news

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Better Transit for Helena, Support Citizen Initiative for Ballot

S.A.V.E. has joined a long list of advocacy groups and individuals in support of a Transportation District for the greater Helena area. The formation of the District will improve bus service in Helena, giving citizens better input. The district will help to create better options for individuals to get to work, reduce infrastructure costs, and provide increased health care and more mobility for our senior citizens and those with special needs.

If this measure passes, the buses will be controlled by a board similar to the library, airport, or school board so citizens can take charge. The District could not raise any taxes without another public vote by all citizens within the district.

If 6,000 signatures can be gathered, the decision will be put to the vote in November. Petitions will be available at this month’s plastics drive.

"Helena area needs better bus service" By Deanna Ziesman and Sheree Isola

"Transit district may go up for vote" By Larry Kline

State Recycling Policy

The public comment period for State Recycling Policy ends on July 2.
An interim committee of the Legislature known as the Environmental Quality Council (EQC) is looking at ways to boost recycling as a proposal brought forth by Senate Joint Resolution supported by S.A.V.E. during the 2009 legislature. The committee’s draft report is available for public viewing at http://leg.mt.gov/content/committees/interim/2009_2010/environmental_quality_council/staff_reports/2010-recycling-public-comment.pdf.
According to a DEQ study in 2004, recycling provided more than $90 million in economic activity with $9 million in wages.
Email your comments on the report or your support of recycling to snowakowski@mt.gov (please put recycling in the subject line).
You can submit your comments in support of state action to foster the environmental and economic benefits of recycling

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Friday, June 25, 2010

Spotlight on Rossiter Elementary

A Closer Look at Rossiter Elementary

By Jen Cullin

Rossiter Elementary is fairly new to a school-wide recycling program. The recycling program, which was started by Speech Language Pathologist Molly Smart, became a part of the S.A.V.E. business recycling route in the fall of 2009. Since then, S.A.V.E. and Rossiter Elementary have continued to work together.

Recycling bins are located throughout the school in classrooms, offices, and the kitchen. The duty of picking up recycling is a school job, which students can apply for. Students collect recycling from all of the classrooms then bring the materials to a centralized recycling area in the school. This type of system is not only beneficial to the school since they do not have to pay someone to do the extra work, but also beneficial to the students, as it gives them responsibility and job experience while preparing them for a lifetime of recycling.

S.A.V.E. and Rossiter continued to work together in the fall when I was able to teach a recycling lesson to Mrs. Estep’s 2nd grade class and Mrs. Murphy’s 4th grade class. We talked about what it means to reduce, reuse, and recycle and even had a recycling relay. Students were tested on whether things could be reused, recycled, or had to be thrown away. This activity is extremely entertaining; it is amazing what uses kids will come up with for something that an adult would say to throw away.

This spring I was then asked to be one of the teachers for Rossiter’s Kids College program. The class was titled “Save the Planet” and occurred once a week for three weeks. During the first week we talked about the three Rs of recycling. The second week we learned about litter and how it can be bad for the environment, and then we picked up litter on the school grounds. The kids were amazed to see what kinds of garbage they found around their school! On the final week we played “Save the Planet Jeopardy” as a recap of the things we covered in the previous weeks.

According to Molly Smart, “We have greatly increased the awareness about our environment and how recycling affects our world with help from S.A.V.E. The students are excited about it, they enjoy participating, and it has prompted them to ask teachers and parents what they can do to make a difference.“

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Recycling India's e-waste brings jobs to poor -- and health & environmental fears

Check out the following article on E-waste from the Washington Post:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/11/AR2010061106103.html?referrer=emailarticle

The conditions of the overseas recycling operations described in this article underscore the importance of safe and responsible electronics recycling. Stories like this are not uncommon, which is why we here at S.A.V.E. ensure that the e-waste that we collect for recycling is done with every precaution taken to protect workers and the environment. We work with Tatooine Electronics, out of Billings, MT and Cheyenne, WY each fall to provide an opportunity for electronics recycling in Helena. Their website gives a detailed descriptions about what happens to your electronics when you recycle with Tatooine.

Check out S.A.V.E.'s electronic waste resources here.

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Friday, June 11, 2010

Reusable bags help the Earth and save you money!

One easy way to decrease the amount of waste you produce is to use reusable shopping bags when going to the grocery store, farmer’s market, or even the mall! For some people getting in the habit of using a reusable bag takes some getting used to. Try to leave some in your car or purse at all times, that way you will always have one with you and ready to go. Below is a list of Helena stores that provide incentives for using reusable grocery bags.

Grocery Stores:

Real Foods (1096 Helena Ave) – You receive $0.10 for each bag you use, which they encourage you to donate to Montana Food Share. If you purchase a Real Foods bag and use that for your shopping trips, you will receive 1% off your entire purchase.

Safeway (611 N Montana Ave) – Every time you use a reusable shopping bag you will receive a coupon for 10% off any Bright Green product.

Van’s Thriftway (306 Euclid Ave) – You receive $0.05 for each bag you use, which can be donated to Montana Food Share.

Pharmacies:

CVS (526 Euclid and 603 N Montana Ave) – If you purchase a Green Bag Tag for $0.99 and place it on your bag, you will receive $1 CVS Extra Buck on every 4th visit. You must present the Green Bag Tag and your CVS Extra Care Card each time you use the bag to receive the rewards.

Other Stores:

Target (3303 N Montana Ave) – Every time you use a reusable bag you will receive a $0.05 coupon for use in the store.

If there are other stores that you know provide reusable bag incentives, let us know!