In the beginning of the month I attended the AOR (Association of Oregon Recyclers) Conference.  Last Wednesday I presented at a funky/techie gathering called Ignite Portland.  My topic: Talking Trash.  (But of course.)  Here’s my take-home messages from the two events.

At AOR, my favorite sessions turned the whole recycling conversation on its head.  These sessions focused on the part of the equation that really matters: waste prevention.

I won’t go into the zillion reasons why changing our behavior upstream – the stuff we buy – is more important than analyzing our disposal practices (even for a recycling nut such as myself).  What I will suggest is to buy durable goods.  Buy things that last.  Best yet, don’t buy things at all.  This Spring I had an old winter coat re-lined, and an old pair of sandals re-soled.  It felt so nice to not only make my tried-and-true goods “just like new”, but was also cool to invest in local, talented, skilled labor.  

(I can’t help but give a shout-out to the sponsor organization for this website, Chinook Book, which helps point people in the right direction for savvier purchasing decisions.)

 Ignite Portland 3.  What to say?  It’s a funky crowd that seems to be a blend of techy hipsters.  Everyone in the audience can twitter. It's free at the Bagdad and quickly reaches capacity. There were 13 presentations on a variety of topics.  I especially liked:

Boiling Water in Five Easy Steps by Vanessa Holfeltz
How to buy a car for under $1,000 by Kevin Fox
The Consumer and the Egg: Negotiating Ecolabels by Michele Knaus

If you want to see the presentations, check out the website.

Be sure to check out Meredith's own presentation at Ignite, on Portland's waste habits.