Tuesday, August 06, 2013

Go Green this Move-In


As you or your student is preparing to head back to MSU for the upcoming school year, there are many ways to get ready and be green! Check out our helpful "Green Back to School" tips below, and be sure to follow Be Spartan Green on Facebook and Twitter for more green tips, events and news.

  • Before school supply shopping, check all of last year's supplies to see what you can reuse.
  • Make a shopping list early enough that you have time to think about what you'll really need or use. When you eventually do go shopping, stick to the list.
  • Think big and small. Buying in bulk can save on packaging and costs, while some lesser-used items (like certain foods and art supplies) can go bad before you use them all. 
  • Reusable or refillable pencils, water bottles, lunch boxes, baggies, book covers, and binders will last week after week and year after year. Find ones made from recycled and recyclable material when possible.
  • Printer paper made from recycled materials is increasingly easy to find, and printing on both sides of the page helps reduce paper waste even further. You can use the backs of single-sided documents for scrap paper before recycling them.
  • Used goods or clothes can be just as good as new, and they're usually much cheaper. The Surplus Store has a full selection of furniture, housewares, electronics, clothes, and more.
  • Walk, bike, skate, or bus to and from class, and team up with your roommates or neighbors to take turns carpooling back home on weekends.

Friday, August 02, 2013

Friday Find-it for 8/2/13

It's time for this week's Friday Find-it! We're getting all the items ready for our Vintage Sale on August 13.

Find Jabber Jaw in the picture to win a prize. This week, we're bringing back the Spartan football helmets, and you CAN win again if you got this prize last year!

Here are the full instructions, if you're new to the game or need a reminder.



Click here to view a full-size copy of the image, and click the image for a lower-resolution copy to download.

Entries are due by 6pm on Tuesday, August 6. Send us a Facebook message with your submission (or questions). Good luck!

Friday, July 26, 2013

Friday Find-it for 7/26/13

It's time for this week's Friday Find-it!

Find Jabber Jaw in the picture to win a prize. This week is your last chance to earn a Be Spartan Green reusable shopping bag.

Here are the full instructions, if you're new to the game or need a reminder.




Click here to view a full-size copy of the image, and click the image for a lower-resolution copy to download.

Entries are due by 6pm on Tuesday, July 30. Send us a Facebook message with your submission (or questions). Good luck!

Friday, July 19, 2013

Free books for schools and libraries

The program we introduced last month is fully underway, as we're now offering books for donation to certified public teachers and librarians. Mondays and Thursdays from noon to 3:30pm, a portion of the books are removed from the Sales Floor and are available on a first-come, first-served basis while supplies last. There's no limit to the amount you can request, but we will not allow holds, nor will we provide transportation or delivery--all items must be claimed and taken by 3:30pm that day.

We always support reducing waste and reusing everything we can, so this is another opportunity to add extra lives to these books before they're recycled. Bring a valid school or library ID and a brief letter of confirmation on official letterhead to get registered during any of our open hours.

Friday, July 12, 2013

Spartans athletic gear, Ag Expo special hours

Today, July 12, we'll be featuring a wide selection of athletic equipment from Spartan teams! Come get decked out in green and white, we'll have baseball, softball, and football gear, apparel, shoes, cleats, and more to keep you warm, cool, safe, dry, or whatever you need for all your summer and fall sports. We've also discounted the game-worn gear already in the store, including the MSU Football jerseys, for Friday only!
Then next week, July 16-18, we'll be at the Michigan Ag Expo! Visit us at the expo grounds northwest of the Commuter Lot on the corner of Mt. Hope and Farm Lane, the expo is Tuesday and Wednesday from 9am-5pm and Thursday 9am-3pm. We'll be open special Public Sale hours that week, so the full schedule will be: Tuesday 7:30am-5:30pm, Wednesday and Thursday 12:00pm-3:30pm, and Friday 7:30am-3:30pm. See you soon!

Friday Find-it for 7/12/13

It's time for this week's Friday Find-it!

Find Jabber Jaw in the picture to win a Be Spartan Green reusable shopping bag.

Here are the full instructions, if you're new to the game or need a reminder.



Click here to view a full-size copy of the image, and click the image for a lower-resolution copy to download.

Submissions are due by 6pm on Tuesday, July 16. Send us a Facebook message with your submission (or questions). Good luck!

Friday, June 28, 2013

Friday Find-it for 6/28/13

It's time for this week's Friday Find-it!

Find Jabber Jaw in the picture to win a Be Spartan Green reusable shopping bag. Pick up your prize by July 12, and you'll also get a special "Surplustomer" bumper sticker!

