Green resolutions for the new year will help reduce, reuse, repair, recycle
It’s that time of year when we make
promises about how we’ll change our
selves in the upcoming New Year. We look
for ways to make a change in our lives,
hoping for better health, a better job or
less stress. Some resolutions are small;
others are big life-changing challenges.
New Year’s resolutions often are bro
ken, especially if they are hastily made
without thinking through the logistics.
But if you take a few moments to think
about what you want for the upcoming
year, you’re more likely to choose realistic
commitments.
Going green is a great way to start off
the new year, but it's such a broad term
that the specifics of how you’ll go green
could end up taking a back seat to daily
life. Instead of making a broad generaliza
tion, choose a few specific ways to green
your life in 2011.
Not sure where to start? Here are a
few suggestions. Most suggestions fall
into the broad categories of reduce, reuse,
repair and recycle. Pick one and follow
through! Let us know how you do.
Reduce
•
•
•
•
•
•
Single-use bags - plastic or paper
Single-use coffee cups at the drive-
through
Plastic water bottles
Disposable dishes
Single-use batteries
Bills sent through the mail - use
electronic delivery instead
•
•
•
•
•
Junk mail
Packaging
Car trips with a single person or a
single destination
New purchases
Purchases from big-box stores; buy
local instead
Reuse
Before you throw it away, see if some-
. one else can use it or if you can use it
in a different way.
•
Donate to and buy from thrift shops,
flea markets or garage sales.
•
panies to make items from recycled
material. Close the loop.
Be careful not to fall for green
consumerism.
While buying green products is a
good idea, it’s not green if you’re
overdoing it. Think about what you
really need before you shop. Buying
stainless steel water bottles and lunch
boxes and reusable shopping bags
makes sense because then you’ll use
fewer one-use items. Buying an entire
new wardrobe of clothing so you can
get it all organic or locally does not.
If you have any questions about these
tips or other energy efficiency and con
servation questions, please call the Siletz
Tribal Energy Program at 800-922-1399
or 541 -444-2532, ext. 1276,1300 or 1271 ;
or e-mail us at step@ctsi.nsn.us.
The first five people to call or e-mail
us after Jan. 6 will receive a free reusable
water bottle.
Repair
•
•
Getting more than one use out of
something not only saves you money,
it also is hugely satisfying.
Half of electrical goods left at dumps
still work or require only very basic re
pairs, so think before throwing it out.
Recycle
•
Learn new things to recycle, such as:
1.
2.
3.
Batteries
Compact florescent lights
Plastic bags - the ones you use when
you forget the reusable bag!
Electronics
Cell phones
4.
5.
•
Purchase items made from recycled
material in order to encourage com-
Photo by Natasha Kavanaugh
Ralene, David and Cecillie Butler spend a moment with Santa Claus at the
Community Christmas Gathering at the Siletz Tribal Community Center on Dec. 8.
2011 standing committee
applications due
Deadline for consideration for committees is Jan. 31,2011
Any Tribal member interested in serving on a committee for a two-year term
must fill out the following form and return it to the address below prior to Jan.
31, 2011. Please mail or fax your application to Confederated Tribes of Siletz
Indians, Attn: Executive Secretary to Tribal Council, P.O. Box 549, Siletz, OR
97380-0549; fax: 541-444-8325.
Courtesy photo by Tiffany Wisdom
Third-grade students at Kamiah Elementary School perform Crow Lady, a Kalapuya
story, as one of seven American Indian legends performed during an assembly.
Third-graders retell Kalapuya story
and others at school assembly
By Tiffany Wisdom
Kamiah Elementary School third-grade students performed seven American Indian
legends on Dec. 2, 2010, at the school-wide assembly.
Students performed the legends using the readers theatre method. This strategy
is a best practice for developing readers. Students read their script over and over and
eventually become fluent at their speaking part.
The following Tribal stories were told - the Heart of the Monster, Ant and Yellow
Jacket, Coyote Builds a Dam (Nimiipuu/Nez Perce), Smudge Face (Mi’kmaq), the Mud
Pony (Pawnee), Moose Meet His Match (Northeast Tribes) and Crow Lady (Kalapuya).
My reading group was able to tell the story of Crow Lady, which I learned from
Siletz Elder Esther Stutzman. I then turned this story into a script.
My reading group learned more about Siletz culture from this story and the morals
we live by. I had lots of laughs and smiles during the performance from the outstanding
sound effects and wonderful acting of the third-graders.
The Kalapua story also was shared with the Nimiipuu Elders at the Lookingglass
Senior Center in Kamiah, Idaho, during the last week of December.
Queciyeyee (thank you in Nimiipuu), Esther Stutzman, for sharing this story with
me so I could share it with others.
Name:_______________________________________Roll No:________________
Address:______________________________________________________________
City:______________________ State:___________________ZIP:_____________
Telephone: Day (
)________________Evening (
)______________________
Choose the first, second and third choice of committees you are requesting by
numbering your preference 1,2, 3 in the space provided. If you only want to be
considered for one committee, please indicate this by inserting the number 1.
___ Education Committee (3)
___ Housing Committee (3)
___ Natural Resources Committee (3)
____ Pow-Wow Committee (no limit)
___ Health Committee (3)
___ Budget Committee (1)
___ Cultural Heritage Committee (3)
___ Enrollment Committee (1)
Tribal Council will review applications and approve appointments at the
Regular Tribal Council meeting in February 2011. If you have any questions,
please call Tami Miner, Tribal Council executive secretary, at 800-922-1399,
ext. 1203, or 541-444-8203.
January 2011
•
Siletz News
•
15