Waste Not Iowa City, the Recyclopedia is Here

Back in July, I shared my dream of an “[online] index of if and where (relative to your zip code) anything and everything can be recycled”.

Four months later, I’m grateful to report that this dream has—on a local level—become a reality. In other words, the Iowa City Recyclopedia is born!

iWasteNot Systems
Before I go any further, allow me to explain how this came to be. It all started with a simple email to iWasteNot Systems—a company whose services, I soon realized, extend far beyond the Recyclopedia.

The iWasteNot philosophy essentially assumes that for every item a person or company can no longer use, there exists another person or company who can use it. To that end, iWasteNot supplies "web-based waste reduction systems" (aka "Materials Exchanges") that allow those who don't needs things to bypass the landfill and instead give/sell them to those who do need things.

The company's most common services (see full list here) are (1) "Residential" exchanges like the Newton Reusable Materials Exchange (in Massachusetts) and the Madison Stuff Exchange (in Wisconsin), which exemplify the idea that “One person’s trash can be another person’s treasure”; and (2) "Industrial/Commercial" exchanges such as the Georgia Industrial Materials Exchange, which prove that “One company’s waste can be another company’s raw material”.

Other offerings include "Agriculture/Biomass/Forestry" exchanges like the Maryland Online Farmers Market and the aptly titled manuretrader.org (which literally facilitates the exchange of manure in and around Pennsylvania); and also "Electronics (E-Waste)" exchanges like this one based in British Columbia.

Recyclopedia: Iowa City
By contacting iWasteNot, I soon found a group of "virtual doppelgangers" who shared (and indeed expanded) my vision of harnessing the power of the Internet to reduce waste. What's more, I also found a uniquely informed and friendly business team who swiftly got my project off the ground, straightforwardly walking me through the initial steps; and patiently facilitated my gradual progress, promptly responding to any questions that arose along the way.

Four months later, the "beta" version of Recyclopedia Iowa City is here. To give you a brief overview of how it works, the main page simply lists an array of everyday items ranging from Aerosol to Vinyl Records (as of tonight, there are 27 entries and counting). Clicking on a given entry will display additional information on (a) how that item can be reduced, reused, or recycled; and (b) the names of specific (predominantly local) "Reuse Businesses and Charities" where that item can be either recycled or donated/sold for reuse.

How you can help
My hope is that, in time, the Recyclopedia will tear the proverbial roof off this sucker we call Iowa City/Johnson County, IA (and that, as a result, any literal roofs that are torn off will be donated to the ReStore or Salvage Barn for reuse)!

How can you aid this goal? Here, dear readers of Mic's Tape, are a few ways:

• Read: check out the site & puts its tips into practice
• Share: tell friends, coworkers, etc about the website
• Factcheck: let me know if any information on the Recyclopedia is incorrect
• Suggest: recommend new items that should be added
• Enlighten: share any additional Reuse charities/businesses that you know of
• Join: if you live outside Iowa City, contact iWastenot and get your area online (I'll help you)

Please consider this blog post an official Iowa City Recyclopedia "message board". Help "finetune" the site: keep the comments, critiques, and suggestions coming!

Obama's Victory

As supporters of President-elect Barack Obama, last night marked quite a moment for brumpelstiltskin. We did not think it possible to simultaneously experience elation, numbness, and the welling of tears, but there we were.

As Mic's Tape political commentator, it is my honor to blog on behalf of my BS brethren. I will share just a few thoughts.

My rationale for supporting Obama included a firm belief in his abilities to practice and encourage healthy, earnest dialogue; and to inspire, through his own actions and rhetoric, selfless acts toward the common good. His victory speech strengthened my confidence in these abilities. Here is an excerpt:

The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America - I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you - we as a people will get there.

There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who won't agree with every decision or policy I make as President, and we know that government can't solve every problem. But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. And above all, I will ask you join in the work of remaking this nation the only way it's been done in America for two-hundred and twenty-one years - block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand (emphasis mine).

Earnest engagement
Hearing these words strengthened my own resolve to listen better—not only to the like-minded, but also to those with whom I disagree—and to seek common ground with an unwavering faith that doing so will foster mutual gain. Moreover, as I reflect on my writing during the campaign season, I realize that at times my frustrations boiled over into unmeasured rants (especially concerning Gov Palin). In the future, I hope to temper these flashes with more productive engagement.

Joining in the work
In War and Peace, Tolstoy argued that the events of history are not—as conventional historians suggest—determined by the will and power of world leaders; rather, they are a summation of infinitesimal factors including the collective will of all people involved as well as limitless variables beyond human control. I largely agree, but I believe Tolstoy vastly underestimated the potential for world leaders to shape and inspire said collective will: an ability that Obama appears to be extraordinarily gifted at. If he can inspire the millions who "dug into what little savings they had" and "braved the bitter cold and scorching heat to knock on the doors of perfect strangers" and "volunteered and organized" for the cause of getting him elected, imagine what else he may inspire us to do.

The challenges facing the US and the world are staggering. As Obama said, the government cannot solve all of these challenges; and, given the economy, there are other challenges that it just can't afford to solve through money alone. Thus, in addition to government, collective service and sacrifice are essential. With that in mind, I am ready to "join in the work".

Let's get our hands calloused!