Here are the full instructions, if you're new to the game or need a reminder.


Click here to view a full-size copy of the image, and click the image for a lower-resolution copy to download.

Submissions are due by 6pm on Tuesday, July 2. Send us a Facebook message with your submission (or questions). Good luck!

Friday, June 21, 2013

Friday Find-it for 6/21/13

It's time for this week's Friday Find-it!

Find Jabber Jaw in the picture to win a Be Spartan Green reusable shopping bag!

Here are the full (updated) instructions, if you're new to the game.



Click here to view a full-size copy of the image, and click the image for a lower-resolution copy to download.

Submissions are due by 6pm on Tuesday, June 25. Send us a Facebook message with your submission (or questions). Good luck!

Thursday, June 20, 2013

Friday Find-it instructions

As you probably noticed, every picture from the Sales Floor (New In-Store Items, as well as Facebook and Twitter) features a skull with googly eyes named Jabber Jaw. We're not entirely sure where he came from, but he's there for size reference.



At 2pm every Friday from late Spring to early Fall, we have a little extra fun by hiding him in photos around the facility. If you find him, you win a prize! You can guess as many times as you want, and you can play every week, but you can only win each prize once. Prizes usually change every 4-6 weeks, so there are plenty of opportunities to win. Here are more detailed instructions for how enter:
  1. Save a copy of the image onto your computer
  2. Find Jabber Jaw
  3. Draw a circle around him using Paint, PhotoShop, or an online image editor like Pixlr
  4. Send the circled image back to us in a Facebook message before 6pm the following Tuesday
  5. Come to the Surplus Store during Public Sale hours to claim your prize!

Friday, June 14, 2013

Friday Find-it for 6/14/13

It's time for this week's Friday Find-it!

Find Jabber Jaw in the picture to win a Be Spartan Green reusable shopping bag!

Here are the instructions, if you haven't played before.
 

Click here to view a full-size copy of the image, and click the image for a lower-resolution copy to download.

Submissions are due by 6pm on Tuesday, June 18. Send us a Facebook message with your submission (or questions). Good luck!

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Next Friday Find-it prize: Be Spartan Green reusable shopping bag

Congrats to everyone who won a Sparty medallion coaster, that was our most successful prize so far!

Up next, in celebration of our new alliance as MSU Sustainability, we'll be giving away these reusable Be Spartan Green shopping bags.


They're durable and lightweight, and they save you the trouble of stockpiling plastic bags after every grocery trip. Find Jabber Jaw in this week's Friday Find-it picture to win! (Here's how, if you're new or need a reminder)

Be Spartan Green!

Our whole department (us, Recycling, Bikes, Storage, and Books) has joined the new Infrastructure Planning & Facilities unit of MSU, more specifically the Sustainability department. What does that mean? We're now part of Be Spartan Green! Part of President Simon's "Boldness by Design" plan in 2005, Be Spartan Green was created to promote environmental stewardship and sustainability initiatives by Spartans across campus and around the world. The commitment was to expand the basic "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" mantra to "Reduce, Reuse/Recycle, Research/Re-educate, Redesign, and Rethink," so it makes a lot of sense that we're now sharing space, both physically and mentally, with Be Spartan Green to combine our teams and efforts.

The change shouldn't affect your shopping experience much. Though, it will allow us to continue growing our presence on campus and in the community, like when we combined forces with the Bikes Service Center last year. We're pretty excited, and it'll bring bigger and better opportunities for you to Go Green!

Friday, June 07, 2013

Friday Find-it for 6/7/13

It's time for this week's Friday Find-it!

Find Jabber Jaw in the picture to win a Sparty medallion coaster! Last chance for this prize, next week will be a new one.

Here are the instructions, if you haven't played before.



Click here to view a full-size copy of the image, and click the image for a lower-resolution copy to download.

Submissions are due by 6pm on Tuesday, June 11. Send us a Facebook message with your submission (or questions). Good luck!

Friday, May 31, 2013

Friday Find-it for 5/31/13

It's time for this week's Friday Find-it!

Find Jabber Jaw in the picture to win a Sparty medallion coaster!

Here are the instructions, if you haven't played before.



Click here to view a full-size copy of the image, and click the image for a lower-resolution copy to download.

Submissions are due by 6pm on Tuesday, June 4. Send us a Facebook message with your submission (or questions). Good luck!

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Friday Find-it for 5/24/13

It's time for this week's Friday Find-it!

Find Jabber Jaw in the picture to win a Sparty medallion coaster!

Here are the instructions, if you haven't played before.



Click here to view a full-size copy of the image, and click the image for a lower-resolution copy to download.

