Fay Watson

Recycling vs Landfill

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In 2012 it was easy to convince people to recycle. Recycling was a boom industry, everyone was making money. The profits made an easy case for cities to promote recycling over sending it with the trash to the landfill. Today cities have to pay waste haulers to take their recycling, much like they pay to take the rest of the trash to the landfill or the green waste facility. These are services that result in less volume being buried in the landfill, but more difficult to sell the idea of recycling to those who can't see the benefit of not burying our trash. Try finding out data about waste and the EPA's site hasn't been updated with stats since 2015. In the end, I believe that waste to energy plants will become more efficient at combusting our trash, but at what costs to the environment when our EPA regulations are are not rigorous enough?

https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2019/03/china-has-stopped-accepting-our-trash/584131/

https://earther.gizmodo.com/recycling-is-broken-1833063010/amp?fbclid=IwAR0h5Io7bPjH1Y-b93RTqPPj3Vyw1kQDt8fOKfCqDJ_OzQRbaCyIDmeMXWw

https://www.oskaloosa.com/news/local_news/landfill-tipping-fees-increase/article_e64161d5-12fb-5b93-bcc0-a04fffaf13ef.html

Fall is Here!

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The sun is rising in the sky and it's amazing outside. This type of weather helps me forget the seemingly endless Houston summer. The blue sky and cool temperature make me smile.

A Beautiful Day in August

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Every day is a gift. I learned that from David A. Watson. Getting up in the morning and taking in the sunrise was a gift. He often posted photos of the sunrise. Never taking granted that he would get to see the next one.
It has been a year and a half since he left us. We have since lost other loved ones as well. The latest loss has hit me hard. On August 12th we lost someone who has always been a light, who constantly sees the best and finds joy, makes laughter and fills our hearts with cheer.
I am for the most part an optimistic happy person. I am struggling today to find the joy. I am sure it will be there tomorrow. I will smile and laugh and remember all of these people who helped shape me. But for now, I will shed a tear and grieve a little because that is a part of life too.

Drop off Glass at the Pearland Recycling Center Don't Throw it Out of Your Car, Because it Could Become a Trail

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Glass bottles need to be recycled either curbside or at the Stella Roberts Recycle Center! They definitely should not be thrown out of car onto a sidewalk. I ran over the remnants of a snapple bottle that some inconsiderate person had exploded over a sidewalk. I then almost avoided a glass soda bottle of unknown origin. I say almost because my poor bike tire picked up a half inch piece of the glass. It almost immediately lost all the air. My bike and I walked home. The tire and tube were beyond a side of the road repair.

A representation of the
bottle that killed my
bicycle tire

The Stella Roberts Recycling Center (5800 Magnolia, Pearland, TX 77584) wants your glass bottles and jars. Recycling glass at the center is easy. Just keep empty glass containers separate from the rest of your recyclables so that you can easily put it into the glass only bin (hopper) at the Stella Roberts Recycle Center.
The glass does not have to be free of paper labels.

The recycling center purchased the new glass crusher with Houston-Galveston Area Council of Governments solid waste grant funds, making Friendswood, Manvel and Pearland more environmentally friendly cities. The nearest glass recycling facility is in Midlothian Texas, glass is heavy and shipping costs to get to to Midlothian are high. By crushing glass and using it locally Pearland will reduce its carbon footprint.

KPB and the City of Pearland would like to see more glass recycled in our area. Not only can glass be reused continuously by recycling it curbside, it can also be used to beautify our community. The glass crusher can crush and pulverize glass into sand and gravel pieces with no sharp edges, resulting in a great material for landscaping and walkways.

Hopper full of glass ready
to be dropped into the
glass crusher hopper

Crushed glass in a glass pitcher

You can see the results of what can be done with crushed glass by visiting the Yard Wise Demonstration Garden adjacent to the Stella Roberts Recycle Center. After a recent tour of the Yard Wise Garden and Recycling Center last week, Megan Flowers of the Pearland Convention and Visitor Bureau said “The colors of the crushed glass are beautiful and add a lot of aesthetic appeal. It’s a creative way to visually enhance the garden and I think it’s much prettier than crushed granite.”

Help make our communities a cleaner more environmentally responsible place by recycling your glass at the Stella Recycling Center at 5800 Magnolia, Pearland, TX 77584. Keep Pearland Beautiful recommends keeping your glass separated from your other recyclables and dropping it off at the recycling center. By keeping glass recycling local, you can help reduce our carbon footprint while its crushed remnants beautify our local landscapes.

For more information about recycling at the Stella Roberts Recycling Center visit mykpb.org or call 281-652-1659.

Innovative Ways Governments Are Incentivizing Recycling

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Innovative Ways Governments Are Incentivizing Recycling

Read this great article to learn more about how your city can do more to increase your waste diversion rates. Saving space in landfills will help our entire planet!

5 ways to take control of your Facebook News Feed

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This is a great posting from Mashable. I love the tips and will start using them to help me keep my sanity. Nothing is worse than a constant stream of negativity from your second cousin, or a neighbor down the street. Well, maybe a constant stream of unwanted political advice is a close second in annoying and even ruining my day. I want to stay connected with these folks but I do not want to see all of these negative posts in my news feed!

