Electronic Trash to Treasure

I have the privilege of being involved with some really cool projects as part of my day job. If you are creatively and/or technically inclined, consider entering the International E-Waste Design Competition. This contest is open to anyone 18 years old or older who is currently attending college or has graduated since May 2006. You can enter as an individual or as a team. The idea is to take e-waste that would normally end up in landfills and create something new, useful and appealing from it. There are two categories in which you may enter--"Designer/Artist" for projects more focused on the aesthetic, and "Technical/Geek" for projects that result in cool gadgets from electronic components. See the competition web site for full details. The entry deadline is April 1, 2010, and there are some serious prizes involved, as well as the opportunity to impress a jury of industry leaders. Registration is free and currently open, so put your thinking cap on and consider how the dearth of electronic waste that our culture creates every year could be turned into a valuable resource instead of an environmental burden.

Foiled Again--and Again

Life has been crazy and continues to be. I won't bore you with the details (though to me they are more heartbreaking and all-consuming than boring), but suffice it to say that have been one poor correspondent. I'm working to amend that and hoping that writing more again will help soothe my troubled soul as well.

I read an interest blog post today that I thought I would share about reusing aluminum foil. I must admit I'm not always as good about this as I should be. Occasionally I wash it and save it for reuse, but sometimes I'm just lazy. Reading this post by Jeff Yeager on the Daily Green has inspired me to be a bit more conservative with my foil. Yeager offers twelve ways to reuse your foil, some of which I have heard of before and forgotten, some of which I occasionally practice, and some which were new to me and sparked my urge to experiment (I gotta try the clothes dryer thing). Perhaps we should all cry "Blessings! Foiled again!"