Submissions are due by 6pm on Tuesday, May 28. Send us a Facebook message with your submission (or questions). Good luck!

Be A Tourist In Your Own Town

First things first: Just wanted to remind you all that we will be open our regular hours tomorrow (May 24, 7:30am-3:30pm) and Tuesday (May 28, 7:30am-5:30pm), even though we will be closed for Memorial Day on Monday.

Then the following Saturday, June 1 from 10am-5pm, is Greater Lansing's annual Be A Tourist In Your Own Town! We're one of over 60 mid-Michigan businesses, attractions, and local activities gearing up for the fun, and CATA will be shuttling thousands of people around the area. We're the first stop on the East Lansing leg of the tour, and we're a Stamp Location for your BATYOT Passports.

Surplus Store & Recycling Center facility tours will be on the hour all day, Scrap Metal Sparty will be in front of the giant Block S on our building for photos, and we're sorting through a major influx of clothing and furniture to be ready by that weekend, to go along with all the unique, unusual, and unexplainable items we have every day. We're also making extra room in our Sold Area; you don't have to worry about rushing back or carrying everything with you that day, you have one week to pick up your items (keep your receipt!). And, as always, we have plenty of Dairy Store ice cream to help you beat the heat!

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

From MSU to you

As you know, almost all of the items we sell come directly from campus. Departments, events, teams, and researchers have provided us with more than our fair share of used and unusual finds. Some of the things we sell take this one step further, as they are produced right here at MSU. Compost from the Student Organic Farm, ice cream from the Dairy Store, honey from Entomology bees, and now maple syrup from the Kellogg Experimental Forest are available for sale during all open hours (including the 12pm-3:30pm Viewing Hours on Mon, Wed and Thu). Vehicles and batteries are also available during all open hours, though they're not nearly as tasty (well, not that compost sounds tasty, but you can use it to grow fruits and vegetables!)




Thursday, May 16, 2013

Friday Find-it for 5/17/13

It's time for this week's Friday Find-it!

Find Jabber Jaw in the picture to win a Sparty medallion coaster!

Here are the instructions, if you haven't played before.



Click here to view a full-size copy of the image, and click the image for a lower-resolution copy to download.

Submissions are due by 6pm on Tuesday, May 21. Send us a Facebook message with your submission (or questions). Good luck!

Next Friday Find-it Prize: Sparty coasters


Next on the docket for Friday Find-it prizes: Spartan Society coasters from the MSU Alumni Association. These are gorgeous with stitched leather framing a Sparty statue medallion. Find Jabber Jaw in this week's Friday Find-it picture to win!

(We also sell these individually, if you want to get more than one to complete your set)

(And here's how to win, if you need a reminder)

Friday, May 10, 2013

Friday Find-it for 5/10/13

It's time for Friday Find-it!

Find Jabber Jaw in the picture to win a Big Ten marching band poster and, for this week only, a free cup of MSU Dairy Store ice cream!

Here are the instructions, if you haven't played before.



Click here to view a full-size copy of the image, and click the image for a lower-resolution copy to download.

Submissions are due by 6pm on Tuesday, May 14. Send us a Facebook message with your submission (or questions). Good luck!

Friday, May 03, 2013

Friday Find-it for 5/3/13

It's time for the next Friday Find-it!

Find Jabber Jaw in the picture to win a Big Ten marching band poster.

Here are the instructions, if you haven't played before. Good luck!



Click here to view a full-size copy of the image, and click the image for a lower-resolution copy to download.

Submissions are due by 6pm on Tuesday, May 7. Send us a Facebook message with your submission (or questions). Good luck!

Friday, April 26, 2013

Friday Find-it for 4/26/13

It's time for the first weekly Friday Find-it of 2013!

Find Jabber Jaw in the picture to win (here are more instructions, if you need them). Our first prize is this Big Ten marching band poster. The first 40 people to submit correct answers will get one!



Click here to view a full-size copy of the image, and click the image for a lower-resolution copy to download.

Submissions are due by 6pm on Tuesday, April 30. Click here to send us a Facebook message with questions or submissions. Good luck!

Friday, April 19, 2013

Community Reuse Days - Spring 2013

Spring might be a little late, but Community Reuse Days is always right on time! Get into Spring Cleaning mode to clear out some space in your garage, attic, and basement, as we give the entire MSU community a green option for getting rid of unwanted items.

During Earth Week (starting on Earth Day), we will be collecting all reusable and recyclable items from faculty, staff, students, and alumni. Collections will be be Monday, April 22 through Friday, April 26 from 7am to 3pm, as well as Saturday, April 27 from 9am to 1pm. The week will end with special Public Sale hours (featuring items from Morrill Hall) on Saturday from 9am to 2pm.

