EARTH DAY - April 22
Each year Earth Day comes around to remind us of ways we can “green” our lifestyle every day. At Great Outdoor Provision Co. Earth Day is a big part of our culture so we try to do our part throughout the year to help protect the environment. Our staff have developed this resource page to stress the importance of maintaining a healthy and sustainable environment. Below are just some of the ways:
Recycle - Here are details on the local city curbside recycle programs
- newspaper and all inserts
- magazines and catalogs
- white paper, including junk mail
- corrugated cardboard pieces no larger than 3′ x 3′ in size
- paperboard, chipboard, and paper tubes
- food and beverage cans
- aluminum foil and trays (must be completely free of food debris)
- plastic bottles
- plastic beverage rings (soft type only, not the rigid type)
- glass food and beverage containers
- gable top cartons
- aseptic (drink) boxes
- Corrugated Cardboard & Chipboard (cereal boxes, 12-pack drink cartons)
- Junk Mail
- Glass
- Aluminum, Tin & Steel Cans
- Newspapers and Magazines
- Plastics
- Newspaper, including inserts (Use a bungee cord to securely fasten any loose items.)
- Glossy magazines/catalogs
- Glass bottles & jars (clear, brown & green)
- Plastic bottles and tubs #1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7.
- Plastic lids, take out (clam shell) containers and frozen entree trays are not accepted for recycling in your curbside bin or at the Citizen’s Convenience Center.
- Aluminum cans, foil, and pie pans (no food residue)
- Tin/Steel food cans
- Cartons with a gable top (including juice, milk, dairy creamers, and fabric softener refills)
- Drink boxes
- 6-pack rings (soft flimsy ones only)
- Corrugated cardboard - Flatten and cut into 2′ x 3′ pieces (not folded) so can they fit into the recycling truck. Do not include pizza boxes, cereal boxes or similar cardboard.
Wake Forest Curbside Recycling
- Newspapers and inserts
- Clean mixed paper: Magazines, junk mail, cardboard, phone books, paper egg cartons, clean pizza boxes and food boxes (example: such as those holding dry cereal or crackers)
- Clean shredded paper
- Cans: Aluminum cans, tin and steel cans (including pet food cans), clean foil and pie plates, empty aerosol cans
- Corrugated cardboard
- Glass food & beverage containers: Soda bottles, food jars, wine and liquor bottles
- Plastic bottles: Narrow-necked, screw-top bottles, such as soda bottles, plastic milk and water jugs and colored bottles labeled or imprinted on the bottom of the container with #1 or #2.
- Plastic bottles and jugs
- Six pack rings
- Glass food and beverage containers
- Aluminum cans, foil ,and pie tins
- Steel and tin cans with no lids
- Newspapers including inserts
- Magazines and catalogs
- Telephone books and small paperback books
- Cardboard that is unwaxed and uncoated
- Office paper and mixed paper, all colors
A word from our owner
Back in our early days in business, a Professor asked me how I could sleep at night supplying the legions of new backcountry enthusiasts with more brightly colored gear to increase the visual pollution in the woods. (Jackets were usually international orange, backpacks usually orange or red with a Gerry one in red/white/blue, and tents in bright blue, orange or red) I choked a bit, and then pointed to the petition on our sales counter seeking signatures to block a proposed hydroelectric dam on the New River.
“The more folks who play in the wilderness and come to appreciate it, the more of it we will be likely to save.” I said.
“A+” was his reply. “Just checking to see if your lights are on.”
We talked a bit about the colors that seemed to be so intrusive, and I promised to pass it on the sales reps. Others must have been of like mind, because gear quickly became more muted.
Further, there seemed to be a large number of folks who tended to “homestead” in the woods, building large fire rings, nailing stuff to trees, building lashed tables of cut green limbs, ditching tents, etc. I decided to write up a small bi-fold outline on “leave no trace” camping etiquette that we included with all sales receipts and left out on the counter for customer pick up. Some scoffed, but others quickly chose to camp away from trails and water sources, learned how to wash dishes without polluting streams, answer the call of nature in a sanitary way, use camp stoves instead of campfires, and avoid impacting their campsite. We gradually became aware of our responsibility to the playground we had the pleasure using, and as a way to give back for the livelihood the wilderness provided us.
And that has evolved into our support of land trusts, and other ways to protect land, habitat, and the environment. As Yvon Chouinard has suggested, “such support is a self imposed tax on our outdoor recreation business.” Indeed it is, and we are committed to continue to help as much as we can.
Tom Valone, Founder
Great Outdoor Provision Co.
