Welcome to The LOOP Issue 20 Mar/Apr 2003 A Bimonthly Newsletter for Friends of www.closetheloop.com In this issue: History of Play Get your safety for NOTHIN' and your chips for free Before graduation, give a thought to donation Kids Corner Marketplace: Exceptional Products Propose an Article History of Play Playgrounds started off as sandlots to keep kids off the streets and give them a safe place to play. The first, established in Boston in 1886, came at a time when many states were passing laws to limit the number of hours children could work. By 1905, 35 cities had established public playgrounds. Most early playgrounds had a sand play area and a climbing apparatus at most. Over the next few decades, swing ropes and sliding boards were introduced, along with teeter-totters and climbing ladders. By the 1950s and 1960s, playground equipment had evolved to exercise not only the body, but the mind. This was the era of child-sized space ships and slides in the shape of elephants. During the 1970s and 80s, stand-alone play equipment made way for the structures we see today, where slides, tunnels and other play activities are all connected. That era also brought an added concern for safety that has been the dominant theme of playgrounds ever since. Reprinted with permission by the author - Shawna Vogel. For more information, please visit: www.skinnyonfat.com Get your safety for NOTHIN' and your chips for free Governments and other organizations recognize both the importance of playground safety and the budget constraints that can limit the ability of groups and individuals to make the investments needed for a safe play area. GRANTS and LOANS are available for playground upgrades and with falls to the surface contributing to 79% of the 200,000 playground-related injuries that occur annually, rubber mulch with it's proven track record of safety is a wise investment. Classes on writing an effective grant request are forming now. EFFECTIVE GRANT WRITING FOR NON PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS - NEPA's Pocono Northeast Development Fund (PNDF) will be partnering with Penn State Cooperative Extension to present a grant-writing seminar for non-profit organizations on Tuesday, March 25, 2003. The workshop will address several key issues in preparing for a fund raising event, as well as writing and evaluating grant proposals. WEBLINK: http://www.nepa-alliance.org/HNpndf.htm PROGRAM CONTACT: Shirley Perhalla at 570-655-5581 For other grant sources, visit: http://www.closetheloop.com/grants.html Buying rubber mulch keeping kids safer & helping the environment Before graduation, give a thought to donation For the past five years, the problem of waste on Kutztown University Campus has been somewhat eliminated with a clothing, food, and toiletries drive put on by the Women's Center at Kutztown. Students have a habit of throwing away the things they don't want to take home including usable products like: food, clothing, shoes, toiletries, art supplies, couches, other furniture, appliances, books, and other things. After a realization that all of these things could be used, with the help of the Women's Center, a collection of all of these products is organized before they are thrown away. During the week of Finals, collections in the dorms take place twice a day. A schedule between volunteers is planned where they use their cars to pick up the bags from the dorms. Before all of this happens, stores like Lazy-Boy or Sears are called to donate large boxes to put in the dorms. Products like food, towels, and toiletries usually go to the Reading Berks Emergency Shelter, or Friend Inc., a local agency that targets rural poverty and has a food bank. Other products go to different shelters in the area, the Kensington Welfare Rights Union (www.kwru.org) or Berks Women in Crisis. We have also donated women's business suits to A Perfect Fit in Allentown. If you would like more information on starting such a project on your campus, or helping to volunteer, contact Erica Hesselson email: thislightandsound@hotmail.com Kids Corner Neighborhood by neighborhood, kids can rescue Earth! Marcie the Marvelous Tree inspired third graders in 1987 to launch TREE MUSKETEERS as the nation's first youth environmental organizationa nonprofit charity where kids are boss! While taking action to help the planet, kids teach other kids to become active citizens and community leaders. Neighborhood by neighborhood, kids can rescue Earth! Please visit: http://www.treemusketeers.org For some COOL Kids Recycling Projects, make your own paper, plants from trash, build a worm bin, etc, visit: http://www.futuresolutionsinc.com/Kids/activities.html Check out EEK Environmental Education for Kids! http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/caer/ce/eek/earth/recycle/index.htm Marketplace: Exceptional Products Many of us are seeking to reclaim core values such as relationships, meaningful work, economic security, personal safety, quality education for our children, thriving communities and a healthy planet. The Market is Ready for Socially Responsible Business, visit: http://www.coopamerica.com/business/B44million.htm You can be part of the solution by sparking your imagination & entrepreneurial spirit and think about what we throw away in our society & use it as a raw material for a new use. Close the Loop is always looking for unique, fun & useful new recycled products & ideas! NEW PRODUCT: Rubber Pavers made from recycled tires, durable, easy to install, great for ADA requirements on playgrounds, residential, commercial & equestrian use also. http://www.closetheloop.com/rubberpaver.html For a unique gift, check out our melted wine bottle cheese boards at http://www.closetheloop.com/gft_bottles.html . We can melt down your special bottle or decoupage (or etch) wedding invitations, or a company logo on the bottle, call for details 866.629.8414 Rubber mulch & solid rubber borders: http://www.closetheloop.com/tirechips.html Close the Loop offers an educational "Magic of Recycling" show where we come to your school or organization, and the children participate in putting old things into the box (like tires, newspaper, tin cans, plastic soda bottles, etc) and Abracadabra, out comes beautiful recycled products!! Other items of interest: Project Peace Training Conference: http://www.pabar.org/projectpeacehome.shtml From the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, emergency readiness: http://www.ready.gov 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! _____________________________________________________________ Inspirational Quote: The question is not whether we will die, but how we will live. --Joan Borysenko _____________________________________________________________ Warm wishes from your true green friends - Close the Loop |
