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!

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.

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

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%

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!