Brummet's Conscious Blog

The Real Cost of Technology and  Why You Should Recycle Responsibly  * Submitted by Zack Gallinger of  Revolution  (a company within the Shift portfolio)- a recycler based in  Toronto  and  Ottawa  that specializes in safe and environmentally-friendly disposal of old electronics, secure data destruction and IT asset disposition services. Check out the hyperlinks throughout the article, taking you to several articles on the issues presented here; also be sure to view the resources at the end of this post.  Before you buy your next electronic gadget, here’s something to think about that goes beyond the features on your wish list or where you’ll find that gadget for the lowest price. Does the amount you will pay accurately reflect the true cost of that item? If you’re like most people, you’d likely conclude that it does. Here’s why you’d be wrong. Direct and Indirect Costs Setting a price for any product can take into considera...

-- Quote of the Day -- "Optimism is essential to achievement  and it is also the foundation of courage and true progress."  ~ Lloyd Alexander -- Positive Eco-News -- Kudos to Frontier PC , Nitro IT Business Solutions , Tripp Lite , TechnoPlanet , and Telecom Computer - and all the amazing volunteers!  Because of their efforts, several “ My Green IT Day ” events were held across Canada throughout April this year where over 4 tons of e-waste were collected and then recycled. E-waste is a growing concern with the constant upgrades, more efficient equipment and ton of hand held devices now available that are replacing old electronic equipment. In fact studies show that there are about 50 million tons of e-waste discarded on this planet every single year. This consumes a huge amount of space in the landfill and releases all kinds of toxic materials into the environment if they not recycled responsibly. Many electronic items, such as rechargeable toothbrushes, ...

-- Chatter -- Well, it is that time again - the doors to the office will be closed today, and will remain closed until Sunday. As many of you are already aware, Dave and I take 3-4 days off from the office every month - we do this for our own sanity. You see, a home office never goes away - it is there 24/7 and emails roll in every minute of the day. So for our own sanity and peace of mind, we have made a pact to each other to take this time away every month. I'll be sharing a lot of information today, in hopes that it will be enough content to satisfy our readers while we take this time away from the office :)   You'll find our site changes - www.brummet.ca - are nearly completed; we'll be able to do the final touch ups, affiliate info and a few new pages, and more in a few days... having it completely revamped and finished by Sept 1st, as promised. In the meantime, do scroll through the site to see what we've done with it so far. Check out Dave's Portfolio p...

-- Quote of the Day -- “Green burial is when a person is buried in a biodegradable container, or nothing at all, and being returned to earth’s soil. …Being buried without metals, plastics, chemicals or concrete …without toxic glues and varnishes. The main way people choose to do this is through an earth friendly casket crafted out of wood, or bamboo, banana leaves or willow.” ~ Feb 4th – Elizabeth Fournier Check out the interview, where this quote came from, by clicking on the show title: Green Funerals , which aired on Conscious Discussions Talk Radio back on Feb 4th, 2010. -- Curbing Rising Temperatures -- If we as humans want to have a fair chance at curbing the current trend of rising temperatures across the globe we must reduce our emissions by 80%. Buildings are responsible for 40% of global energy consumption, yet building efficiency can be improved by 80% with cost-effective energy savings improvements, such as new insulation. The Canadian province – Ontario has been recognize...

-- Quote of the Day -- " You can't wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club ." ~ Jack London -- E-Waste -- What to do with the electronic waste? This is a common question - and I've decided to share an article today on the subject that I received from Associated Press: A first-in-the-nation law went into effect recently in Maine, requiring makers of televisions and computer monitors to pick up the tab to recycle and safely dispose of their products once they are discarded. Under the law, which mirrors the approach taken in Europe and Japan, manufacturers must shoulder the cost of sending electronics to recycling centers where toxic materials such as lead and mercury are removed. " It's time to bring them out of the attics, out of the garages, out of the closets, out of the basements ," said Jon Hinck of the Natural Resources Council of Maine, which lobbied for the new law. The Maine recycling law is the first to bill manufacturers ...

