Bring your broken items and questions; volunteers will help you learn how to repair your things.

Save money, save natural resources and be part of a DIY and reuse culture. Free and open to all.

Volunteer Randi Ponce helps at the clothing repair station. Click to view larger.

Repair skills offered:

• Appliances (small items only, please)
• Bicycles
• Clothing (hand and machine sewing)
• Computers (hardware and software)
• Electronics (small items only, please)
• Housewares (furniture, lamps, ceramics, vacuums, etc.)
• Jewelry
• And more!

Repair demonstrations:

5:45-6:05 DIY Safe Pest Control: Ants & Fruit Flies – Learn how to minimize ants and fruit flies in your home, using natural, homemade methods, and take samples home with you to get started. (Leaders: Lindsey Almarode, Campus Recycling Outreach Assistant and Jodie Davaz, Waste Watchers volunteer)

Volunteer Kevin Grant leads a bike maintenance workshop at the April Repair Fair. Click to view larger.

6:15-6:45 Basic Bike Maintenance – Learn basic maintenance and repairs like fixing a flat tire and chain upkeep. Learn when you should take your bike to a professional, and learn what bike repair resources are available to you locally. (Leader: Jacob Kollen, SSI Transportation Projects Coordinator)

7:00-7:20 Don’t Just Spring Clean, Green Clean - Whether you’re moving out of the dorms, ending a lease, or just looking for a little spring cleaning, learn how a few basic, food-safe ingredients can clean your whole home. Leave with a sample of all-purpose cleaner so you’re set to get started. (Leaders: Kyle Reed, Campus Recycling Outreach Assistant and Amanda Abbott, Waste Watchers volunteer)

Additional event details:

We don’t have spare parts, but will do our best to repair what we can and/or refer you to where you could find the parts you need. If you have parts already, we may be able to help you install them.

RSVP and invite your friends on Facebook.

Map of location and parking. Click to view larger.

Directions: We are located on the corner of 13th St and A Ave at 644 SW 13th Street. Enter through the warehouse gates on 13th St., between the railroad tracks and A Ave. Also see the map to the right.

This event is organized by the student group Waste Watchers, a joint group of Campus Recycling and the Student Sustainability Initiative. Repair Fairs occurred twice per term during the 2012-13 academic year, and this is the final one of the year. For more information, contact Andrea Norris via email or at 541-737-5398.

Video

Want to see what a Repair Fair is all about? View this video clip recap from a past fair:

[There is a video that cannot be displayed in this feed. Visit the blog entry to see the video.]

Bring your broken items and questions; volunteers will help you learn how to repair your things!

Save money, save natural resources and be part of a growing culture of reuse. Free and open to all.

Volunteers Geoff and Jason answer questions about computer repair. Click to view larger.

Repair skills offered:

• Appliances (small items only, please)
• Bicycles
• Clothing (hand and machine sewing)
• Computers (hardware and software)
• Electronics (small items only, please)
• Housewares (furniture, ceramics, lamps, etc.)
• And more!

Repair demonstrations:

Volunteer Annie prepares to start a sewing demonstration at the February Repair Fair. Click to view larger.

6:10-6:40 pm – DIY: Home Water Conservation (Mark Taratoot): Overview of Corvallis’s water system, water treatment and quality, conservation measures, DIY water audit and irrigation issues

6:50-7:20 pm – 3 Common Sewing Fixes (Annie Kersting): Demonstrations for buttons, patches, and zippers

7:30-8:00 pm – ABC’s of Bike Maintenance (Kevin Grant): Air: Proper inflation and tube-patching/replacing; Brakes: Safe and efficient stopping; Chain: Keep things oiled and running smoothly and quietly; Recommendations for basic/minimal tools.

Additional event details:

RSVP and invite your friends on Facebook.

We don’t have spare parts, but will do our best to repair what we can and/or refer you to where you could find the parts you need. If you have parts already, we may be able to help you install them.

Map of location and parking. Click to view larger.

Directions: We are located on the corner of 13th St and A Ave at 644 SW 13th Street. Enter through the warehouse gates on 13th St., between the railroad tracks and A Ave.

This event is organized by the student group Waste Watchers, a joint group of Campus Recycling and the Student Sustainability Initiative. Repair Fairs occur twice per term during the 2012-13 academic year. For more information, contact Andrea Norris via email or at 541-737-5398.

The first person to to answer correctly will win an OSU reusable water bottle like this one!

Submit your answer here (“Leave a Reply,” below) or on our Facebook page. Only one guess per person, please.

Question of the Week:

The 13th Annual Earth Week Community Fair is next Tuesday. Name 3 organizations whose booth you personally would like to visit at the Fair. (Hint: Visit the Earth Week website for a list of participating groups.)

Answer

Congrats to Ali Jafarnejad who answered first on Facebook: “OSU Campus Recycling, Student Sustainability Initiative, Corvallis Independent Business Alliance!”

See a full list of participating organizations on the Earth Week website.

The first person to to answer correctly will win an OSU reusable, stuffable ChicoBag like this one!

Submit your answer here (“Leave a Reply,” below) or on our Facebook page. Only one guess per person, please.

 Question of the Week:

At what event this week will there be a sustainability fair, free food, a keynote speaker, a “Community Scrapbook” slideshow, small group discussions about community sustainability and more?

Answer

The annual Sustainability Fair & Town Hall, this Thursday, 5-9 pm at the OSU Alumni Center.

