Dates: Friday, January 27th – Sunday, January 29, 2012

Show Hours:  12:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. (Friday), 10:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. (Saturday, 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. (Sunday).
Location:  The Expo Square’s Exchange Center.  4145 E. 21st Street.  Tulsa, OK
Cost: FREE 

Next weekend the Met will be present at the 9th annual Green Country Home & Garden Show.  Come out and chat with the experts, see what the latest trends are, and look for inspiration for your own home and garden.  This show brings all of the best retailers, products, and resources together, and puts them under one roof.

The Met will be one of over 150 exhibits.  After you’ve walked around, grabbed some coupons, tried some free samples, and maybe made a purchase or two, swing by the Met’s booth.  We can teach you how to make your home and garden a little more eco-friendly.  We will be more than happy to talk to you about what you currently do, or what you can do to be environmentally conscious.

See you there!

P.S.   The first 100 people through the doors each day will receive a $10.00 Lowe’s gift card.

The holidays are here.  The time ahead of us will be filled with family, friends, food, and gift-buying frustration.  Let’s face it, the giving of a gift is a rewarding experience, but finding the right one can be a different experience altogether.

Green-gifting is a way you can reduce the amount of frustration associated with picking out the right presents. Sticking to a theme can help you stay on track.  Green gifts are those that can be used again and again, do not produce excess waste, and keep the environment in mind.  We live in a world of material excess.  Gifts like these will keep some of that excess from producing an effect on our environment.

Citizen Eco Drive Watch
A great watch is one that does not require batteries, one that charges itself.  The Citizen Eco Drive does exactly that.  Watch batteries are a hassle to replace, and they never lose their life at a convenient time.  More importantly, batteries are harmful to the environment.  A battery contains harsh metals and chemicals that seep into the environment when discarded.  The average American will use 17 batteries per year, and very few of those will be recycled.  This watch uses light (artificial or natural) as a power source that continuously charges its internal battery.   So, if you’re looking for a stylish, long-lasting green gift, take a look at the Citizen Eco Drive.  They range in price from around $100 to $400, but can be found on Ebay for as little as $50.  Major department stores carry this watch in over 200 different models for both men and women.

Digital Camera
The digital camera is another high-tech green gift.  Modern digital cameras run on rechargeable batteries.  Every time a battery is recharged, it is one less battery that will be discarded.  Another nice thing about digital photography is that it does not require printing to share.  Photos can be texted, emailed, or posted electronically, eliminating the need for harmful development chemicals and paper usage.  They are no longer terribly expensive either. You can find a good digital camera for around $70.  Fisher-Price even makes durable digital cameras for kids.  These cameras can handle being dropped, kicked, and thrown down the stairs.  The digital camera is a good green gift for all ages.

Food Saver
Americans throw away around 30% of the food they buy.  Using a Food Saver can help reduce that percentage.  The Food Saver is an electronic device that vacuum-seals leftover food for storage.  Proteins and produce will last up to 3-4 times longer when sealed by a Food Saver.  These handy kitchen gadgets come in a variety of makes and models, and start as low as $80.

Soda Stream USA
“Fizz the season!”  A Soda Stream is a greener way to enjoy a bubbly beverage.  This battery-free device converts water into soda in a reusable bottle.  America throws away 52 million plastic bottles per day.  With this new gadget, you no longer have to contribute to that number.  The makers of Soda Stream make over 50 flavors to mix in your soda.

Bicycle
Not only is a bicycle great exercise, but with Tulsa’s burgeoning trail system, it is an effective mode of transportation as well.  Human-powered gifts are the greenest gifts of all.  The bicycle requires no batteries, has no emissions, and doesn’t require a trip to the gas station (unless you just want to pick up a snack).  One more bike on the road is one less car off of the road, and they can be ridden at (almost) any age.  Tulsa is full of great bike shops that will custom fit a bike to your bod.  Used bikes are affordable, and can be great fixer-upper projects to complete with a friend or family member.

Board Games
The board game can be used again and again, and this is what makes it a green gift. Reduce, reuse, recycle as the saying goes.  Depending on who you play with, the game will be a little different every time it’s played.  There are board games to suit every age and demographic.  If you want to spend the evening waging a strategic six-hour battle against your roommates, try Risk.  If you’d like to have a little fun with words for a half-hour, pick up Boggle.  If you want to test your relationship, bring home Scrabble.

Reusable Water Bottle
Every plastic water bottle thrown away sits in a landfill for 200 years, and Americans go through millions of them each year.  Reusable bottles are an easy way to be green.  They come in all makes, models, shapes and sizes.  For a sleek, trendy, green, bottle, try Kleen Kanteen, Nalgene, or CamelBak.

Wind-up Emergency Radio
Every house in Tornado Alley should have one of these.  This device, priced at around $50, is a good addition to anyone’s emergency kit.  It has a built-in flashlight, and requires no batteries to operate.  Wind it up and stay informed in any situation.  With the wind-up feature, you don’t have to worry about running out of batteries, or discarding any once they’re out of juice.  Lowes carries a great model by the American Red Cross.

