May I take a minute to thank all those who help make the fund raising effort for Michigan Green Schools a success? Thank you.... and Thank you! If I start to name individual names and companies I will leave out some one since there are soooo many. They came out or allowed me to enter into their worlds during the months of April and May 2011. We had cold, we had rain, we had heat, we had... well you get it... spring is always a roll of the dice.
On May 25th, 2011 Greenfundraiserstore.com was there front and center for the Michigan Green Schools Awards Ceremony held at the Oakland County Intermediate School District Building in Waterford. Over 190 plus schools attended to be recognized for their accomplishments. They did not come in Priuses or hydrogen powered buses. They are regular people like you and me trying their best to inspire kids to do the best they can. I was pleased to see my own children's school district performing well. It was great to see Brian Kaplen and his green staff from Orion Oaks Elementary on hand. Brian and I go back many years when my now 17 year old son attended his school. My 14 year old daughter also went to school there and so do my 10 and 7 year old. It is foolish to say that time goes by fast... since it really is the same 24 hours in a day 365 in a year. Amanda is moving up and out of Orion Oaks and that means Molly will be the last. I told Brian years ago that when Molly was born that this was "job security" for him and his staff. I am sorry to hear that Brian will be moving on as well at the end of this school year. He has taken an opportunity in another district and I want to wish him and his family the very best. He is a very dedicated man and has built a great surrounding cast in the Orion Oaks staff.
Now it's time to re focus on the next big thing and that is a new fund raising campaign for the Oakland County Fair. This event is held every year at Spring Field Oaks park ground and lasts from July 12-17th. It has changed only in name since it used to be known as the Oakland County 4-H fair. I believe it is a good decision to change the name in order to change the perception that this fair is only about farm animals and getting a chance to watch a calf being born. Not that this isn't something for everyone to see... but I've heard plenty of stories from my old farmer friend Wayne Nolan up in Thomas (small berg of Oxford). Wayne would always like to make us city folk uneasy with the stories of late night berthing of calves. I will spare you the details.... but one episode had to do with a breach birth and a tractor and chain hook up. The fair is much more than that so plan to mark the dates and come on up to the great northern part of Oakland County and see what is going on at the fair.
In the mean time.... we are shifting gears from composting pales to another more frequently used item that we all use in the course of daily living. This is a simple kitchen liner that we don't think twice about when we pull out the full bag of "garbage" and slid in a new liner. What is in a common liner? Well... it is poly plastic that is really a petroleum based product. That means it is another link to our unquenchable thirst for foreign oil. How is our liner different? Once again we make a small yet significant shift to a liner that is corn starch (plant material) based. The bag is also biodegradable and compost able. Today I spent several hours with a display in Orion Township and was explaining this to a nice lady who stopped off at the exhibit. She asked me "So how is your liner any better than the plastic liner if they both end up in the land fill?" That was a great question and had been prepared for it with a three part answer. ONE: Less dependence on foreign oil. TWO: Plastic has zero chance of bio-degrading/compost ability. THREE: It makes you feel good.
So. Operators are standing by right now.... we can offer you a 20 gallon liner in rolls of 10 that will easily fit standard size kitchen waste cans, 13 gallon liners in rolls of 12 which will fit the "shorty" office waste cans, and 3 gallon liners in rolls of 25 which will fit in those little tiny under the bathroom counter cans. Each goes for $5.99 and $6.99 on our web site however we have special pricing for our Oakland County Fair Fund Raiser. They are on sale for $5http://www.greenfundraiserstore.com/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=133&category_id=1&page=shop.browse&limit=20&limitstart=40 per roll... all sizes and Greenfundraiserstore.com will make a donation of .50 for each roll we sell during the period of June 1st through July 31st, 2011. Support your Oakland County Fair and make a small yet significant shift to an activity of daily living that is cleaner , greener, never meaner!
Now... if you like stuffing your used cotton balls, q tips , facial tissue, in a plastic bag and tying it off to be preserved for who knows really how long.... that is one of those choices you have to make. Kind of like the guilt I used to have with throwing those used AA, AAA batteries in the waste stream. We know it's not right... but well only a couple won't hurt. Wait... if we all use that logic and we all throw 4 out times say 2.5 million people.... well... that's.... a lot of batteries.
Thank you... and Good Night!