It’s one of the biggest sustainability events of the year in Corvallis and we encourage everyone to attend! During the fair at 5-7 pm, be sure to stop by our booth to say “Hello”! More event info is on their website.

Weatherford recycled the most, 3.1 pounds per person over the three weeks, and won the RecycleMania Res. Hall trophy. Congrats also to Hallsell for 2nd place, West for 3rd place and to all the halls who increased recycling during the competition!

Hawley used the least amount of electricity compared to an earlier baseline, and won a certificate.

See the full results here and learn about Eco-Challenge Month here.

RecycleMania continues…

The res. hall competition may be complete, but the Civil War and national competition rolls on all the way to the end of March. Keep getting those recyclables in the bin to help OSU win! And check out the event line-up here.

RecycleMania is a 10-week national recycling competition between universities, which started January 20th and runs through March 30th.

OSU is competing to recycle the most both nationally and in the Civil War with the University of Oregon. As you can see, it is a tight competition this year!

Calendar

Events and other opportunities are offered every week; here’s the line-up for the rest of the term:

• Fresh From the Faucet Tabling: Tuesday, March 5 & Wednesday, March 6, 10:00 am – 2:30 pm, MU Quad. Drop by to learn about the benefits of drinking tap water and get a free reusable bottle!
• Film Plastic & E-Waste Collection Week: Wednesday, March 6 at 9:00 am-7:30 pm and Thursday-Wednesday, March 7-8 and 11-13 at 9:00 am-4:00 pm. Recycling/Surplus warehouse, 644 SW 13th St. Bring electronics and film plastic for free recycling. Help OSU compete nationally! See a full list of accepted items here. Join on Facebook.
• Women’s Center Clothing Swap: Monday-Thursday, March 11-14, 9:00 am-6:00 pm and Friday, March 15, 9:00 am-5:00 pm, OSU Women’s Center. Bring what you don’t need, score something new! Join on Facebook.
• Departmental Shredding Discount Week: Monday-Friday, March 18-22, all OSU Corvallis campus dept. offices. 50% off all confidential shredding requests submitted online this week. OSU dept. materials only.

You can also participate in RecycleMania by throwing away less and recycling more.

Happy RecycleMania!

The first person to to answer correctly will win an OSU stainless steel mug like this one!

Submit your answer here (“Leave a Reply,” below) or on our Facebook page. Only one guess per person, please.

Question of the Week:

Our twice-per-term Repair Fairs offer free repairs of common items – attendees come with broken items and questions, and volunteers help them repair their stuff. What new service have we added to this month’s Repair Fair, which is tomorrow (Wednesday, 2/27) at 5-7 pm?

Answer

For the first time we are also offering scheduled repair demonstrations:

5:10-5:30 – Vacuum Troubleshooting
5:30-5:50 – Common Computer Problems
6:00-6:20 – 3 Common Sewing Fixes
6:30-6:50 – Basic Bike Maintenance

Learn more about the Repair Fair in our other blog post.

Bring your broken items and questions; volunteers will help you learn how to repair your things (see list below for what’s on offer this time)! Repair demonstrations also offered. Save money, save natural resources.

Repair skills offered for:

• Appliances (small items only, please)
• Bicycles
• Clothing (hand and machine sewing)
• Computers (hardware and software)
• Electronics (small items only, please)
• Housewares (furniture, ceramics, lamps, etc.)
• Jewelry
• And more!

Repair demonstrations:

5:10-5:30 – Vacuum Troubleshooting
5:30-5:50 – Common Computer Problems
6:00-6:20 – 3 Common Sewing Fixes
6:30-6:50 – Basic Bike Maintenance

More event details:

We don’t have spare parts, but will do our best to repair what we can and/or refer you to where you could find the parts you need. If you have parts already, we may be able to help you install them.

Directions: Enter through the warehouse gates on 13th St., between the railroad tracks and A Ave.

RSVP to this event on Facebook.

Repair Fairs are sponsored by Campus Recycling and the Student Sustainability Initiative, and will occur twice per term during the 2012-13 academic year.

Clothing station volunteer Emily Dunham helps an attendee repair a shirt.

The first person to to answer correctly will win an OSU reusable spork like this one!

Submit your answer here (“Leave a Reply,” below) or on our Facebook page. Only one guess per person, please.

Question of the Week:

Campuses Take Charge is a program that aims to make OSU a leader in sustainability by encouraging all students and staff to try three energy-saving actions in February. At what website address can you go to sign-up for your three pledges?

Answer

Take your pledges today at http://energizecorvallis.org/takecharge/campuses/!

If you are not affiliated with OSU, you too can pledge through Communities Take Charge at http://energizecorvallis.org/takecharge/.

Submit your answers until 11:59 pm tonight (Tues. Feb. 12) and the person whose answer is the closest will win a stainless steel mug like this one!

Submit your answer here (“Leave a Reply,” below) or on our Facebook page. Only one guess per person, please.

Question of the Week:

How many pounds of recycling and compost combined did the OSU Corvallis campus produce in fiscal year 2012 (July 1, 2011 through June 30, 2012)? (Hint: Our FY 2010 estimate was ~2.57 million pounds.)

Answer

Our estimate is 3.69 million pounds, or 3,694,229, to be more specific. This is great news, but we also have a long way to go in increasing recycling and composting, and reducing our trash. Our assessment also estimated that our recycling rate is just 36%, meaning only 36% of all waste at OSU is recycled or composted. When we added in the estimated amount of material that is reused by being processed through Surplus Property, that brought our recovery rate to 40%.