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By Julia Taylor, February 26, 2009 9:25 pm

Suresh Kumar took on a Project on Waste Management, named ‘Clean Bangalore’, as part of his participation in SELP. The intention of the project is to segregate the waste into WET & DRY. WET wastebeing used as manure & DRY waste being taken to sorting station & dispose it appropriately. His project is extending to e-waste & also ‘No Plastic Use’.

This newsletter of the Royal Palm describing the work of Suresh Kumar and Clean Bangalore give a sense of the kind of dedication and hard work it takes to have a Self Expression and Leadership program project flourish in a community.

Our January volunteer meeting was held on Jan.10^th 2009. Thanks to all the members who came for the meeting. The following are the members who attended the meeting: Suresh Kumar, Chidananda, Ramachandra and Chethan.

The meeting began with a brief description of Saahas activities.

Suresh Kumar, who is attending the meeting for the second time, gave us an update of the pilot waste management that he has instituted in his apartment complex: Royal Palms, HAL. Ten families have been inducted into the waste management programme. They segregate their waste as dry and wet. The organic waste is then composted. The dry waste which comprises recyclable material is stored and further sorted in a sorting station set up in the basement. Here is how he did it (extracted from the Royal Palms newsletter). Great job!

Pilot at RP

Beginning 8 Dec 2008, 10 families at RP volunteered to be part of this pilot project of segregating their waste into wet and dry. For easy of managing the pilot, these 10 families were selected from one single wing; A-wing. These flats are 004, 005, M04, 104, 105, 204, 206, 303, 304 and 306.

These houses collect dry waste in the same mode as done earlier with a minor difference. Instead of using the regular black garbage bags or using one of the white plastic bags we get from supermarkets, they use a blue bag provided to them. This colour coding is done to segregate their sorted waste from other unsorted waste from their neighbours. They collect their wet waste in a steel bucket with lid, provided to them. In this bucket, they collect their daily kitchen waste mostly collected as part of the cooking in the morning. They keep the wet and dry waste outside by 10 am. The housekeeping assistants has been trained for this new process. They collect the wet waste buckets and transfer them to the composting units. In RP, these are kept behind the badminton court and resemble large earthen pots.

Once the staff empties the bucket, they wash it and return it back to the respective house. Flat number is marked on the bucket for identification. The RP gardener has been trained to do the required maintenance of adding dry leaves, mixing them, adding germ culture to accelerate the composting process, etc.

The dry waste, collected in blue bags is taken to the ‘Dry Waste Sorting Station’. This is located far side of the basement. Waste is sorted into plastic, paper, cardboard, glass,metal, TetraPak and eWaste. A nearby scrap dealer comes twice a week to pick up this sorted waste and gives us the appropriate commercial value for the scrap. TetraPack and e-Waste is sent to different collection agency.

From here to where…

After doing this pilot for over a month, it is time to roll out to larger set of houses especially in B and C wings.

Chidananda and Ramachandra work together and have offered to help out with revising and updating our website. Chidananda has also offered to have an e-waste collection receptacle in his office building. Thanks and we’ll be looking forward to your help.

Chethan, who has worked/volunteered with us for the last six months, has offered to identify some scrap dealers, especially those in the RT Nagar/Hebbal area. Thank you for your help.

Thanks for all your help. Looking forward to meeting more of you next month. .

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By DJacoby, February 18, 2009 10:47 pm

Todd Chisholm wasn’t the first resident of Uxbridge, Ontario to propose a dog park in his town, but he may be the first to succeed in making it happen. The park, his project in the SELP program, is on its way to becoming a reality thanks to his willingness to raise funds and do whatever it takes to make it happen. The Times-Journal newspaper wrote an article about Chisholm’s proposal.

Uxbridge dog park proposal unleashed

Township to examine logistics of canine sanctuary

A resident unleashed an idea for a dog park in town to councillors Monday morning.

Todd Chisholm approached councillors to pitch the idea of a leash-free dog area. “There’s no (leash-free) park… this is a great opportunity,” said Mr. Chisholm, adding there is an Uxbridge bylaw dictating dogs should be on leashes. He said the proposed park would be contained by fencing so “dogs and their owners could socialize without the dogs wandering away.”

He also offered to raise funds for the project to assist the Township, with a goal to have the park in place by next spring or summer. Mr. Chisholm said to gauge what kind of support the plan has, he would “create a petition… go door to door, to get an idea of who’s interested.”

Councillors noted a dog sanctuary has been pitched before, but were supportive of Mr. Chisholm’s initiative. “You’re the first that said (you) want to help,” said Regional Councillor Howie Herrema.

