Plastic - it’s all around us; 10 ways to reduce your use of plastic items
From surfnder.org/programs/entty/rise-
above-plastics
It’s in our homes, our offices, our
vehicles, our yards, our playgrounds. We
use it to package food, bottle products,
bag produce, make dinnerware and uten
sils, make toys.
Plastics have undoubtedly helped us
to manufacture, package and ship goods
more easily, for less money and in some
cases more safely than ever before.
But plastics pose a significant threat
to our planet as well.
Part of the problem is plastic itself.
The very qualities that make it an adapt
able and durable product to use also make
plastic an environmental nightmare. You
see, plastics do not biodegrade. Instead
they photodegrade - breaking down under
exposure to the sun’s ultraviolet rays into
smaller and smaller pieces.
Bottom line: With the exception of the
small amount that has been incinerated,
virtually every piece of plastic that was ever
made still exists in some shape or form.
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10 ways to rise above plastics
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Here are 10 easy things you can do to
reduce your “plastic footprint” and help
keep plastics out of the marine environment:
“disposable" plastics. Carry reusable
utensils in your purse, backpack or
car to use at barbecues, potlucks or
take-out restaurants.
Reduce everyday plastics such as
sandwich bags and juice cartons by
replacing them with a reusable lunch
bag/box that includes a thermos.
Bring your to-go mug with you to
the coffee shop, smoothie shop or
restaurants that let you use them. A
great way to reduce lids, plastic cups
and/or plastic-lined cups.
Go digital! No need for plastic CDs,
DVDs and jewel cases when you can
buy your music and videos online.
Seek out alternatives to the plastic
items that you rely on.
Recycle. If you must use plastic, try
to choose #1 (PETE) or #2 (HDPE),
which are the most commonly recy
cled plastics. Avoid plastic bags and
polystyrene foam as both typically
have very low recycling rates.
Volunteer at a beach cleanup.
Support plastic bag bans, polystyrene
foam bans and bottle recycling bills.
Spread the word. Talk to your family
and friends about why it is important
to Rise Above Plastics!
your purchases together in one bag. Just
be
be sure
sure to
to hang
hang onto
onto your
your receipts!
receipts!
If you would like a free bag with the
Siletz Tribal Energy Program logo on it,
contact us with your name, roll number and
address. We will mail one to you for free!
Applying for Tribal education funds?
Some requirements and deadlines to keep in mind
i.
The once-a-year annual deadline for funding is June 30 of each year (for
funding for the upcoming fall semester or academic year).
2.
Students must apply for FAFS A (Free Application for Federal Student Aid)
at fafsa.ed.gov between Jan. 1-31 each year. Your application for Tribal
funding will not be accepted if you do not meet this deadline.
Important information , deadlines
for the college-bound Tribal senior
May
This is the deadline for final decisions
for universities.
Send letter of intent to registrar.
Line up a summer job.
Attend your Senior Awards Night.
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STEP bags for shopping
Choose to reuse when it comes to
shopping bags and bottled water.
Cloth bags and metal or glass re
usable bottles are available locally at
great prices.
Refuse single-serving packaging,
excess packaging, straws and other
Just bag it! Help protect the environ
ment when you shop. Keep reusable bags
on your car seat or near your door so they
are easy to grab when you go. You can
even combine shopping bags - tell the
cashier you don’t need a bag, then put all
If you have any questions, please
contact STEP staff at itoll-freei 800-927-
contact STEP staffai (toll-free) 800-922-
1399 or 541-444-2532, ext. 1271, 1276
or 1300; or by e-mail at step@ctsi.nsn.us.
Search for us on Facebook and “like” us
for more news and tips!
Review any award letters and be sure
you understand the terms and condi
tions that accompany each type of aid.
If necessary, arrange for housing and
a meal plan (at school).
Send thank you notes to any person/
committee from which you received
a scholarship.
