Janet Hall could be called the conscience of WSU Extension. As coordinator of Waste Wise Volunteers, Hall was the one who blew the whistle a couple years ago on plastic water bottles at Sound Waters University, and who is constantly seeking better ways to live less wastefully.Reduce, reuse, recycle is Hall's mantra. But her mandate from Island County is even clearer -- to reduce the quantity of solid waste that accumulates at the county's transfer stations, since all of it ultimately must be shipped at great cost to distant, off-island landfills.
"And while we're at it, let's remember Island County is a sole source aquifer," Hall points out. "We need to be concerned about what we're putting into the ground because it can get into our ground water, as well."
For Hall, waste is about lifestyle choices. And she is philosophical. She encourages more mindful and sustainable living that puts the focus on the quality, not the physical scale, of life and possessions.
Graduates of Hall's training, WSU Waste Wise Volunteers, gain a toolkit of strategies to manage their homes and gardens in ways that generate fewer discards and less damage to the environment. For some, the joy of establishing a thriving first worm bin for composting is the start of a grand new adventure in country living.
For many, managing their homes with more environmental sensitivity is the "think locally" piece of the much bigger challenge to "act globally." Recent weather aberrations have heightened the concern by many that things need to change in fundamental ways. The unusually windy island winter of 2006-7 may not be just an "off year" but a taste of more unsettled years to come as our climate adjusts to global warming.
"It’s not only scientists now but citizens who see the problem," Hall says. "More and more people want to know why it’s happening, how to prepare and how to help."
Many of the answers can be found in WSU Extension’s Waste Wise training. The course is offered free of charge to those who commit to give back equivalent hours of service in educating their own communities.
For years, Waste Wise training focused on household recycling, composting and sustainable living. More recently the training has grown broader to teach strategies to become more carbon-neutral.
"Much of what we do every day releases carbon into the atmosphere," Hall points out. "Carbon emissions add to global warming. By understanding the sources of carbon emissions, we can make personal choices to reduce or offset them."
Household recycling is a good example. "By recycling half of our household waste at home we can each save 2,400 pounds of carbon dioxide. And since recycled paper requires only 10 – 30 percent as much energy to manufacture, it makes sense to buy recycled paper products." She added that by avoiding heavily-packaged goods, homeowners can reduce their garbage by 10 percent and save 1,200 pounds of carbon dioxide.
More and more people are consciously down-sizing or making changes in their lifestyle that value quality of life rather than quantity of possessions. “Recycling is good and we should all practice it. But it’s even better if we can learn strategies to consume less and generate less household garbage and fewer discards.”
"Nobody expects perfection," Hall said. "Waste Wise is not about being perfect – it is about sharing knowledge, exploring ideas and the excitement of learning. Many graduates of past years’ training say they met others in the Waste Wise program who have become some of their most valued friends in the community."
