Where to next? Hmmm...

Going to the Land of...

Fjords, Lapland, Vikings, Sami Peoples

Midnight Sun, Northern Lights

Flor og Fjare (Tropical island? Yes!)

Where they say things like...

Ja/Nei, Takk, Vaer sa god

Mor'n, God dag, God kveld, God natt

Morn'a or Ha det


Where I can shop for...

Gnomes, Trolls

Reindeer toys

Sami Jewellery (Silver--my Fav!)

Aquavit

(Akevitt or Dram)




Where I can eat...

Multekrem (cloudberries & whipped cream)

Polse i lompe (hot dog in a tortilla of flour & potatoes)

Geitost/brunost (brown goats' cheese sharp with caramel note)

Reker (shrimps - peel, pile on white bread, squeeze on lemon & mayo, sprinkle with dill)

Laks og eggerore (smoked salmon & scrambled eggs)

787878787878787878787878787878787878787

Have ya'll guessed it yet?! :o)

Check out this webpage: http://www.visitnorway.com/

Note: Keep an eye out for "Rain In Stavanger" - the next Blog!!! (#3)

Wait for it...maybe in the Fall - Oct or Nov ???

CFL / Mercury Light Bulbs - Break? Recycle?

CFL = Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs contain Mercury...

If they Break?
Handle as Hazardous Waste...
a
Whatever you do, don't vacuum a broken bulb,
advises Pamela Schnepper, a toxicologist in the environmental health program at the Department of Environmental Services.

"That will spread it through the house, it will put it in the air, and then the vacuum cleaner will be contaminated.

"Instead, environmental experts advise, ventilate the room and leave it for 15 minutes.

The safest approach is to wear gloves, and use cardboard and duct tape to pick up small pieces and powder, seal everything in a screw-top jar, and store the jar in a safe place until you can dispose of it at a hazardous waste collection.

Where to Recycle?
a
1 - Home Depot
a
2 - IKEA
a
3 - Search on-line: www.epa.gov/bulbrecycling
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4 - Search on-line: http://www.earth911.com/
"Making Every Day Earth Day"
(Find a Recycling or Re-Use Location on their webpage)
a
5 - Search on-line: Local Hazardous Household Waste Programs
(TCEQ = Texas Commission on Environmental Quality for Contacts
ie: Harris County
Webpage Link: www.tceq.state.tx.us/assistance/hhw/contacts.html#harris)
a
Article (READ MORE) - "All Things Considered" on NPR Radio
Excerpts from February 15, 2007 ·

The Environmental Protection Agency and some large business, including Wal-Mart, are aggressively promoting the sale of compact fluorescent light bulbs as a way to save energy and fight global warming. They want Americans to buy many millions of them over the coming years.
But the bulbs contain small amounts of mercury, a neurotoxin, and the companies and federal government haven't come up with effective ways to get Americans to recycle them...

Experts agree that it's not easy for most people to recycle these bulbs. Even cities that have curbside recycling won't take the bulbs. So people have to take them to a hazardous-waste collection day or a special facility...

"The only retailer that I know of that is recycling is IKEA," she says, referring to the Swedish-owned furniture chain store.

Webpage Link to this Article: www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=7431198

Splaff Flopps, belts, handbags, mirrors...

Splaff Flopps
=

started in a garage with a tire, a bike tube, and a shoe knife.

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The vision was to make a comfortable, long lasting, fairly priced sandal from all recycled materials.

=

Today Splaff products include sandals, handbags, belts, mirrors, and a coffee table.

=

They are all made with recycled race car tires and bicycle Inner tubes, regupol (a cushioning material made from used tires which have been chipped and pressed into mats), and hemp.

=

They are hand-crafted and are produced in a 100% waste free, earth friendly process in which all left over materials are either re-used or recycled.

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Webpage: http://www.splaff.com/

Trash to Treasure - FreeCycle Network

"Trash to Treasure

FreeCycle Network

Makes sharing fun...5 million Americans have joined more than 4,000 community groups around the globe to give & get good stuff for free from neighbors all around town.

Reuse keeps it out of landfills & everybody's happy.

It's called FreeCycling or FreeSharing & easy to do at:

http://www.freecycle.org/

"It's a place to give or recieve what you have & don't need, or what you need & don't have," note members.

"It makes it possible to clean out the garage without filling up a dumpster."

Members simply register their stuff on the Web, & neighbors they didn't know they had, take it off their hands.

Membership is free.

The only rules are that everything must be offered for free, & no illegal or adult-themed materials are allowed.

The most popular items that folks browse listings for tend to be appliances, furniture & clothing."

Note: article (words) above borrowed from Houston Arts Magazine - May 2008, under their "Global Briefs" section: "News & resources to inspire concerned citizens to work together in building a healthier, stronger society that works for all."

Link: http://www.freecycle.org/

Some say...One man's trash is another man's treasure. -
or some also say...One man's garbage is another man's gold.

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And also quoted - from Yahoo Groups for Houston, TX...

"Description:

Welcome to the Houston Freecycle(TM) Network in Texas,

where one person's trash is another's treasure!

Freecycle is a grassroots environmental movement whose goal is to recycle and reduce waste and landfill space by connecting people who are throwing away unwanted items with others who are seeking the same items (and have a little fun in the process).

No item is too big or too small; but since this is a FREEcycle list and we emphasize gifting, ALL items must be 100% (that's right, you got it) free.

No bartering, trading, buying or selling is allowed.

Please note: NO Live animals, NO weapons, NO offers/requests for money in any form, NO items available only to those over 18 or 21, NO personal ads, NO spam or advertising.

These are ALL strictly prohibited on HoustonFreecycle. Member profiles, member ids, and email addresses must be appropriate for all ages.

The Houston Freecycle Network serves the greater metro Houston, Texas area.The Houston Freecycle Network is on a restricted membership and generates up to 100+ posts a day.

When you sign up, a short application will be sent to you via email. This is done to keep membership local, spammers out, and to verify new members understand what Freecycle is about. Please fill it out and return per instructions.

Freecycle...one simple, brilliant idea that's changing the world one gift at a time.

Copyright © 2003-2008, The Freecycle Network™ (http://www.freecycle.org/).
All rights reserved. Freecycle and the Freecycle logo are trademarks of The Freecycle Network in the United States and/or other countries."

Link: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HoustonFreecycle/