June
Tribal higher education and adult
vocational training applications are
due June 30!
Attend graduation - congratulations!
Make arrangements for your final
grades to be sent to colleges and
universities.
Good luck!
Tooth Talk: Research under way to engineer new teeth with stem cells
By Mary Ellen Volansky, RDH, MS
to grow in the shape needed. This research
in Japan puts that concept to work.
This is a follow-up to an article last
year on stem cell research and its potential
impact for oral health.
At the time, I covered the types of
stem cells, many of which are beyond the
embryonic stem cells that have caused a
controversy. These stem cells, embryonic
stem cells, have the advantage that they
can grow into any type of cells. As you
will see, dental stem cells, those from
inside a living tooth, can grow into a few
things too.
Growing new teeth
What does engineering have to do
with stem cells? It was announced in July
2011 that researchers at Tokyo University
of Science had grown new teeth in their
laboratory. Now the engineering comes
in - they used tooth-shaped molds. The
growing cells were placed into the molds
and allowed to grow to fill them.
The teeth-shaped masses of cells then
were placed into the jaws of 1-month-old
mice. On average it took 40 days for these
teeth to fuse with the jawbones of these
mice. If you want to see pictures of stem
cell-grown teeth, go to medicalexpress.com.
Do you remember the article I
wrote last year on stem cell research?
It explained the different types of stem
cells and explored some of the directions
in which researchers were moving. There
was talk of using molds to allow stem cells
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Siletz News
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Another set of researchers, this time
in Naples, Italy (2009), used dental pulp
(living tissue inside each tooth, what is
removed when one has a root canal) stem
cells and a collagen sponge scaffold (more
engineering) to repair a defect in the man
dible after a third molar was removed.
In this case, the defect was a hole
caused by the absence of the third molar
that had been extracted. This repair grew
bone and produced periodontal tissues
as well. This work supports the hope that
treatment for bone loss from periodontal
or gum disease is on the near horizon.
Bad breath helps with research
In the United Kingdom, the Press
Association published an article on dental
stem cells. In this Feb. 26, 2012, article,
researchers took dental stem cells and
exposed them to a gas, hydrogen sulphide
(H2S). This H2S gas smells like rotten
eggs and is the major cause of bad breath
for us all.
What was interesting about this,
besides bad breath, is that these cells grew
into liver cells. This finding has importance
for those undergoing liver transplants.
Stem cells treated with H2S and grow
ing into liver cells have a strong possibil
ity of staying liver cells - not becoming
tumors or cancers. I can’t think of a better
use of bad breath.
May 2012
Whether teeth are grown in our jaw
from birth or whether we place tooth
growing cells in our jaw at middle age,
all teeth need to be brushed and flossed to
prevent their destruction. Isn’t it easier to
brush and floss than to come to the clinic
and have injections and stitches and heal
ing time to grow a new tooth (don’t forget
the steps involved in having the original
painful tooth extracted)?
At the Siletz Dental Clinic we like to
keep teeth healthy. And as the research
provided above shows, researchers are
not anywhere near ready for placement
into human mouths. So please come in
Courtesy photo by
Mary Ellen Volansky
Nathan Luckini,
Dorrea Brown,
Kay den McKibben
and Kodey Aradoz
hold up their prizes
from this year’s
Sealant Clinic that
helped 182 Siletz
Valley School students
receive screenings,
sealants and fluoride
varnishes during three
days in February.
Not pictured: Jaime
Helms.
regularly so we can help you maintain the
health of the great teeth you already have.
Chickletize?
On a brighter note, do you know what
chickletize, a verb, means? If you think
you know the definition, let me know.
A battery-operated Sonicare toothbrush
could go to the holder of the correct
answer. If more than one person has the
correct definition, I’ll draw for the winner.
The correct definition and the tooth
brush winner will be included in the June
issue of Siletz News. E-mail your answer
to maryellenv@ctsi.nsn.us by May 15.