Documents for destruction (confidential shred), electronics, and more will be accepted at no charge. Typical items include appliances, media, decorations, knick knacks, sporting equipment, apparel, and furniture (no mattresses please). Items received at the event will be recycled, resold, or donated to a non-profit organization. As with everything we collect, the landfill is always a last resort.

Proceeds from re-sold items support the Center’s continuing increase of materials collected from campus and the community. As a result of past Community Reuse Days, we’ve been able to expand recycling opportunities of colored glass (all colors now accepted) at the Recycling Drop-off Center and implement a pilot polystyrene (Styrofoam) recycling program on campus. We are currently looking into solutions for recycling alkaline batteries.

Donations will be accepted at the north dock of the MSU Surplus Store & Recycling Center from 7am to 3pm from Monday, April 22 through Friday, April 26 and 9am to 1pm Saturday, April 27. More details can be found on our website.

Friday, March 29, 2013

New compost prices, display


If you caught us at the Lansing Home & Garden Show last weekend, you've already seen our impressive new Reused and Recycled expo booth! Part of that included an expanded display for compost, and we've updated our prices as well:

Uncured compost is produced from livestock manure and bedding from MSU Farms. It is hot composted for 4-6 weeks and, although it is stable, it is not cured or screened.

Farmers typically purchase uncured compost in bulk quantities and apply it to their fields as a soil amendment and fertilizer supplement.

20 Yard lot: Dutch auction starts at $8/cu.yd.

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Cured compost is the same material as our uncured compost, but it has been screened and cured for an additional 6-12 months. It has high calcium, potash, potassium and nitrogen contents.

Home lawns and gardens are ideal places to use cured compost. It can be used as a lawn topdressing, garden soil amendment, or mulch additive for potting mix.

1/2 Yard: $20
1 Yard: $30
2 Yard bag: $75

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Compost pellets are made from cured compost that is screened, dried and compressed into pellets.

Easier to store and more convenient to apply in small amounts, compost pellets can be used as an occasional lawn topdressing, garden soil amendment, or mulch additive for potting mix.

7 lbs. jug: $12.50
20 lbs. bag: $20

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Vermicompost is made at the MSU Student Organic Farm by feeding fruit and vegetable scraps, paper and leaves to a special variety of worms. The result contains many nutrients, minerals, microrutrients, and beneficial bacteria for healthy plants,

To help plants resist disease and increase growth, vermicompost can be used as a potting soil amendment, applied to surface soil, or extracted with water as a compost tea.

2 lbs. bag: $4

Tuesday, March 05, 2013

E-cycleMania

This year’s RecycleMania competition includes a month long collection of electronics, similar to last year. There is a slight change, however, as we are able to collect both university-owned and personal e-waste from the community.

MSU students, faculty and staff can drop off electronic waste March 4-8 at the Surplus Store from 7:00am -3:30pm. Unloading assistance provided at the overhead door on the north side of the building facing the Recycling Drop Off Center.

Buildings on campus can host their own electronic collection between March 4-29. Email recycle@msu.edu for more information. Currently scheduled collections include:

Physical Plant, March 1-22

Berkey Hall, March 14-15 and 21-22

Angell Hall, March 18-23

Olds Hall, March 20-21


Waste Awareness Week


We removed or downsized 109 trash cans and added or moved recycling containers at the MSU Main Library from February 10-16.

We tracked data through the two weeks prior to Waste Awareness Week to establish control averages.

Here is what we found:

Waste was reduced by 350 lbs
Recycling was increased by 100 lbs
Landfill diversion rate increased by 3.25%

Friday, February 01, 2013

Meet Jasmine II

Meet “Jasmine II,” a playful and expressionistic piece by renowned artist, Nancy Swan Drew.  Standing 4 feet tall by 2 feet wide, “Jasmine II” is a colorfully painted wood cutout depicting a motherly figure with her two children.  The piece was completed from 1986 to 1987, and is done in the quirky cartoonish style for which Drew is best known - A resident of Niles, Michigan, Nancy Swan Drew has lived in the greater Detroit area for most of her life and has created multimedia works ranging from paintings and prints to her own clothing line.  Her pieces have been featured in numerous magazines and she has been seen through broader media outlets such as Home & Garden Television and the Chicago Tribune.

RecycleMania Video Contest

Show off your video-making skills and win $500, $250, or $100 by competing in this year’s RecycleMania video contest!

