Monthly Archives: July 2014

Recycling Clothing: Suit Yourself Donation Day Saturday, August 2

Posted on by Lenore Collins

This weekend, you can recycle clothing through Suit Yourself, and help a woman find a job.

Suit Yourself logo

On Saturday, August 2, the all-volunteer non-profit agency Suit Yourself is collecting gently worn professional clothing, shoes, and accessories to be furnished to women in transition who are seeking employment.

Those donations will go to clients of Suit Yourself’s social service agency partners: women who are entering or returning to the workforce — women who need appropriate clothing for interviews and to wear on the job but, right now, can’t afford to buy it.

For more information about how to donate and what happens to your donations, click here. To download a Suit Yourself donation form, click here.

When and Where to Donate

Suit Yourself accepts donations, from 10 a.m. until noon on the first Saturday of each month, at 47 West Walnut Avenue in Painesville (map).

The currently scheduled donation day is Saturday, August 2. Donation days for the second half of 2014 are:

  • Saturday, August 2
  • Saturday, September 6
  • Saturday, October 4
  • Saturday, November 8
  • Saturday, December 5

Other Donations, Volunteer Inquiries Welcome

Financial donations, which are of course welcome at any time and are used to purchase non-donated items such as hosiery, may be mailed to Suit Yourself, 47 West Walnut Avenue, Painesville, Ohio 44077.

Suit Yourself also welcomes inquiries from potential volunteers. For information about volunteering, click here.

Donate clothing to Suit Yourself: help someone find a job, and keep usable clothing out of the landfill.

Want to stay in touch with the latest recycling news in the Cleveland area? Just click on the Follow button at the bottom of my blog Home page, or subscribe to my Examiner.com page

.

Advertisement

Cuyahoga County Enrolling 2014 Master Recycler Class

Posted on by Lenore Collins

The Cuyahoga County Solid Waste Management District is accepting applications for its 2014 Master Recycler class.

MasterRecyclerLogo

I took this class last year, and it was well worth the time and effort.

  • Our class consisted of a group of committed recyclers. Unless you work in the industry (and maybe even if you do), this probably doesn’t happen to you very often.
  • We got to know the Solid Waste Management District staff and the valuable functions they provide for the communities in Cuyahoga County.
  • The lectures and tours (four lectures, alternating weekly with four tours/field trips) explored and clarified many of the confusing aspects of recycling and what determines what goes into the recycling bin.
  • In lecture sessions, we heard from experts in waste management and from many of agencies that reuse, repurpose, or recycle materials that would otherwise go into the landfill.
  • Our tours took us to waste management facilities of various types, explained and demonstrated each facility’s purpose and operations, and gave us ample opportunity to talk with the facility’s representatives.
  • One tour in particular, our visit to the Cleveland Habitat for Humanity ReStore, was particularly joyful for me: I discovered a kitchen appliance that I later purchased. (See my blog post Shopping Recycled: How I Replaced My Jenn-Air Range at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore and Saved Over $2,000.)

I encourage anyone with a commitment to waste management, waste reduction, or recycling to consider the Master Recycler program. But don’t dally: only a few spots remain for this year’s class.

What can you expect from the Master Recycler program?

  • You’ll have the opportunity to develop an in-depth understanding of solid waste management issues and practices, including waste reduction, composting, and recycling.
  • You’ll develop the personal resources to advocate for recycling and sustainability in the community and the workplace.
  • You’ll find opportunities for productive partnerships among your fellow participants.
  • Through service learning and volunteer opportunities, you can become a volunteer educator who can represent the District and its mission.

For application procedures and details about the program’s requirements and activities, program eligibility, and potential topics and tours, see the Cuyahoga County Solid Waste District website.

Become a Master Recycler: learn how and why to Keep It Out of the Landfill.

Want to stay in touch with the latest recycling news in the Cleveland area? Just click on the Follow button at the bottom of my blog Home page, or subscribe to my Examiner.com page.

Shop recycled at The Gathering Place Warehouse Sale, August 9 and 10

Posted on by Lenore Collins

Something special this month: besides the stunning collection of elegant, gently used furniture and other household items you normally find at The Gathering Place Warehouse Sales, prices on sofas are drastically reduced. Every sofa’s price has been cut 50%. And prices on select other merchandise are now 20% off. Click here for a look at just some of the items available at this sale.

