SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ SATURDAY, AUGUST 19, 2017
9 A
ASK A MASTER RECYCLER
G UTHRIE W ILSON , M ASTER R ECYCLER
A MONTHLY COLUMN OF RECYCLING
INFORMATION PROVIDED BY F LORENCE
M ASTER R ECYCLERS
For the Siuslaw News
(A monthly column of recycling
information provided by Florence
Master Recyclers)
As a recent graduate of the
Florence Master Recycler Class, I
was intrigued with how such a won-
derful program got started. So I met
with Sarah Grimm, Lane County’s
Waste Reduction Specialist to ask
her.
Grimm admits with a smile, “I
pestered the county,” remembering a
path of a life-changing events that
started by simply taking the 1991
master recycler class in Portland,
Ore. Grimm described becoming so
fascinated that her tireless engage-
ment with the subject made her life-
long shyness disappear. She not only
became an advocate for reducing,
reusing and recycling, she made a
career move from restaurants to pub-
lic outreach.
When 1996 brought her to work
for BRING Recycling, the recycling
advocate organization in Lane
County, she noted to county staff on
several occasions how beneficial
such a program would be for the
communities in Lane County. Then in
1999, Lane County received a grant
from the Oregon Department of
Environmental Quality and began
piloting the course. By 2001, they
had hired a coordinator to run the
course and to this day they have held
2 classes each year (March and
September).
The nine weekly classes and tours
help students begin to understand the
complex processes of recycling: col-
lecting materials, handling them, bro-
kering commodities and remanufac-
turing new products again — and
most especially the very important
roll that citizens and consumers have
in all of it.
Master Recycler field trips took us
to see where fertilizer is made from
compost, the Bio-diesel station, the
landfill, the recycling station, haz-
ardous waste facility, a huge re-use
store that was acres big, Next Step,
BRING, and MECCA ,too.
We saw a community garden and
learned how to start a worm bed from
composting food scraps.
The Master Recycler program
piloted a version for Florence early
on; it was 3 full days Friday, Saturday
and Sunday.
“That was before my time,” says
Grimm, who started at the county in
2004 after having to leave BRING
due to the loss of her voice from
overuse.
At that time, Grimm saw the need
to serve the whole county, not just
Eugene and Springfield. And she
began seeking interest in rural com-
munities. Florence responded by fill-
ing the classes every other winter.
(Weekly afternoon classes January-
March at the Lane Community
College). Grimm described Florence
Master Recyclers as the shining star
of rural community can-do.
Trained master recyclers have cre-
ated real community here, in
Florence by: meeting monthly or
quarterly, managing the collection of
miscellenious recyclables at the city
hall, recycling efforts at Relay for
Life and other local events, starting a
dish loan program for events to
reduce the waste of disposable cups
and plates and marching in the Rhody
Days parade.
As a Master recycler, the student
“pays” for their course by doing 30
hours of volunteer work that serves
the communities in which they live.
The creed is to do good in the world;
educate and be a positive force in
whatever it is you have a call to do; to
adapt and change with the needs of
the community; to get involved and
help others; to be ambassadors in
education and in hands-on experi-
ences; and helping change people’s
habits to create a better world
through our communities.
“In this,” Grimm says, “Florence
Master Recyclers are my heroes.”
Master Recycler hosted the educa-
tional booth at the Lane County fair.
This year, 1,792 Lane County atten-
dees
signed
waste-prevention
pledges, with 25 Master Recyclers
volunteerung more than 130 hours at
the fair.
Many Master Recyclers may come
to the table because there is opportu-
nity for employment.
Personally, I have found that the
people that head these areas are there
because they have a strong passion to
do so.
As Lane County Master Recyclers,
we are over 900 strong.
Master Recycler coordinators
across the state recently created an
online Recycling 101 course for
those who live in a rural community,
or who can’t make it to a live class.
The course is available to all —
individuals, teachers or those who
want to start a community organiza-
tion. It is only $50 (or $35 each for
group orders).
For more information, visit www
.lanecounty.org/masterrecyclers
— Guthrie Kushner
Master Recysler
Florence
OCHS plans September Wine Gala N ATURAL PERSPECTIVE —
Plans are underway for the
Oregon
Coast
Humane
Society’s 25th annual Wine
and Chocolate Gala, set for
Friday, Sept. 22.
Doors will open at 6 p.m.
This silver anniversary cele-
bration will be held in the
Three Rivers Casino Resort’s
Events Center, 5647 Highway
126.