-- Conscious Living Events -- Event : COG Conference - Your Food, Your Choice: Grounds for Change Date : Feb. 20, 2010 Location : University of Toronto Conference Centre - 89 Chestnut St. Toronto (ON, Canada) Event : Vermicomposting Presentation @ Richters Herbs Date : Feb. 21, 2010 Location : 357 Highway 47, Goodwood, ON (Canada) Event : Zero In On Zero Waste - Don't Let Your Bottom Line Go To Waste (business conference) Date : Wednesday, February 24, 2010 8:30 am - 4:30 pm Location : Marina Village, San Diego (CA, USA) Info@: www.earthresource.org -- Did You Know ?? -- By volume, polystyrene foam (a.k.a Packaging Peanuts or Styrofoam) is the largest contributor to landfills. Find Dave & Lillian Brummet, excerpts from their books, information about their radio shows & free resources & articles at www.brummet.ca

-- Quote of the Day -- "You have been criticizing yourself for years, and it hasn't worked. Try approving of yourself and see what happens." ~ Louise L. Hay -- Interview ! -- Roxie Hill, host of BTR's Cheap-Cheetah radio show interviews Lillian re: Trash Talk: www.blogtalkradio.com/CHEAP-CHEETAH Learn how to see items in your waste and recycling bin as resources! -- Chatter -- The highlight of yesterday was the beautiful fireworks display that awed us last night. It was so impressive for our little city to have put on. Each year on Halloween evening the city has a traditional bon fire and firework display. We, and many of our neighbors, are able to watch it from our homes. In fact, several neighbors end up getting visitors because of this! lol - a cozy warm house to watch the activities from. Yesterday afternoon Dave took me and the dogs up to a wonderful trail he discovered along one of the rivers. Absolutely gorgeous! We found several lovely places to visit in th...

-- Conscious Discussions Talk Radio -- Today's featured guest is Stan Goldberg who has a vast amount of volunteer experiences working with those who are dying and he is here today to share with us how he has learned to live more fully by working in this venue. Stan is the author of 6 published books including: Lesson for the Living - a compassionate and inspiring memoir of this journey. Professionally, he is a Professor Emeritus of Communicative Disorders at San Francisco State University with a Ph.D. in Speech Pathology, a Masters in Political Theory, and a Bachelors in Philosophy. For over 25 years he taught, provided therapy, researched, and published in the area of learning problems and change. Dr. Goldberg has written numerous articles and delivered over 100 lectures and workshops throughout the United States, Latin America and Asia. In 2009 he was named by the Hospice Volunteer Association as Volunteer of the Year. Join us for this valuable, informative and touching discuss...

-- Quote of the Day -- “ A small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of history .” ~ Mahatma Gandhi -- Conscious Discussions Talk Radio -- Today’s featured guest, Joseph Malki, is the co-founder and partner of Seven-Star, Inc – www.sevenstarevents.com - located in Asheville, North Carolina (USA). Seven Star Events is a global leader in greening the entertainment industry and has recently been honored with the EPA Waste Wise Award – no small feat, to be sure. Joseph and I had a wonderful discussion about how to the organization is run, the work they do and so much more. We discussed: Greencitiesmedia.com, GlobalExchange.com, Green Festivals, Green America, Coop America, SustainableWaves.com, Mother Earth News, Better World Telecom,...World Wildlife Federation ... and others. Learn how willing volunteers are to participate in green events, how to market the green event and educate the patrons. Discover alternative produ...

-- Quote of the Day -- A perfectionist is someone unable to enjoy music by Tchaikovsky without being able to spell his name. - unknown -- Growing Green Kids! -- The Internet is a wonderful place and a powerful tool for today’s society to teach children about the environment. Please feel free to check out the recommended sites for teachers, parents or caregivers of today’s youth. http://www.earth2kids.org http://www.earthforce.org http://www.nrcanrncan.gc.ca/kids http://www.edugreen.teri.res.in http://www.planetpals.com http://www.nwf.org/kids http://www..nwf.org/earthsavers http://www.epa.gov/kids http://www.greenscreen.org http://www.kidlink.org http://www.kidsforsavingearth.org http://www.epa.gov/recyclecity http://www.inspectorgreen.com http://epa.gov/epaoswer/education/index.htm http://epa.gov/epaoswer/osw/k00-001.pdf http://www.wattsnew.com http://epa.gov/globalwarming/kids/index.htm http://www.howstuffworks.com/landfill – an educational site on how landfills operate. In schoo...

-- Positive Eco-News -- According to Recycling Product News magazine; spring 2009 issue, a recent study showed that discarded electronic circuit boards can be processed into an asphalt modifier that makes high-performance paving material that is cheaper, more durable and more eco-friendly. Circuit boards do contain toxic metals such as lead and mercury but today’s recycling industry can easily separate these from the valuable glass fibers, plastic resins and other components. -- Conscious Living Tips -- Occasionally here on the blog I offer tips like these to help inspire our readers & help them realize just how easy it is to make a difference. Our book, Trash Talk, is loaded with tips & information on reuse, recycling, reducing, refusing & gardening, among other things.... see the link for this book on the right side of this blog - by purchasing your own copy at Barnes & Nobles or your favorite book supplier, you are helping me keep this blog, our newsletter & two ...