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Re: [greenyes] Sierra Club recycling link to Earth 911
Hi Susan:

Seems like this is a two step process:

1. Recycling coordinators should ask local Sierra Club chapters to
provide links to their websites (or San Jose State for Santa Clara County
CA). That can fix part of the problem assuming the local chapters (13 in
California - the rest of the county I believe are statewide chapters)
that they have a recycling or solid waste page on their website.

2. To reach the correct Sierra Club staff people working on solid waste
and recycling and the volunteer committee that overseas solid waste
policy development for the Club, to look at how recycling information is
dispersed to those who go to the Sierra Club website.

I have asked SC National for the names of the volunteers on the committee
so I can see what they think and for National staff. I will direct the
concerns of GRRN members and CRRA members to my contacts within Sierra
Club California and our Statewide Conservation Committee.

I'll let both listserves know what I find out.

Thanks for your feedback.

Ann Schneider
Mtn. View, CA
Loma Prieta Chapter of the Sierra Club

On Tue, 11 Jan 2005 15:59:27 -0600 "Susan Hubbard"
<susanh@no.address> writes:
>
> Ann and other Recyclers,
>
>
> Below is a series of emails - the dialogue I have been having with
> Sierra
> Club. I think it would be great if the Sierra Club hears from other
> recyclers about Earth 911. My experience is that their database is
> incorrect, the methods for correcting information are ineffective
> and Earth
> 911 expects the "Users" to make it work.
>
> Susan Hubbard
> Eureka Recycling
>
>
>
>
> My first response to seeing the Sierra Club newsletter:
>
>
> Hello Recycling Advocates,
> I was happy to see Sierra Club talking and promoting recycling but
> was
> sadly disappointed when I followed the links to incorrect
> information about
> recycling in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Earth 911 has been widely
> criticized
> for incorrect recycling information and myself, like thousands of
> other
> recycling coordinators across the country spend too much of our time
> trying
> to correct information from folks like Earth 911 who are just trying
> to do
> their best but can't keep up with the millions of pieces of
> information
> that are necessary to do this right.
>
> Ron, I hope that you will resend an email to your local Sierra Club
> members
> and let them know that the info on the links are incorrect - at
> least for
> Saint Paul. I haven't had time to check the other cities. Our
> nonprofit
> organization answers over 50,000 calls a year from residents all
> over the
> twin cities metro area about recycling and waste reduction. We have
> a staff
> that does regular updating of the information that we provide to
> residents.
> It is best to refer them to the local source rather than a national
> clearing house where the information is incorrect and impossible to
> keep
> updated. I hope you pass this on to other Sierra Club groups.
>
> Thanks for thinking about recycling,
> Susan
>
> Susan Hubbard
> CEO
> Eureka Recycling
> 2828 Kennedy St., NE
> Minneapolis, MN 55413
>
> (651)222-7678
> (612)623-3277
> www.eurekarecycling.org1.
>
> Susan -- Thanks for getting in touch with us about the Earth 911
> results in
> Zoomer. First I want to explain something, then I want to apologize,
> and
> then I want to make a request.
>
> 1. Just so we're clear, the Zoomer tool links to third-party
> websites, so
> we're not in control of what is posted on those sites. I believe
> you
> understand this as your criticism is aimed at Earth 911 for not
> maintaining
> current and useful information on its website. Sometimes I get
> emails from
> people suggesting that we add a certain recycling location to the
> list, for
> example, because they don't understand that we don't control the
> content. I
> think you're clear about the difference.
> 2. I apologize that Zoomer is imperfect because it relies on the
> info
> distributed by third-party websites. If you know of a different
> recycling
> website that's zip-code based and better than Earth 911, then let me
> know
> and we'll investigate using it!
> 3. My request is that you help make Zoomer more effective (in spite
> of the
> weaknesses of third-party websites that it sends users to) by using
> the
> "comment" feature. This is *exactly* why we added this feature, and
> you'll
> see that two people have already made use of it if you "view
> comments." We
> figured that people would know more specific info, such as, "The guy
> at the
> recycling center at Fifth and Main doesn't really show up at 10,
> even though
> that's the posted opening. He usually rolls in around noon, so wait
> until
> then before you deliver your recyclables." If you post the info
> you've
