Recycling - Reusing Waste Wood

-- Quote of the Day --

“…Breaking a bad habit [involves] having a substitute. …See, the mind is a funny thing – if you all of a sudden tell your mind ‘no you can’t have this’ I believe that you will crave it even more. …I believe [chemicals] do very funny things to t he body. …If you take a person [who has been weaned] of diet soda, within a 2-3 weeks they will notice that their mind is clearer and they will notice! 

…It’s a matter of deciding that you are going to consume, because what you consume will affect your day.” 

~ Vicki DeRosa 

Today's quote originates from the Life Beyond Sight episode of the Conscious Discussions Talk Radio show that aired back on June 2 this year with Vicki DeRosa. 

*Check it out the full interview via the hyper-linked episode title above.

-- Positive Eco-News --

I just learned through the Recycling Product Newsletter that it looks like the approval has gone through the hoops and passed all the tests… Construction and demolition (C&D) wood - the stuff generated as waste from building sites, and the stuff taken from demolition projects - can now be used as a valuable biomass fuel. In fact it is more valuable than one might first think because it is already kiln dried and therefore has a higher BTU than other fuel sources. Now all those 2 by 4 ends can have a new life!

It can be surprising to find that when a building is deconstructed all kinds of reusable wood materials are generated, in fact it's about 30% of the waste from an old building... and at least 30% of the waste from a construction site is reusable wood.  After doing some research on this I thought it was quite interesting to learn from the cdrecycling.org site that there are 325 million tons of recoverable C&D waste sent to US landfills every year. Imagine what those numbers might be on a global scale!  So something like this can be really important in striving toward a sustainable society. When it comes to disaster relief, perhaps this technology may come in handy for dealing with the mass amounts of waste left from tsunami’s for instance. 

Some small scale efforts have been made by entrepreneurs who have found a way to create products from unwanted wood.  I've seen everything from smaller crafts such as birdhouses and garden signs, to house numbers and small toys made from "waste" wood. Some people have found ways to blend usable wood together to make tables and other furniture. One local family sells drift wood outdoor furniture, that is stained, sanded and sometimes varnished and they look incredible. Several friends of ours have had wood stoves and so they used to go to the local factories to gain access to their free wood waste, and use it to heat their homes. I'm actually quite surprised that campgrounds and RV resorts haven't accessed local suppliers for campfire fuel. Sure, burning isn't always a great answer, but rather than cutting down living trees and curing them for a campfire, why not use something that is headed for the landfill instead? Or better yet, make items that you can sell via a local retailer or craft market (flea market, farmers market, etc) - making some extra cash for your family or favorite charity of choice. What a great project for youth groups or seniors groups, don't you think?

Find Dave and Lillian Brummet, excerpts from their books, information about their radio program, newsletter, blog, and more at: www.brummet.ca * Support the Brummets by telling your friends, or visiting the Brummet's Store - every sale raises funds for charity as well!