5 ways to take control of your Facebook News Feed:

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An Inconsistent Blogger

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Here I am sitting in front of my computer vowing to do better, yet knowing me I just won't be disciplined enough to blog every day. I wonder what works for others. How do you remember to post something? I may try setting an alarm with a reminder. That is how I remember other things...like picking up Zack on his early days and putting out the trash on the right days. I have some photos that I want to start sharing. I am on a mission to capture life in monochrome. I fell in love with B&W photography years ago and redeveloped a passion for it over the last few months. We will see how this next adventure goes. Check back and if you don't see some blogs strung together contact me and give me a hard time.

Fay

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Arbor Day Celebration November 8, 2014

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Post by Keep Pearland Beautiful.

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"What Font Should I Use?": Five Principles for Choosing and Using Typefaces | Smashing Magazine

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"What Font Should I Use?": Five Principles for Choosing and Using Typefaces | Smashing Magazine:

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I love fonts, I love funky fonts, I love fancy fonts, but I really control myself and limit myself to fonts that are readable. This article about choosing fonts and typefaces is great!

National Planting Day 2014

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Keep Pearland Beautiful participated in the third annual National Planting Day with a tree planting at the VFW Post on August 28, 2014.

The Last of the "Cool" Days

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The last of the "cool" days, that is what I thought a few weeks ago. Then a front came through Tuesday and dropped the temperature to that of an early spring day. Yesterday a few of us went to the Yardwise Garden adjacent to the Stella Roberts Recycling Center 5800 Magnolia, Pearland TX 77584. Working for 3 hours when it is cool made it pleasant. Waking up this morning to 52 degrees was a treat! I am trying to relish this weather and remember it. Remind me in July that I said I would be grateful for our cooler than normal spring and NOT whine about the summer :-)!

If You Build It

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We talk about wanting this and wanting that program but then reality hits. What if you built it and No One Comes. Every program and every project that you start has to be maintained and managed by someone. Keep Pearland Beautiful has a beautiful native and adaptive garden that is one of Pearland's best kept secret. The Yard Wise Garden is adjacent to the Stella Roberts Recycling Center 5800 Magnolia. Pearland TX 77584. When you park in front of the center the garden is just to the left of the center. We are starting a club, we will call it the Yard Wise Gardening Club. Once a month we will meet and maintain this demonstration garden so that others can enjoy it. In a few hours once a month we can stay ahead of the weeds and keep this garden tamed. Please email me at admin@mykpb.org if you are interested in joining our merry band of gardeners!

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A Thought for Monday

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Today is the memorial service for a brave woman who fought brain cancer for over 25 years. My thoughts and prayers are with her family especially her funny, smart, caring father who is a dear friend. I can't even imagine what it is like to lose a child. I really admire the strength and resilience that my friend Dorman's family has shown through their loss of a dearly beloved one.

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Rustic Oak Nature Center is Covered in Blue Bonnets!

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Spring is in the air... yesterday it was cool and rainy but this visit to a local nature center was worth it!

You don't ever imagine that one thoughtful act can spread...

But if the act involves blue bonnets and they are allowed to go to seed every year and then mowed down then they will spread! A friend of ours was very ill and in the hospital. We went on a road trip to the Antique Rose Emporium. Zachary and I found some blue bonnet plants for sale and we purchased 4 plants. We took them to the Rustic Oak Elementary School Nature Center and planted them. Every year the seed spread out a little bit more and with the right amount of rain ... the blue bonnets are putting on quite a show!

Source Reduction

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Do you ever read something and think I don't think that is right? But then you find yourself doubting yourself and what you think that you know. Maybe that person has it right. You think a bit more and then you grab your phone or computer and use the power of google to give you the definitive answer.

The last time this happened to me I was reading a piece someone wrote about source reduction. It was a component of a broader question about solid waste management practices. Source reduction is a component of the three "r's" reduce, reuse, and recycle.

According to the EPA source reduction results from reducing the amount of material needs and used to make products or their packaging. Sometimes source reduction is called waste minimization. A few specific examples of source reduction practices are:

Redesigning products to use fewer materials (e.g., lightweighting, material substitution).
Reusing products and materials (e.g., a refillable water bottle).
Extending the useful lifespan of products.
Avoiding using materials in the first place (e.g., reducing junk mail).
On-site composting and grasscycling or "leave it on the lawn"

Here are some simple source reduction strategies from the National Recycling Coalition that you as a consumer can incorporate into your life.

1. Reduce product use, ask yourself if you really need to purchase another one of "those."

2. Rent or lease products or equipment.

3. Purchase rebuilt, remanufactured or refurbished products.

4. Purchase more durable products.

5. Purchase products containing nonhazardous materials.

6. Purchase products that are reusable, refillable, or returnable.

7. Purchase products in bulk.

8. Purchase products with less packaging or reuse packaging.

9. Share or reuse resources.

As landfill space becomes more of an issue for our communities we all need to help by using what I call the five R's (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Rebuy and Rot). Consider your options and use some of these strategies to become a more environmentally responsible citizen of Pearland. Call us 281-652-1659 or email us (info@mykpb.org) at Keep Pearland Beautiful (www.mykpb.org) to find out more!

