Page 4 - Sustainable Life - December 19th 2013

C4 SuStainablelife
Pamplin Media Group Thursday, December 19, 2013
SustainableLife

Gifts: Who says they must
be new?

■ From page 1

everything, but just one or two
things can make a big differ- ence,” Collins says.
Here are 10 ways you can use your gift-buying powers to
spread more joy to the world.
1. Reduce the gift wrapping
PAMPLIN MEDIA GROUP: DOUG BURKHARDT Peter VanHouten, EG Metals’ general manager, demonstrates new “end
Wrap gifts in durable and
of life” processing equipment at the Hillsboro plant.
reusable items — such as
Hillsboro is last cloth, tins and baskets — in- stead of shiny paper destined Temporary
for a landfill after one use. employees ill Conscious Boxes
stop for E-waste
Start a tradition of cloth gift bags that you purchase or with green- themed goods.
make from felt, gauze or calico. Decorate with ribbons and PAMPLIN MEDIA
found natural materials. Save GROUP: JONATHAN HOUSE
and reuse conventional wrap- ping paper and bags from the make crafts, this can be a per- gift they wouldn’t use.
EG Metals is irst
nation of machinery to shred
gifts you receive. Or, Collins suggests, make a date for next fect way to share your joy of creation with family and Keeping dollars local
You don’t even need a non-
proit. Donate goods to a needy computers, monitors, cell phones and other electronic goods into
summer to splash paint around friends. Collins cautions that Amount of $140 purchase that friend or family.
in region doing end- small pieces that go through
with the kids onto recycled butcher paper and roll it up for this can add to holiday season stress, so start early or make stays in the local economy:
■ From purchase at local 8. Shop secondhand stores
of-life processing
multiple separation processes, transforming them into their
next year’s wrapping paper.
gifts during a slow time of the year. Can berries in the spring, boutique: $105
Think outside the big box. By DOUG BURKHARDT
original core commodity.
“This process normally oc-
2. Give an experience
do messy tie-dye in the summer, ■ From purchase at national retailer: $20
Give new life to items found at Pamplin Media Group
curs overseas, and we’ve
Collins advises clients to or knit garments as the leaves start to turn. Then you’ll have ■ From purchase online: $5 Source: Supportland
estate sales, thrift stores, and antique shops. “Who says it has Many Northwest companies brought it domestically,” Van- Houten says.
think about what their own fa- vorite gift has been before they more time and energy to spend with family during the holidays.
to be new?” Collins says.
claiming to do electronics re- cycling merely collect the EG Metals recently held a dedication ceremony to show-
go off to buy things for others. fresh or value-added local food- 9. Gift cards
stuff and send it to other recy- case its specialized processing
Often they ind their favorite gift was an experience. This 5. Support local artists, artisans, farmers
stuffs.
Though they may seem im- clers.
An increasing share of those equipment, which company of- icials believe will take its oper-
could be a class you take to- 6. Keep returns personal, gift cards are what castoffs now wind up in Hills- ations to a new level. Company
gether, tickets to theater or mu- sic productions, or member- If you aren’t particularly skilled at homemade items, to a minimum
people want most, studies show. You can gently inluence boro, at fast-growing EG Metals.
oficials demonstrated the pro-
cess by running The metal and
ships to museums. There’s no need to spend money. Video- Portland is brimming with peo- ple who are, says Supportland About 10 percent of all gifts are returned, according to the your recipient’s purchases by buying certiicates to local res- some of the first products through electronics recy-
cler — which
“This process
tape an interview with an aging co-founder Katrina Scotto di National Retail Federation. taurants or other small busi- the futuristic sys- started out in 2002
normally occurs
family member. Write a song or a poem for a friend.
Carlo. The local business net- work offered triple points on FedEx says its ground returns jump 25 percent in the days af- nesses. If in doubt, ask. You will often ind that even very tem.
“What you’re in the garage of
the company’s
overseas, and
3. Give time
Small Business Saturday, to en- courage Portlanders to skip the ter Christmas. All that back and forth from the store or on- small businesses offer gift cer- tiicates.
seeing here is elec- tronic reincarna- founder — has
grown to 27 em-
we’ve brought
big-box stores.
line warehouse adds up in our tion,” says Hills- ployees, and is
it domestically.”
Make your own gift certiicates for your time or a useful skill. (If “I like the idea of giving a gift to someone, but also giv- atmosphere. If you think a re- turn is likely, pick up a gift 10. Fewer gifts
boro Mayor Jerry Willey. “Electron- poised for more
growth. It recently
— Peter VanHouten,
you’re not conident in your artis- tic abilities, search “printable gift ing a gift to the community,” di Carlo says. “It’s almost cooler card, buy local or buy a ser- vice.
Make a commitment with friends and family to give fewer ics include mercu- ry and plastics and displayed its new
“end of life” pro-
EG Metals general manager
certiicates” on Google or Pinter- than donating (to a charity) gifts. A study by The Center for other materials
cessing technolo-
est.) Often people would love help around the house or could really because you’re supporting a neighbor. I always think it’s 7. Give to charity
a New American Dream showed 70 percent of Ameri- that are bad for the environ- ment, and we don’t want them in gy that breaks down electronics so the component parts get re-
use cooking, woodworking, ŕsu- like a double gift if you sup- Heifer International is one of cans want to reduce the impor- our landills.”
used or recycled.
ḿ help or whatever else you have a knack for. As an added bonus, port local.”
Holiday sales often can make many organizations that offers a card you can give to loved ones. tance of gift-giving during the holidays. So it’s likely most “Businesses coming to EG Metals don’t have to worry “We are the only company in the Northwest that processes to
you might get to spend quality time together while delivering the difference between a boom and a bust year at local gift They provide the gift of livestock or other farm necessities to people in your network would jump on board, for example, the about materials ending up in landfills,” says Danny Jones, end-of-life,” says Peter Van- Houten, EG Metals’ general
your gift. If you’re too busy to offer shops and boutiques, di Carlo needy families around the world. idea of a gift exchange game president of EG Metals. “We are manager. “For example, comput-
your own time, buy a gift certii- cate for a service, such as window- adds.
There also are plenty of tem- At TisBest.org, you can give a charity gift card, allowing the instead. Start the tradition with a White Elephant or Secret also a certiied data destruction facility.”
ers become tin, copper, alumi- num, mixed precious metals and
washing or car maintenance.
porary markets set up this time of year. The Portland Farmers recipient to choose the charity. According to a Red Cross poll, 79 Santa exchange. You can also request that in lieu of presents, Nationwide, only an estimat- ed 12.5 percent of electronic de- plastic.”
Many electronics recyclers in
4. Give a homemade item
Market’s website, portland- percent of respondents say they your family rent a ski cabin vices are currently being recy- the area collect materials and
If you have a hobby or love to
farmersmarket.org, lists open markets where you can pick up
would rather have a charitable donation in their honor than a
together or share a similar experience.
cled — a number EG Metals hopes to see vastly increase.
sell them to EG Metals, he says.
EG Metals employs a combi-

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