Mr. Chisholm suggested Quaker Common and Elgin Park as potential locations for the facility, but the latter idea was shot down by councillors including Coun. Ted Eng. “I think we’d have a lot of problems with the residents if we choose Elgin Park, there’s a lot of events at Elgin Park,” he said.

But Coun. Bev Northeast suggested the Kennedy House property, now in Township hands, as a venue. “That might be an ideal venue,” she said. Mayor Bob Shepherd pointed out there is a 25-acre parcel of Township-owned land on Concession 7 that also could be examined.

Mr. Chisholm explained he’d like to attach rules to the park, such as requiring users to clean up after their pets, and limiting what breeds of canine would be allowed into the park “because some dogs aren’t social.”

Council decided to refer the request to Bob Ferguson, parks manager, to discuss with Mr. Chisholm about specifics of the proposal such as location and cost after which Mr. Ferguson will present a report.

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By DJacoby, February 10, 2009 6:22 pm

Joan Brefeld’s SELP project involved collecting used medical equipment that could then be lent to elderly person’s in need. The project was covered in the Belleville News Democrat newspaper.

Gifts of Used Health Equipment Sought

11/13/08

The St. Louis Health Equipment Lending Program (St. Louis HELP) will accept donations of used equipment from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at Dierberg’s in Shiloh and Brefeld Physical Therapy in Belleville.

St. Louis HELP needs donations of such items as wheelchairs, scooters, canes, crutches, walkers, showerchairs, grab bars, portable commodes, cushions, back supports, van lifts, hospital beds and ramps. The equipment is cleaned and refurbished, then loaned at no cost. “The uninsured, underinsured, disabled and elderly are at particular risk of facing barriers to accessing needed home medical equipment,” said Dennis Guilliams, president of the organization.

“These vulnerable populations continue to experience reduced access to health care services, demonstrating a continuing need for a strong, viable safety net.”

All equipment and monetary donations are tax-deductible. Brefeld is at 106 Lincoln Place Court, just off Carlyle Avenue in Belleville. For more information on donating or acquiring such equipment, call (314) 567-4700 or go to www.stlhelp.org.

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By DJacoby, February 5, 2009 2:02 am

Mary McKee has a strong commitment to animals – She runs her own pet grooming center. As her SELP project, McKee spearheaded a fundraiser for animal rescue groups in her home city of St. Louis, partnering with ROAR (Resources for Org. Animal Rescue). The event took place November 16 at Dressel’s pub in St. Louis.

A $25 ticket gave visitors access to live bluegrass music, a buffet, a cash bar and a chance to win door prizes. Raffle tickets were also sold for $5 apiece. The proceeds went to the American Eskimo Rescue of St. Louis, Companions Forever Rescue, Open Door Animal Sanctuary, and Stray Rescue of St. Louis.

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By DJacoby, February 3, 2009 8:35 pm

Mike Arazyan’s SELP project involved making a difference for sick children, but just as important to him, it has his children and their friends learning the value of making a difference for others. The family took on doing raking, snow shoveling and other chores to raise money for the Hospital for Sick Kids in Canada. Inside Toronto wrote a story about the Arazyan family project.

Children rake it in for Sick Kids

Community fundraiser encouraged by father

Mike Arazyan wanted his two children to become involved with their community and learn to give back to the country they call home.

“I wanted them to appreciate what they have here and I wanted them to give back and not take things for granted,” said Arazyan, who moved with his family to the United States from Armenia before settling in Canada in 2003. “But I didn’t know how to do that.”

When the fall season hit, Arazyan talked with other parents in his Bayview and Cummer avenues neighbourhood and came up with the idea of raising money for The Hospital for Sick Children by offering to rake leaves in back and front yards.

“The true reason is not to raise funds specifically for Sick Kids,” Arazyan said. “The Sick Kids name has appeal but it’s not important who we raise money for or how much we raise, but for kids to get involved.”

Since October, the five children involved with the fundraiser have raised $260. Their goal is to hit $5,000 by December.

“It is an ambitious goal,” Arazyan admitted. “I don’t know if we will get there. What I really want is to see others take a similar initiative. I want to inspire others.”

Arazyan’s daughter, Viktoria, said she’s always wanted to rake leaves.

“This is our first year in a house,” the 10-year-old said. “So I was excited to rake leaves. It’s fun and we’re able to do it together.”

Viktoria gets a helping hand from her brother Alexander, 6, and friends Pauline Shteiman, 9, and Victoria Reid and Aryana Rabii, both 11.

“This is the first time I’ve fundraised,” Viktoria said. “We’re telling all our friends.”