recycling
Go Box - And you thought there were no careers left in trash
of waste prevention is to reduce first, reuse next and last, but not least,
to recycle. This has been the industry mantra for years. When it comes to the
Portland food cart scene there aren't many options to reduce. The nature of the
business prevents reduction -- your food is sold in a to-go container after all.
As this article explains, one Portlander is starting her own business, Go Box, tackling
the reuse portion of the heirachy. If successful, this will cut tens of
thousands of pounds helplessly headed to the landfill. I know what you're
thinking -- what about all those biodegradable and compostable containers?
Unless you are set up for commercial scale composting at home (which you
aren't), those to-go containers are trash.
remains to be proven, but where there's trash there's still a living to be made.
GreenRenter's new partner - EcoFuse
As a founder of GreenRenter and an all-around sustainability enthusiast, I'm always searching the web for interesting sites. I found EcoFuse on Facebook, of all places.
EcoFuse is a relatively new website founded by a husband and wife team that, in their words, "wanted to do 'more' than
just recycle and conserve." EcoFuse provides users links to current enviro news, helpful partner sites (like GreenRenter!), and simple tips to reducing waste and carbon emissions in our own daily lives. And, in a nod to the supreme excellence of the Pacific Northwest, the founders recently relocated to the great state of Washington!
Last time I checked the site the tip-o-the-day was about reducing junk mail. And who doesn't want to do that?
Start-up challenges
When I asked EcoFuse founder Nick about the biggest challenge he and his wife faced in founding the site, he answered with what might be the most common problem plaguing all of us start-ups: "attracting and retaining users."
He offered some great tips to winning the competition for eyeballs:
- Keep your message consistent
- Fight spam in order to provide users the content they want
- Give everyone a voice
But what can I do now?
Given that EcoFuse aims to help all of us make small but important changes in our lives, I asked Nick what he wishes each of his viewers would do tomorrow that we didn't do today. It's an easy one folks:
"Recycle!!! It's SO easy and important! Gosh, if everyone did it, can you imagine the possibilities?"
Portland renters guaranteed the right to recycle
The Oregonian reports on the law which requires that recycling be provided to all multifamily residents. GreenRenter is mentioned as a resource.
