The recently renovated dismantling center at Next Step Recycling opened up last week.

Organizers say so far this year, 300 people donated 6,500 hours. The center says the volunteers are key to fulfilling its mission of reducing the community’s carbon footprint.

“We’re redirecting a tremendous amount from the landfill. In fact, last year it was over two million pounds that was kept out of the short mountain landfill by recycling,” said John Barnum, Next Step Executive Director.

For information about how you can help out, click here.

Together, this year’s 173 teams have already saved more than 29,000 miles and 30,000 pounds of carbon dioxide.

Wednesday some were rewarded for their efforts with the opportunity to drive an LTD bus.

Participants say the challenge benefits more than the just the environment.

“It’s a better lifestyle. I think we’re finding more and more people wanting to live close to town and live in a way that’s more social and connected to other people and things,” said participant Gregory Brokaw.

The week-long event continues Thursday with a focus on carpooling.

For the past year it worked one-on-one with a sustainability expert to cut down on waste and save resources. It made changes like two-sided copying, eliminating toxic cleaners and pulling recyclable materials from its waste stream.

“It’s something we’re very proud of because the university has lots of sustainable things going on, and we want to contribute to that because it’s a really great culture, and we we have no excuse not to. It’s a small operation. We’re very efficient. There’s no reason we shouldn’t be,” said Ben Evans, UPS Store Manager.

BRING Recycling‘s Re:Think business program certified the UPS store for its efforts.

If your company is interested in reducing its waste, call BRING at (541) 746-3023.

It’s asking for people to donate clean egg cartons so it can help distribute eggs at Oregon food banks.

Food for Lane County says it’s an easy way to give back and be less wasteful.

“The egg cartons are really really important to us. They’re hard to get. It seems like an easy thing most people could do at home. Most people are recycling those egg cartons already,” said Deb McGeorge, Food for Lane County Manager.

You can drop off clean egg cartons anytime at the nonprofit’s location on Bailey Hill Road.

It diverts construction and demolition materials from the landfill. Contractors use it to get rid of their waste, but residents can use it too.

“EcoSort recycles about one hundred million pounds of material every year. It keeps it out of the landfill. And to give you an idea of what that’s the weight of, about 50,000 Volkwagon bugs a year that get diverted from the landfill and get reused,” said Aaron Donley, Sanipac Accounts Manager.

EcoSort is across the street from Sanipac. Click here for more information.

SPRINGFIELD, Ore. — A Springfield store’s taking items from the past and repurposing them.

The items at Riley’s Second-Hand Furniture are quirky and definitely unique, but most importantly they’re recycled.

“People really seem to kind of enjoy that take on the old vintage and antique and industrial pieces kind of brought back to life,” said Jessie Riley, artist and Riley’s Second-Hand Furniture Owner.

He and his wife thought about opening a store like this for a while because it means more to own a piece of furniture that’s been recycled.

“There’s so much well-made furniture on this planet right now that technically we don’t have to make anymore. But still people buy tons and tons of stuff. The stuff that was made here in America back in the ’40s, ’50s and ’60s, it’s solid wood, duck tail joints, beautiful, beautiful pieces. And the stuff’s already lasted 50 years, and it’s going to last another 50 years,” Riley said.

“It’s a mechanical pencil sharpener turned electric, with the use of some old parts and a can opener. And I had it on the shelf for a while and just kind of looked at it and thought you know it would be really neat if we turned it electric,” Riley said.

Riley says the creative process takes some time, but the end result is always rewarding.

“If I get to a point where I’m not quite sure where to go with it, I’ll set it off to the side. And then a couple weeks or a month will go by, and then it will hit me in my head – oh!” Riley said.

He says if you notice the world around you, you can make anything.

“A lot of times it’s seeing what’s around me and walking around and just kind of going through you know life and just seeing how certain pieces are being used and how certain pieces aren’t being used and then kind of taking that and kind of putting my own spin and saying you what that would be really cool if we did this this and this to it,’ Riley said.

Larry Coxe spoke with KEZI 9 News by phone just hours after the bombings.

He flew back late Tuesday night. When asked how he felt to be back home, he said good and that it’s peaceful here and he feels safe here.

Coxe says he was in the medical tent, and when he heard the blasts he immediately thought this is an act of violence.

His friend was right in between the blasts and he says he feels very lucky that neither of them was injured.

He says he was in a back alley when he saw people running out of stores where the blast occurred, and he said he could tell they had seen something horrible.

“The most unsettling was trying to leave the scene, and the fear on people’s faces was palpable. People were uncertain. They were crying,” Coxe said.

He says this has changed the way he looks at the world.

Coxe says he ran a qualifying time in Boston for next year’s race and he says he can see himself going back again. He says there already talk amongst the Eugene running community of having a strong presence there.

EUGENE, Ore. — Along with warmer weather and spring flowers come the honey bees.

An effort is under way in Eugene to provide them with a healthy environment.

The honey bees are buzzing, and in one Eugene neighborhood they’re thriving, thanks to the neighbors like Beth Little. There’s a bee hive is in her yard. While she’s not a beekeeper, her home is a host.

“They know me,” Little said.

She gives them water and food. More importantly, she’s provided a toxic-free environment. A year ago, she signed the Healthy Bees, Healthy Garden Pledge and enlisted her neighbors, which was not an easy task.

“Intimidating, maybe. But kind of exciting, too and I started to knock on doors,” Little said.

She recruited her entire block to sign the honey bee pledge. She also went to city council. The city agreed not to use pesticides on the property bordering hers.

Jen and Doug Hornaday started the Healthy Bees, Healthy Gardens program last year. They put honey boxes in three neighborhood that took pledge. They’re about to to add another three neighborhoods this year. Entire blocks are agreeing not to use pesticides and other toxic chemicals. Plus they provide bees with food.

“The idea is if I’m planting a vegetable garden, I’m thinking about what I am going to eat. Now we are trying to transition into, how can we work together to figure out what we can plant for the bees so they can eat and survive,” Jennifer Hornaday said.

They’re putting in plants so bees have pollinators. Host homes like Beth Little’s receive a portion of the honey produced.

These bees have flourished. They survived winter, and it looks like they could soon swarm. A swarm catcher is up to entice them and it’s ready to be moved to another bee-friendly neighborhood.

The city’s hosting two info sessions to walk retailers through the new law and to answer any questions.

“I’ve been talking to a lot of people mostly one on one just about what the new law entails, because a lot of people have really specific questions depending on the business. So it’s been really helpful to hear people’s concerns because there’s things that we haven’t thought of either,” said Stephanie Scafa, Eugene No-Waste Analyst.

The sessions are scheduled for April 11. There is one at noon and another at 5:30 p.m. Click here for more information.

There’s a small fee–$2 per tire or $3 if the tire is still attached to the rim. It’s a small price to pay instead of the fine you’d get for dumping the tires in the landfill illegally.

“Certainly we don’t want them disposed illegally as an illegal dump because moisture gathering in tires can attract and foster mosquitoes and other pests,” said Sarah Grimm, Lane County Waste Reduction Specialist.

Lane County recycles the tires into things like highway safety cones, parking lot bumpers and rubber mats for restaurants.