin-exfoliating scrub.
Marsha Miller 221-6529
marsha.miller@ardmoreite.com