The chocolate fountain will
be flowing and treats will
abound. Attendees will also
enjoy live music and a glass of
wine included with admission.
Attendees should arrive
early to peruse the many items
coming up for bid in the live
auction, as well as the silent
auctions that evening.
Raffle ticket winners will be
announced throughout the
evening.
Tickets are $25 and will be
available beginning Aug. 22 at
various Florence area loca-
tions, or tickets can be pur-
chased at the door that evening
for $27.
Donated auction items will
be greatly appreciated and
may be dropped off at the
OCHS Thrift Store, 1193 Bay
St., in Old Town Florence.
For more information, con-
tact Danielle Dickson at 541-
999-5702.
FREE ADMISSION
August 19 & 20, 2017
Florence Events Center
715 Quince Street, Florence, OR
Saturday, 9-5 • Sunday 9-4
Florence
Coin Show
Influences of the Sky
B Y E MILY J. U HRIG , P H D
Special to the Siuslaw News
I
n less than a week, on the
morning of Aug. 21, our
skies will darken as Oregon
experiences the much antici-
pated solar eclipse.
Although Florence is slight-
ly south of the path of totality,
where the sun will be com-
pletely covered by the moon’s
shadow, we will still see over
98 percent of the sun obscured.
In addition to the obvious dark-
ness, eclipses are accompanied
by drops in air temperature and
may also affect humidity and
wind patterns. Some of these
effects may extend into the fol-
lowing day.
For many organisms, bio-
logical rhythms are regulated
by light-dark cycles and even
the relatively brief darkness of
an eclipse can influence such
rhythms. For instance, rates of
photosynthesis, whereby plants
produce oxygen from carbon
dioxide, drop during an eclipse
because the process depends
on energy from sunlight.
Animals can also be affected
by the darkness of an eclipse.
The darkening of the sky may
be perceived as a sudden onset
of nighttime and many animals
behave accordingly.
During eclipses, birds have
been observed to head to their
roosts, fish seek shelter and
spiders accustomed to catching
prey during the day begin tak-
Cel
e
70 brati
Yea ng
rs!
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• Free Appraisals
• Submit your coins
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For more information contact:
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541-997-2682
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Fall Bowling League Registration Going On Now
BEGINNERS WELCOME
Monday Night- Women's League
Tuesday Night- Men's League
Wednesday Aft ernoon - Seniors
Wednesday Night - Mixed Social
Th ursday Night - Men's League
Friday Aft ernoon - Seniors
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Sunday Night - Mixed Social
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Serving Your Auto Needs Since 1945
ing down their webs.
However, given the rarity
and brevity of solar eclipses,
thorough scientific studies of
their effects on animals are rel-
atively scarce, and scientists
will be taking advantage of our
upcoming eclipse to collect
additional data.
For humans, the eclipse may
be too brief to affect our
behavior and we have the
added advantage of knowing
that it is not really the time for
nightly activities. However,
our biological rhythms are nev-
ertheless still influenced by
light-dark cycles.
For example, most of us
begin feeling sleepy as night
falls and more alert as daylight
returns. These rhythms are
controlled in part by changing
levels of hormones like mela-
tonin, which is elevated during
the night and at low levels in
the daytime.
Indeed, melatonin levels are
directly influenced by the
amount of light entering our
eyes. We may feel some conse-
quences of changing light lev-
els during the darker winter
months where night comes ear-
lier and lasts longer.
This seasonal lighting
change can increase the period
of time melatonin levels are
elevated leading to a prolonged
duration of sleep.
As you look skyward to
admire the spectacle of the
eclipse (using appropriate eye
protection, of course), consider
how even the more mundane
changes in the sky can influ-
ence our lives.
EMERGENCY SUTURING CLASS
to be held at the Florence Events Center during the
Be Ready – Storm Ready Preparedness Expo
September 23, 2017!
Please call the Siuslaw News at 541-902-3526 to sign up.
You may pay by credit or debit card.
There are two classes being offered.
Positions in the class are on a fi rst paid for, fi rst reserved basis
and classes are limited to the fi rst 25 paying participants in each class.
So don’t delay, sign up for a place now!
The class is at
11:00 AM AND 2:00 PM
Saturday, September 23, 2017
Cost is only $25.00
per participant!
Sponsored by:
Siuslaw News
D EADLINE FOR P RESS R ELEASES I S E VERY M ONDAY AND T HURSDAY
BY N OON . E MAIL P RESS R ELEASES @T HE S IUSLAW N EWS . COM .