MSU Recycling is planning events for this year’s RecycleMania Competition (an annual international competition between colleges and universities to raise awareness about recycling).  This year we are hosting a video competition encouraging students, faculty, and staff to create short promotional pieces to raise awareness for the event and encourage fellow Spartans to participate.  Winners will be featured on the MSU recycling page and will receive first, second, and third place prizes of $500, $250, and $100 respectively.

Entries must be emailed to recycle@msu.edu by 5pm on Monday, March 18

This is a great opportunity to create a new portfolio piece and possibly win money at the same time.

Good luck!

Office Clean Outs

We're getting close to the beginning of RecycleMania, the eight-week recycling competition among schools across North America, which means it's time to start thinking about what you can get rid of (and how to do so responsibly). Along with many other recycling events from February 3 to March 30, we'll be scheduling Office Clean Outs for MSU Faculty and Staff across the whole eight weeks.

The Office Clean Out program includes the delivery of two hampers: one for free confidential shred and another for everything else–paper, cardboard, boxboard, plastics, books, and electronics. The hampers will be delivered the morning of your scheduled day, and you'll have all day to fill them before we pick them up the following morning. We can also pick up surplus items at the same time, if you let us know in advance.

To sign up your department/unit, simply check the calendar of available dates and fill out the sign up form. We will contact you with more information, then we will see you on the day of your scheduled Clean Out. The calendar filled up very quickly last year, so sign up now!

Thursday, January 31, 2013

Book donations for schools

As we continue to sort through the thousands of pounds of books we receive from campus, the libraries, and the Drop-off Center, we decided to start donating children's books to public schools.

This will be on first-come, first-served and as-needed bases. These books are intended to be used in the classrooms and will range in condition, age group, and sizes. We will deliver approximately 300 pounds of books to each school, and teachers and administrators will have one week to sort and select the books they want to keep. At the end of that week, we will pickup the remainder.

More details, as well as opportunities for registration, will be announced soon.

Book stock rotation returns


Now that we've finally made it through 60,000-80,000 pounds of books (sorted, sold, recycled), we can settle back into the regular stock rotation that we had last year. There are four sections of books on the sales floor, and the oldest selection will be replaced each Public Sale day. The two-week cycle will look something like this (the colors and order may vary):

Tuesday: Blue mark ($2/book), Green mark ($1/book), Purple mark (50 cents/book), Orange mark (10 cents/pound)
Friday: New Orange ($2/book), Blue ($1/book), Green (50 cents/book), Purple (10 cents/pound), old Orange (chopped, recycled)
Tuesday: New Purple ($2/book), Orange ($1/book), Blue (50 cents/book), Green (10 cents/pound), old Purple (chopped, recycled)
Friday: New Green ($2/book), Purple ($1/book), Orange (50 cents/book), Blue (10 cents/pound), old Green (chopped, recycled)
Tuesday: New Blue ($2/book), Green ($1/book), Purple (50 cents/book), Orange (10 cents/pound), old Blue (chopped, recycled)

And so on. The rotation started this week, so what's left of the $2 books after tomorrow will be $1 each on Tuesday. This allows us to constantly put out new books, while still having a bulk per-pound selection for the best deals.

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

"What's with the skull?"

January 19th marked the one-year anniversary of when Jabber Jaw started appearing in all of the pictures of Sales Floor items for the social media. In that time, he's received reactions ranging from love to hate to utter confusion. So, not that this is an exhaustive list of answers, but here are some things I've been meaning to say on his behalf:
  1. Jabber Jaw is in the photos for size reference.
  2. He's about 8.5" tall, 4" wide, and 5" deep.
  3. He is not a rock.
  4. He is not for sale, nor does he come with any of the items pictured.
  5. As far as we know, he is not related to the cartoon shark that plays drums for The Neptunes.
  6. Extensive searching seems to indicate that he originally captured voice recordings then played them back while moving his mouth.
  7. Unfortunately, he has not done that, or much of anything, in the time that we've had him.
  8. In fact, he's mostly held together by super glue (and he's missing a few more teeth) these days.
  9. Because of that, it would not be safe to keep him out in the open on Public Sale days, no matter how gentle you swear you'll be.
  10. In case of an emergency, or perhaps retirement, we do have another skull set aside (who still needs a name--suggestions?).
  11. Barring one of those scenarios, he's not going away, no matter how weird you think he is.
  12. Primarily, that's because the number of people who love him outnumber the people who dislike him about 3-to-1.
  13. Although he's not always a pleasure to look at, he's much more fun than a ruler.
  14. We'll resume the Friday Find-it photo hunts again in the spring.
  15. And most importantly: Thank you! The people of the Surplus Store are a unique bunch, and you guys make this job fun.