Keep Pearland Beautiful hosts Cigarette Litter Awareness Day - Your Houston News: Living

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Keep Pearland Beautiful hosts Cigarette Litter Awareness Day - Your Houston News: Living

It is really difficult for me to separate work from the rest of my life. I am so passionate about improving our community environment. Littering costs us so much on multiple levels. Cigarette Butts in particular are disgusting, unsightly and harmful to our wildlife mostly by poisoning their habitats. Please remind the smokers you know to keep their butts in their cars! We have some cigarette butt receptacles that fit nicely into your car cup holder. Visit us and pick up one today. www.mykpb.org
Our office is in the Pearland Community Center, 3523 Liberty Dr, Pearland, Texas 77581 - we are here 9AM to 4PM most days Monday through Friday. Give us call to make sure we aren't out at an event (281-652-1659)

Scientists sequence DNA of ancient American - SciGuy

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Scientists sequence DNA of ancient American - SciGuy:

Eric Berger is one of my favorite writers/ bloggers from the Houston Chronicle. Of course, that may be because I am a BIG Geek and he is the SciGuy! This posting about sequencing the DNA from a Clovis culture one year old boy. The DNA sequencing helps support evidence for the migration of people to North America from Siberia 15000 years ago. Check out the full story at the link listed above!

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Ice, Snow and Sleet

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There was so much ice on the car on Friday morning. It took a long time for it to defrost enough to drive. I made the trip into work safely since there were many routes to take that didn't involve crossing bridges. It was a quiet day, just a few calls. A great time to hide out at the office and get stuff done. Saturday was extremely cold to begin the day and beautiful. I hung out with at the Farmer's Market and handed out seedlings. From there Auntie Waste went to winterfest.

Last of a Beautiful Christmas Cactus ....

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I Love Christmas Cacti...

But I have never had any success with keeping it blooming through Christmas and alive into the next year to watch it bloom again. I have several friends who have Christmas Cactus success. So, before next Christmas I am going to learn the nuances of keeping one alive and getting it to bloom.

As a biologist who took plenty of botany, horticulture and physiology I know the importance of the circadian to the flowering of certain plants. Until the plant is exposed to the right amount of dark it will not bloom. Then there is the amount of water a plant needs and putting it in the right soil conditions. Almost seems like it is easier to have a pet than to try to cultivate a particular flowering plant (I know all plants flower - they have to have sex...by flowering I mean a houseplant that has a visually pleasing bloom).

Here are some sites that I want to save and revisit next November when the shops start selling Christmas Cacti...

Have you had success with Christmas Cacti? If so please share your story with me!

Then maybe we can move onto that pesky poinsettia....

2014 Arbor Day Tree Seedling Giveaway Continues

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On January 11, 2014 Keep Pearland Beautiful celebrated Arbor Day with an annual tree seedling giveaway. Over 200 people came by our two locations and picked up seedlings to nurture and grow into trees. Keep Pearland Beautiful gives away a different assortment of trees and shrubs every year to increase the diversity of trees within the city of Pearland.

We still have seedlings in our office (American Beautyberry, Swamp Chestnut Oak, PawPaw, Pecan, Southern Crabapple, and Laurel Oak). Information about these trees can be found on our website (www.mykpb.org). Please come by our offices at 3523 Liberty Dr, Pearland, TX 77581 9AM-3PM Monday through Fridays until January 24, 2014 to get some seedlings. On January 25, 2014 we will be taking the remaining seedlings to the Farmer’s Market (8AM-Noon in Zychlinski Park 2243 Grand Blvd. Pearland, Texas 77581) to give them away.

Trees are an essential part of our native landscape and to our ecosystem in general. They produce the oxygen we breathe and help cool our homes by providing shade. Trees give us many benefits that can be calculated by complex formulas. Casey Trees and Davy Tree Expert Companies have developed an online calculator that can tell you the value of a tree on your property.

Basically you just have to know the type of tree and it’s diameter. The diameter of a tree is typically measured at 4.5 feet high on the tree (about chest high on an average size man). To calculate the diameter you can measure the circumference at that height with a tape measure and divide that number by pi (3.142). Then visit the following website (http://www.davey.com/arborist-advice/education/national-tree-benefit-calculator.aspx).

There are several great websites that you can visit to learn more about trees and how to take care of your trees.

If you have questions regarding your trees, shrubs or flowers, please contact the City of Pearland Urban Forester John Walters at jwalters@ci.pearland.tx.us or 281.652.1983. The Urban Forester is unable to make house calls, but if you would like to send digital photos of your tree questions or concerns, please do so to the email address above. The urban forester is happy to provide the public with pertinent information or provide a program or informational workshop to your group or classroom.