Who:
Anne Woiwode
Michigan Sierra Club state director
Where:
Lansing, MI
Two years ago, my husband Tom and I added a green addition to our house in Okemos, Michigan -- super-insulated, orientation to maximize solar gain and minimize cold north winds, wood flooring that is FSC certified, recycled tiles on the kitchen counter, no-VOC paints, and best of all a "green roof" with 13 kinds of sedum that both cleans the stormwater and keeps the house wonderfully cool on hot summer days.
But after a couple of years the new garage was getting FULL of stuff. On August 6th, I tackled cleaning out the garage, including trying to find a home for the large amount of materials to be recycled that are hard to find someone to take. I failed at that last task -- my picture shows our dog Fenwick and me and the eight bags full of boxboard in the back of my car that failed to find a new home when the one place that takes it in the Lansing area was inexplicably closed.
The fluorescent bulbs, green glass bottles, and plastic shopping bags didn't even make it into the car, since none of those places were open. But just this week I spoke with our township manager (I serve on our Township Board as a trustee) and learned that we are moving ahead with exploring better, easier recycling options for our community. And for now, the clean garage is a good place to store the recyclables until we come up with a place to take them!
