How do I even begin to list the ways we’re going miss departing Board member Betty Patton? Ever since I joined the RA Board 14 years ago, Betty has been a steadfast and inspiring presence. It is not a stretch to call her the heart of Recycling Advocates, and how do you survive without your heart?
When I joined the Board of Directors in 2004, Betty was just returning for her second term of service on the Board. She’d previously been involved in some of the early efforts of the organization before stepping away for a number of years to focus on her career. But the lure of Recycling Advocates’ important work proved too strong and she dove back in with gusto!
Betty did some amazing work in her time on the Board, including multiple stints as the President. I was proud to have been on the Board with her when the Legislature passed the major expansion of the Bottle Bill in 2007. Betty had a major hand in our work on that campaign, as well as on our efforts to pass the plastic bag ban in Portland in 2011. She also served on more advisory councils and taskforces than I can count, putting her encyclopedic knowledge of solid waste and recycling issues to good use.
And no offense to my fellow Board members, but no one could host a Board meeting or volunteer get-together like Betty Patton!
I joined RA within 3 weeks of moving to Oregon. Jeanne Roy reeled me in and I stayed. There were always opportunities to get involved in campaigns that really made a difference and I loved it.
I got to head up the campaign to ban PVC as a packaging material for consumer goods. That was my first success, so that fueled my desire to keep at it. I facilitated home eco audits. Those were discussions among about a dozen or fewer friends and neighbors on waste prevention in the home.
I got to help put together some of the informational material for early Master Recycler classes and got to see graduates get heavily involved in their neighborhoods. I worked on an early Bottle Bill expansion ballot measure, but that one didn’t pass. The next attempt at expansion was in the legislature and thanks to the hard work of Katy Daily, a former RA board member, was successful.
As we wrap up 2018, I'm excited to continue promoting #BYOC with coffee shops. We are seeing some great initiatives with our coffee shop partners, such as the mason jar exchange program at Nectar Cafe, free coffee punch card after bringing your reusable cup 10 times at Motivasi, and charging customers 25 cents for to-go cups at Nossa Familia.
But we also need your help to continue to share the following key points with your friends, family and co-workers:
Paper coffee cups are not recyclable, put them in the trash
All coffee shops accept reusable coffee mugs, and many offer discounts for using them.
Many coffee shops offer 'for here' cups, but you'll need to ask them
If you have a coffee shop you'd like us to connect with, or would like to help us work with coffee shops or table at events (including wearing the coffee cup costume), let us know!
We're always happy to hear from you, at info@recyclingadvocates.org or 503-777-0909.
Environment Oregon just launched a Kickstarter campaign to get their new children's book "Myrtle the Turtle" published.
"Myrtle the Turtle" was written by Celeste Meiffren-Swango, State Director with Environment Oregon. It educates kids - and their grown ups - about plastic pollution in the ocean and what they can do to help.
Visit Myrtle's Kickstarter page to make a contribution to help them hit their fundraising goal of $10,000. That'll get the book printed and shipped, plus 100 copies donated to kids at environmental education events across Oregon.
Newport's new BottleDrop center was a bustling scene last Thursday, with Representative David Gomberg on hand for the official opening, and students and teachers from the local elementary school visiting for a behind-the-scenes tour.
Join us at PlanetCon in Hillsboro on January 12th 2019 for an amazing recycling, swap and repair event, brought to you by Westside Master Recyclers. It's a great opportunity to recycle hard-to-recycle items, including:
String lights
Household batteries
Electronics / Small appliances
Plastic bags and film (stretchy)
Polystyrene (Styrofoam®, #6 plastics)
Plastic caps, lids and containers labeled 2, 4, 5 and 6
Here are some ways to contribute to Recycling Advocates that won't cost you a penny. Fred Meyer Community Rewards: shop with your Fred Meyer Rewards Card, continue to earn your rewards points, fuel points and rebates, and Fred Meyer will donate to Recycling Advocates! Sign up here, and select Recycling Advocates, nonprofit number 90398. Amazon Smile: Amazon donates .5% of the price of your eligible purchases to RA whenever you shop at smile.amazon.com. You'll see all your usual account settings and exactly the same products and pricing as at amazon.com. Learn more and sign up here. GoodSearch & GoodShop: Support RA and save money at Goodsearch.com and Goodshop.com. Find store coupons, coupon codes, discounts, deals and promo codes. Join here and select Recycling Advocates.