Cloth Napkins
When you think about it, the disposable napkin is a pretty wasteful idea.  It’s a little piece of flimsy tissue that you use and discard on a daily basis.  Try reducing the amount of paper you waste by introducing the cloth napkin into your home, and just throw them in with your regular laundry to clean.  Cloth napkins are sold by a myriad of different makers, and can be matched to any occasion, whether it’s a lunch at your desk or a dinner party.  Evolution brand, sold at Bed Bath and Beyond, sells reusable napkins made from recycled plastic.

GPS Unit
Cars run on gas.  Driving uses up gas.  Driving lost uses up lots of gas.  Mobile GPS units for the car are an affordable way to make your next drive an efficient one.  These gadgets are the perfect gift to give an avid road tripper.  If you know exactly where you’re going, you won’t have to use any more gas than you need.  TomTom offers GPS units for as little as $50.

December Green Scene

At long last, the newsletter has arrived. Click above to view a PDF.

Nothing brings people together like grease.

Golden greasy goodness just makes food taste better.  A long time ago (before combo meals and fair food) someone decided a potato cut into slices and cooked in hot fat would taste great.  Guess what? They were right.  This simple method works on all kinds of food, including turkey.  While not-so-good for your love-handles (or heart), it’s great for your taste buds.  Don’t worry, it’s the holidays. Indulge.

If you find yourself thinking, “why would I roast a turkey this Thanksgiving when I could FRY it!?”, you’re  in for a delicious holiday meal to be sure, but read on.

Turkey grease (any kind of grease) has an interesting effect on city plumbing: it stops it from working.  Grease clogs pipes the same way it clogs your arteries.  Keep it out of the pipes by disposing of it properly.

If you find yourself dumping the 2 gallons of turkey-fryer grease down the drain, not only are you angering ancient Indian and Pilgrim ghosts, but you’re costing the city money (which is really your money).  When city pipes get clogged with gallons of grease, someone has to fix them, and that costs money.  So, next time you feel like pouring cooking grease down the drain, grab a wad of Andrew Jacksons and throw those in too.

Here’s what you should do with that grease:

• Pour and scrape all the leftover grease from your fryer/pots/pans into a durable container (like a coffee can, bucket, or the container it came in).
• Wipe greasy dishes with a paper towel before placing  in the dishwasher.  Throw the soiled paper towel in the trash.
• Toss the food scraps into the trash, not the garbage disposal (or join the rest of us an get a compost bin).
• When your container is full of fryer grease/cooking oil, bring it to any M.e.t. recycling center, and we’ll take care of it.

Click here for more info from the City of Tulsa.

Click here to see why you should beware of the grease blob.

The annual America Recycle Day Banquet approaches!  This Tuesday evening, at the Hyatt Regency downtown,  the Met will honor Oklahomans who have taken recycling to the next level.  There are still seats available.  Tickets are $50.00.  If you would like to attend, please give us a call at 918.584.0584!

Okra 2011: Future Trends in Recycling

Okra 2011: Plastics

Mission: To invigorate student participation through a national K-12 recycling competition.

Objectives:

• Establish new recycling programs within schools
• Increase recycling rates in schools that currently recycle.
• Provide teacher/student educational opportunities about recycling and waste reduction.

Go here to register your school for Recycle-Bowl 2011.

Tulsa Electronics Recycling Collection Event: October 22nd from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., at 5719 East 13th Street (enter West off of Sheridan onto 13th).

Electronic equipment (sorry, no televisions) will be accepted and recycled according to strict environmental standards.  Computers that meet certain qualifications will be refurbished and donated to children in need by PC Power.  For $1.00, computer monitors can be dropped off to be recycled (limit 20 per person).   All electronic equipment will be accepted at the event except fro television sets, items with refrigerant, gasoline, or radioactive sources.  For more info visit Natural Evolution.

Household Pollutant Event: November 5th and 6th from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the fairgrounds.

Make your home a little safer by getting rid of hazardous materials.  Load up your car, drive to the fairgrounds, and we will take care of the rest.

We will accept: household cleaners, pesticides, fertilizers, automotive fluids, cooking oil, batteries, all fluorescent light bulbs, small ammunition, smoke alarms, aerosol paint, hobby paint, pool chemicals, items containing mercury, and unused or out-of-date prescription medications.

Take advantage of these two events to clean up your home in a safe and environmentally-friendly fashion.

Officials say construction to replace the entrance to the school property where the recycling center is located is expected to last four weeks. “We know this is a big inconvenience for Glenpool’s great recyclers,” says Michael Patton, executive director of the MET. “We know how hard it is to recycle already, so we ask that everyone remain patient while this construction project is going on.”

Patton suggests taking recyclables to any of the MET’s 12 other recycling centers in the Tulsa area. The nearest one to Glenpool is in Jenks, at 110 N. Elm, across from Jenks City Hall. There are also locations in West Tulsa, South Tulsa, Bixby, Broken Arrow and Sand Springs that may be convenient for Glenpool residents. For a list of all the MET’s recycling centers and directions, visit www.metrecycle.com and click on Recycling, or call 918.584.0584.

If citizens cannot make it to another location, Patton hopes citizens can store their recyclables until the Glenpool location reopens. “Recycling is a volunteer activity, and we appreciate our customers very much. We apologize for the inconvenience.”

The MET operates 13 recycling centers in the Tulsa area, and promotes environmental issues through special events, education and advocacy. For more information on the event or the MET, visit www.metrecycle.com or call 918.584.0584.