Welcome to Close the Loop's Bi-Monthly Newsletter Issue 16 July/August 2002 A Newsletter for Friends of www.closetheloop.com ------------------------------------------------------------- In this issue: Choosing to Reuse Head Down the Back Road to the Yard Sales Grants for Improving Playground Safety Does Litter Bug You? E-Magazine Marketplace: Exceptional Products Propose an Article ------------------------------------------------------------- Choosing to Reuse www.iReuse.org is the first and only web site dedicated to all aspects of reuse --which is different from, and in many ways better than recycling. According to the web site "reuse is not just about used things" and is unique in that it is both an environmental and charitable activity. At this comprehensive web site, you can search for resources for maintenance, repair, rental, remanufacture, the used marketplace, and donation, as well as reuse advice and information The database is useful to individuals, businesses and organizations. Looking for a place to donate items, rent a wedding gown, find rare parts, investigate business use of reuse - then this searchable database is for you. The website is a project of Reuse Opportunities, Inc, a not-for-profit corporation established by David Goldbeck co-author with Nikki Goldbeck of Choose to Reuse (Ceres Press), available at http://www.healthiestdiet.com/books/choose_reuse.htm www.iReuse.org is under construction so the information is not necessarily up to date. The organization is looking for donations and underwriting to update and expand its database. For more information, please contact David Goldbeck, Editor & Publish CERES PRESS, PO Box 87, Woodstock, NY 12498 or email dgoldbeck@aol.com ------------------------------------------------------------- Head Down the Back Road to the Yard Sales Meet some interesting folks, find some unusual & unique treasures. The Poconos are a great place to come for yard sales & more! Visit www.800poconos.com for things to do in the area, hit the yard sales & pickup rubber mulch for your children's playground, now locally available! We came across a great yard sale website, which gives tips for shoppers & sellers, & free listing of your yard sale - http://www.yardsalesearch.com/tips.shtml ------------------------------------------------------------- Grants for Improving Playground Safety Need to raise money for your playground? There are many unsafe, old and outdated playgrounds that our children are playing on. However, the replacement of playground equipment & surfacing can be a costly enterprise for your organization. Note that through our research we have located grants that are available to help provide funding: Resources: 1) Start your search on any search engine, such as www.google.com and enter in the following: (note, replace Pennsylvania with your state). You will find a wealth of resources. SEARCH: grants + playground + Pennsylvania 2) The National Program for Playground Safety has assembled a list of funding resources at: http://www.uni.edu/playground/resources/funding.html Besides networking with individuals in the community, a great way to find these foundations are to log onto the web. Web sites available to disseminate grant-related information are www.fdncenter.org (Foundation Center) and www.cof.org (Council on Foundations). 3) The DEP has announced the award of $600,000 in grants to 10 Pennsylvania communities committed to waste tire reuse and recycling. The grants, provided through DEP's Community Waste Tire Recreational Grant Program, are awarded on a competitive basis to qualified school districts, municipalities and non-profit organizations in Pennsylvania that are committed to using waste tires or tire-derived material to construct or renovate recreational areas and facilities. It is anticipated that nearly 25,000 waste tires will be recycled as a direct result of the projects funded under this year's program. For more information about the Community Waste Tire Recycling Grant Program, contact Michele Tate at (717) 787-9871, by e-mail at mtate@state.pa.us or visit DEP's website (directLINK "waste tires"). http://www.dep.state.pa.us/update/default.asp?ID=5578 4) The Pennsylvania Green Project bank is an interactive online marketplace where organizations seeking funding for environmental projects can be matched with organizations seeking to fund such projects. http://www.dep.state.pa.us/greenprojectbank/ 5) Gov. Schweiker announces more than $20 million for local parks, recreation and open-space projects. For more information on the grants, call (717) 783-4734, or visit the PA PowerPort at www.state.pa.us, PA Keyword: "grants". 6) PRPS - Pennsylvania Recreation & Park Society has a program call RecTap - Recreation and Parks Technical Assistance Program. For more information, email prps@vicon.net or visit www.prps.org or call (814) 234-4272. 7) Don't know how to write a grant? There are courses available to help out - June 26, 2002 Grant Writing for Municipalities 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Convention Hall Pittston Township, PA Sponsored by: Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors CONTACT: Karen Stancavage/Shirley Perhalla THE NORTHEASTERN PENNSYLVANIA ALLIANCE 1151 Oak Street * Pittston, PA * 18640 * 570.655.5581 * www.nepa-alliance.org ------------------------------------------------------------- Does Litter Bug You? Ever watch helplessly as someone in the car ahead of you tosses trash out the window? Call the Highway Litter Reporting Hotline. Simply take down the vehicle's license plate, description of vehicle, where & when it happened & call 1-888-LITTERBUG. The owner of the car will receive a letter indicating that he/she was caught in the act of littering, accompanied by information on why littering is bad for the environment and a litter bag for the car to discourage future littering. Greenworks Gazette Spring 2002 www.state.pa.us ------------------------------------------------------------- E/The Environmental Magazine E is a "clearinghouse" of information, news, and resources for people concerned about the environment who want to know "What can I do?" to make a difference. E has drawn considerable recognition for its style and content, and has won several awards for editorial excellence. E covers everything environmental, from recycling to rainforests, and from the "personal to the political". E covers "big" issues like Global Warming, the state of our oceans and rivers, and wildlife issues all with contact information so you can plug into activist efforts. Plus, E's Green Living section provides loads of practical ideas for living lightly on the Earth. Subscriptions to E are $20/year for six issues. Call 800-967-6572 or visit www.emagazine.com. ------------------------------------------------------------- Marketplace: Exceptional Products What better way to promote your business & your company's environmental commitment than to have your logo imprinted on tote bags made out of EcoSpun (fabric made from 100% recycled PET) made right here in Pennsylvania, or pencils made of denim & money or pens made out of recycled cardboard. For pricing & more information, please visit http://sites.hsprofessional.com/closetheloop/pro_ecospun.html Your purchases have helped support our volunteer efforts to bring the "magic of recycling" show to more than a thousand students throughout our region. thank you! Please check out over 100 recycled & environmentally friendly products at www.closetheloop.com ------------------------------------------------------------- Propose an article If you have an informative article that you would like us to feature in an upcoming newsletter, please email your article to closetheloop@msn.com . If we use your article, a link to your web site will be featured as well. As always, we are interested in any comments or feedback and would love to hear from you! Please support our sponsors, they help make this newsletter possible. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Quote of the day - The greatest use of life is to spend it for something that will outlast it. - William James -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -- Close the Loop |