Dates for this two-day sale are:

  • Saturday, August 9, 9 a.m.–1 p.m.
  • Sunday, August 10, 10 a.m.–1 p.m.
The Gathering Place Warehouse Sale driveway sign

Look for this sign at the driveway entrance to The Gathering Place Warehouse Sale.

The sale takes place at The Gathering Place Warehouse, 4911 Commerce Parkway, Warrensville Heights, Ohio (map). (Note that this is a different location from The Gathering Place.) Terms for all purchases are cash or credit cards only.

The Gathering Place Warehouse accepts gently used furniture and other household items for resale. If you have items that you would like to donate, please contact Outreach Coordinator Cheryl Apisdorf (216-595-9546 or apisdorf@touchedbycancer.org.). Please note that The Gathering Place does not accept drop-off donations of furniture or household items at its Beachwood or Westlake locations or at its warehouse.

Funds raised by The Gathering Place Warehouse Home Furnishings Sale support the many free programs and services at The Gathering Place for individuals and families touched by cancer.

Shop recycled at The Gathering Place Warehouse Home Furnishings Sale: save money, take home beautiful things and keep fine home furnishings from going to waste.

Want to stay in touch with the latest recycling news in the Cleveland area? Just click on the Follow button at the bottom of my blog Home page, or subscribe to my Examiner.com page.

Recycling Real Estate: Greater Cleveland Habitat for Humanity Is Now Rehabbing Foreclosed, Abandoned Properties

Posted on by Lenore Collins

Greater Cleveland Habitat for Humanity is moving aggressively to rehabilitate and restore some of Cleveland’s neighborhoods that were most seriously damaged by the foreclosure crisis. Rather than building new housing, the organization is now adopting neighborhoods and rehabbing abandoned foreclosed properties.

House currently being rehabbed by Greater Cleveland Habitat for Humanity

House currently being rehabbed by Greater Cleveland Habitat for Humanity (Photo courtesy of Greater Cleveland Habitat for Humanity)

Here’s what I love about this move:

  • Habitat for Humanity can rehab a property and sell it to new homeowners for, in some cases, significantly less than $50,000, whereas costs for new housing units can easily approach $200,000 each. This not only makes home ownership affordable for more potential owners, it allows Habitat for Humanity to produce three or four rehabbed houses for the cost of one brand new house.
  • By focusing on selected streets, the process can revitalize an entire neighborhood, thus protecting — even increasing — the value of existing properties. In fact, Habitat for Humanity provides help with exterior repairs for existing residents in target neighborhoods.
  • Renovation instead of demolition reuses much of the existing structure, thus keeping building materials out of the landfill.
  • Rehabbing — restoring — existing homes, instead of replacing them with new construction, preserves the character of our historic neighborhoods.
  • Using materials donated to the Habitat for Humanity ReStore helps contain construction costs and makes use of what might otherwise be discarded.

The rehab process does, however, offer more serious challenges than new housing:

  • Obtaining clear title to a foreclosed, abandoned property is a time-consuming process, and until that process is complete, the property continues to be a blight on the neighborhood.
  • Because Greater Cleveland Habitat for Humanity is adopting and focusing on specific streets in neighborhoods that need a lot of work — currently Colfax Road in Lower Kinsman and Clement Avenue in Slavic Village — the properties may not be perceived as desirable by potential homeowners.

For more information about Habitat for Humanity’s current rehab work, see Greater Cleveland Habitat for Humanity’s Current Construction web page. Click on any of the photographs to open a slide show of rehab work in process on the property.

To see the many results of recent rehab projects, go to the Home Dedications page. Clicking on any photograph will open a slide show of the property’s dedication ceremony.

Greater Cleveland Habitat for Humanity Executive Director John Habat discussed this change in the organization’s approach as a guest columnist for Cleveland.com on June 10, 2014.

Reduce, reuse, repurpose, rehab, recycle.
Keep neighborhoods from going to waste.
Keep building materials out of the landfill.

Want to stay in touch with the latest recycling news in the Cleveland area? Just click on the Follow button at the bottom of my blog Home page, or subscribe to my Examiner.com page.