Here are some suggestions from our sponsors . . .
We welcome everyone interested in the environment and the issue of source reduction (e.g. using less stuff) to participate in The Fourth Annual ULS (Use Less Stuff) Day , to be held November 19, 1998, the Thursday before Thanksgiving. Following is a list of suggestions, many of which originated with last year’s sponsors and were successfully put into effect to raise awareness of ULS Day and its waste prevention message:
Get the schools involved! Reach out to the schools. Since schools have done such a good job of teaching the benefits of recycling, they should be encouraged to talk about source reduction as well. Perhaps even sponsor a USE LESS STUFF CONTEST for school-age children. And, alert parents and teachers to ULS information and resources (such as The ULS Report).
- Get the word out!
Encourage your local newspaper, radio and TV stations to run Public Service Announcements (PSAs). You can also buy advertising space. To maximize your advertising budget, consider seeking a corporate sponsor which may want a positive promotional tie. (Many companies have a vested interest in source reduction and may be happy to help!) If you can’t find a sponsor, the advertising department at the local radio station or newspaper may be able to help match you up.
- Keep getting the word out!
Set up a regional hotline with a recorded message about local ULS Day activities. The hotline can also include some of the most important waste-saving tips.
Have your Mayor, County Commissioner, or Governor officially declare November 19, 1998 ULS Day.
- Make it official!
Get a whole neighborhood to have yard and garage sales on the same day. With a high concentration of vendors, ads are affordable, and shoppers will surely find the visit more worthwhile. Everyone makes more money, and lots of stuff otherwise headed for the garbage heap will get a new lease on life!
- One person’s trash is another person’s treasure!
- Who says kids are messy?
Work with local schools to promote ULS Day as a WASTE-FREE LUNCH DAY! Students who bring lunch from home should carry reusable lunch boxes and plastic containers; drinks can come in thermoses. Those who eat in the school cafeteria should be encouraged to take only what they can realistically eat. Encourage schools to develop healthy menu plans that kids will actually eat rather than throw away. Make sure the kids take only the napkins and cutlery they will actually use, and if the cutlery is plastic, make sure it is reused or recycled.
- Make it a stylish affair!
Team up with local consignment and resale shops to present a Buy Used Fashion Show! Featuring holiday wear, career and leisure outfits, children’s clothing and bridal fashions, you can bring in the business community as active participants and exhibit the true beauty of reuse.
Consider offering Smart Shopper Demonstrations or Guided Tours. Show shoppers how to use less stuff by buying products that come in reduced packaging, are concentrated, have a higher recycled content, etc. Local stores can offer coupons on product categories such as concentrates (laundry detergent, fruit juice), flexible containers (coffee brick packs), large sizes, refills, etc.
- Remember that smart shoppers are made, not born!
- Be nice to your mail carrier!
Prepare and distribute Junk Mail Terminator Kits! These can include:— Statistics on the role of junk mail in our landfills.
— Forms people can fill out and send to the Mail Preference Service, an organization that assists consumers in avoiding unwanted junk mail.
— Electronic billing information. (Representatives from utilities, banks, etc. can help consumers set up electronic payments, pay-by-phone, and other options.)
— Pre-addressed cards to be sent to the largest bulk mailers to remove people from marketing lists.
- Save gas!
Encourage municipalities to offer free or reduced-cost public transportation, in honor of ULS Day.
- Save more gas!
The value of a good tune-up and proper tire pressure is often overlooked in the fight against waste, but a well-conditioned car runs more efficiently. Ask local auto repair shops and tire companies to participate by offering discounts on such services. Residents should be reminded to have their used motor oil recycled, and not to throw it away themselves. (This also applies to lawnmower oil.)
- Tell ‘em where they can go!
Compile and publicize a directory, including the Salvation Army, Goodwill, or other local resale shops. Also, publish a list of rental agencies and encourage people to rent rather than buy rarely used items.
- Cheaper than home delivery
! For shoppers who bring their own bags from home, retailers can participate by offering some form of reward or discount (perhaps a coupon).
- Let it rot!
Offer a class on backyard composting, grasscycling, or vermicomposting.
- You can’t tell a book by its cover – or a gift by its wrapping!
Have local groups – from Girl Scouts to senior citizens – offer to wrap holiday gifts for free at the local mall, reusing materials such as comics, road maps, colorful bags, ribbons etc. Encourage donations of reusable wrapping material.
- You can’t do it alone!
Work with local companies to sponsor their own waste-reducing promotions. Encourage competition between departments and offer a corporate prize, such as an office pizza party.
- Fix it First!
Develop promotions with local merchants to offer incentives for fixing rather than replacing cars, appliances and other items. Create a directory of participating shops and services that perform this work, organized by product type. While the directory can be offered free to consumers, participating organizations can pay a fee for inclusion or a higher fee for a display ad – like the yellow pages.
Put a face to the concept of using less stuff! The Clean Tennessee Program at the University of Memphis, a Keep America Beautiful affiliate, actually put two faces to it – the colorfully dressed duo of Les and Lotta Stuff. These mascots were available to appear at malls and functions around the state to explain, in a fun and entertaining way, how to control your waste line. The knowledgeable and personable Les and Lotta characters – real people in costumes – were trained to provide accurate information, localize it as much as possible, and to have fun! The Les and Lotta Stuff characters were also picked up by Keep Texas Beautiful, which applied for grants to promote the program.
- Foster long-term support.
Incorporate the ULS message into other events, mailings and activities!
We certainly hope these suggestions inspire you. With everyone’s participation, we can really make a difference in trash generation, and encourage everyone to
USE LESS STUFF!
Copyright 1994 -1998 Partners for Environmental Progress.