> provided below, it will make the Zoomer experience a lot more
> meaningful for
> people. We can't visit the zip code for each of the websites that
> Zoomer
> sends folks to, so we depend on the users to contribute and make it
> a
> community of sorts.
>
> I'd suggest that you or Ron post a comment telling folks that for
> the most
> up-do-date recycling info in the Twin Cities can be found by calling
> xxxx,
> or by visiting xxx website.
>
> Does that make sense?
>
> Best,
> Jenny
> ____________
> Jenny Coyle
> Local Affairs Editor
> Sierra Club Web Team
> (415) 977-5533
> jenny.coyle@no.address
> http://www.sierraclub.org
>
> Jenny,
>
> I understand that Zoomer is linked to third party information but I
> think
> Sierra Club's reputation is at stake here. Many recyclers (many,
> many
> recyclers from all across the country) are very disappointed in
> Earth 911's
> database. There is a national listserve (of recyclers) that just
> started
> discussing serious concerns with this latest Earth 911 hit via
> Sierra Club's
> newsletter. I think you will be hearing directly from many other
> recyclers
> soon. It is awesome that Sierra Club wants to promote recycling -
> Sierra
> Club can effectively help people with recycling without directing
> them to
> Earth 911 and any bad information that is there.
>
> 2. There isn't a database that effectively lists every communities
> recycling
> program information because that information can change daily and
> those
> folks are busy updating their own information and keeping their own
> sources
> reliable. Recycling is the living instance of THINK GLOBALLY - ACT
> LOCALLY.
> A national database that is one size fits all is just an idea that
> sounds
> good but doesn't work. If Sierra Club wants to help promote
> recycling -
> there are many other effective ways to do it.
>
> 3. My organization and the 9000 plus other curbside programs and
> several
> thousand drop off recycling programs don't have the time and
> resources to
> make Earth 911's database correct/effective. Depending on the
> "users" to
> make it effective is placing an unfair burden on the "users" and the
> folks
> that lead recycling on a local level and it does not assure any
> reliable
> information will result.
>
> That said, we'd be happy to talk about how Sierra Club can help
> promote
> recycling.
>
>
> Susan Hubbard
> CEO
> Eureka Recycling
> 2828 Kennedy St., NE
> Minneapolis, MN 55413
>
> (651)222-7678
> (612)623-3277
> www.eurekarecycling.org
>
> Waste is Preventable Not Inevitable
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Jenny.Coyle@no.address [mailto:Jenny.Coyle@no.address]
>
> Sent: Monday, January 10, 2005 5:48 PM
> To: Susan Hubbard
> Cc: 'Dianna Kennedy'; RONALD.WILLIAMS@no.address;
> webmaster@no.address;
> zoomer@no.address
> Subject: Re: incorect information
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> "Susan Hubbard"
>
> <susanh@no.address
>
> ycling.org>
> To
> <zoomer@no.address>,
>
> 01/10/2005 02:51 <webmaster@no.address>,
>
> PM <RONALD.WILLIAMS@no.address>
>
>
> cc
> "'Dianna Kennedy'"
>
> <diannak@no.address>
>
>
> Subject
> incorect information
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Waste is Preventable Not Inevitable
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Ann Schneider [mailto:schneiderann@no.address]
> Sent: Tuesday, January 11, 2005 2:55 PM
> To: crra_members@no.address; greenyes@no.address
> Subject: [greenyes] Sierra Club recycling link to Earth 911
>
> Hi CRRA and GRRNers:
>
> Sierra Club national sends out a weekly enewsletter. Today's enews
> talks
> about finding recycling information by zip code. When I followed
> the
> link, it brought me to Earth 911. Here is the link.
> http://zoomer.sierraclub.org/
>
> Since I am now off the CRRA Board I have been putting more time into
> my
> local Sierra Club chapter, Loma Prieta's conservation committee as
> the
> Recycling, soon to be Zero Waste Chair. I will be pushing National
> Sierra Club's Solid Waste Committee to adopt Zero Waste.
>
> How does this fit with this Zoomer link, sorry to say I am not
> sure. I
> know some CRRA members are not too pleased with Earth911. And I am
> a bit
> concerned that the Sierra Club took a short cut on educating our
> members
> and visitors to the website by referring people to Earth911 while
> providing no Sierra Club overview before it happens. But that is
> another
> battle and will take quite some time to resolve.
>
> At any rate, those of you who work on publice education may want to
> take
> a visit to the website and the regular Sierra Club website and then
> direct comments to Sierra Club National. www.SierraClub.org. or
> http://www.sierraclub.org/contact/
>
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Ann Schneider
>
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>
>
>
>




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