In 2018 members of the Marine Resources Committee, Friends of the San Juans, San Juan County Solid Waste, the Lopez Solid Waste District and the Orcas Exchange came together to build an education and awareness building campaign aimed at changing citizen behavior and the cultures of plastic use in San Juan County and throughout the wider Salish Sea region. This group has continued to grow and expand their ideas and efforts. But, the global pandemic that we now find ourselves in has found the group being called upon to provide guidance on newly emerging issues related to plastics and waste. Throughout the Salish Sea, communities have been working hard to prevent and reduce the use of single-use plastics and educate communities about sustainable alternatives. Our story of preventing plastic use in the Salish Sea is actually part of the larger narrative of the Earth’s plastic crisis. In the words of activist Shibu K. Nahir, “Look at our globe: it’s a water world… So if you imagine that we are in a womb filled with water, whatever I do here is going to affect every single life form in this earth… We need to bring in that kind of a spirit of unity across boundaries, because these toxins do not understand political boundaries.” In March 2019 Washington State passed a reusable bag bill, which will ban single-use plastic bags across the state, following the lead of many local communities, including San Juan County. That was a big step in the right direction and gives businesses the motivation to look for alternative supplies. Then COVID 19 happened. In a matter of days grocery stores around the country put up signs that re-usable bags were not allowed, and coffee shops refused to refill personal mugs. But the idea that “plastic bags are safer” runs in direct contradiction to the best available science. Earlier this month the New England Journal of Medicine found that the virus that causes COVID19 persists on plastic 300% as long as it does on paper! 72 hours! Plastic showed the longest survival time of all materials the scientists tested. Stainless steel, cardboard, copper and the air itself were all far less hospitable than plastic! Unfortunately, special interests have capitalized on peoples’ fears to advance the use of plastic bags and delay implementation of plastic bag bans. Fortunately, the countries of Italy, Indonesia, and the Netherlands found no reason to ban the use of reusable bags. What is a concerned world citizen to do? REFUSE to use single-use plastics and keep looking for ways that you can REDUCE your dependence on convenient packaging. Check out this nifty infographic with some easy to follow tips to still REFUSE, REDUCE and REUSE in the age of COVID-19.

Now every Tuesday and Thursday for all of April and May 2020, join Nikyta and LSWDD to have an hour of creative power! We will be making all kinds of fun and creative creations, from cardboard robots to puppetshows-- sky is the limit! Only needs are basic recycled materials (like cardboard and recycled paper, etc)and basic art supplies (scissors, glue, markers). This is free and on an online forum, with the Zoom link below. All kids welcome, and kids under 8 should be supervised by an adult. Come join us! Join Zoom Meeting https://zoom.us/j/91782029075?pwd=TExoSkhJTktKYmNNUExDMm04b2pxZz09 Meeting ID: 917 8202 9075 Password: 956414 For questions email Nikyta at nikytap@lopezsolidwaste.org Here is an example of one of our puppet shows made of recycled materials:

2020: Year of Vision When we titled the year, we had no idea that our vision would bring us closer in and further out that ever imagined. We had no idea we would suddenly spend so much more time at home and on screens— for some working, some suddenly home schooling, some with not much change other than every darn class is now on Zoom! LSWDD is interested in helping hold a creative space of inquiry, education and connection during this time. So to that end, we will be hosting creative artists salon around creating visions for a better future. These salons are free and open to all. We are focusing on a sustainable future that is headed towards zero waste, but there are an infinite way to see that path unfolding. These salons are focused around building energy and momentum to making work for the collaborative show “Creative Visions” hosted by the Lopez Library slated for Labor Day weekend, Sept 4-5. Ideally, all materials used to make the pieces would come from the Recycle plaza or Take It or Leave It, but in this case, you are welcome to use items from your own recycling, or things you already have (and don’t need to purchase new). This show aims to inspire local creativity and imagination to produce innovative, artistic, playful, futuristic, maybe even improbable solutions to issues the planet faces regarding waste and recycling. All displayed works will be celebrated, and additionally one work will be selected as a "winner" through a community voting process. The winning artist will receive a $200 prize. Please join Nikyta Palmisani this Thursday at 5 pm, and every Thursday in April for an engaging and educational Zoom Salon. In each session, there will be education and artistic inspiration, as well as a round robin check in and show and tell for artists making work in response to the group. You are welcome to use any media for your artistic response, and are in no way beholden to show your work unless you would like to. For questions, or to RSVP for the Salons, email Nikyta at nikytap@lopezsolidwaste.org. If the salons prove popular, they will continue into May with different material focuses each week. Here is an overview of the sessions in April: April 9: Introduction and Inspiration: from Recology’s Artist in Residence Program in San Francisco. This program has been successfully paying artists and producing tri annual shows for the last 30 years! The artists are simply breath taking as well as educational and innovative. In this session, you will get an introduction to the program as well as explore a curated list of some of the artists. We will also be discussing visioning a post-Covid world and the waste created, as well as interesting possible innovations. April 16: PLASTIC! This week will begin a deeper dive into history and back story of waste and recycling as well as reuse. This first week will focus on plastics. A continuation of curated artists from Recology who use plastic as a dominate medium and discussion of future visions for this material and how it could be utilized in a more sustainable way. April 23: TEXTILES! In this week, we will learn stunning data on both global and Lopez textile recycling: where it goes, what happens to it, and how this can shift. Artists featured will be textile artists. April 30: PAPER! This week will be a learning about paper recycling, which is already in jeopardy of changing drastically in the very near future. As artists, many of us utilize paper as a mainstay media. So how can we recycle and repurpose paper in new and creative, or innovative ways? Perhaps even old ways that could be used well again? https://zoom.us/j/257628405?pwd=TDZWOEprMEpodEI4RDJXaE5wNHlVQT09

Recycling Craft Fun with Nikyta and LSWDD As households are pivoting to homeschooling and zoom schooling, LSWDD has been thinking of ways to keep kids interested, engaged, educated and entertained in zero waste. Please join Training, Education and Outreach Coordinator, Nikyta Palmisani for some really fun craft time with basic recyclable materials and very basic art supplies. She will be leading four sessions on Zoom that dovetail into each other and culminate with fantastic photo or video story telling. Sessions are free and open to all ages, but parents are encouraged to supervise and assist children under the age of 8. Sessions times approximately one hour, but may go longer depending on level of engagement and interest. Households are encouraged to do all four sessions, but each session can be a stand alone, fun time in the arts! Dates & Zoom Links: Create the Cast of Characters! Tuesday April 7 at 2 pm https://zoom.us/j/556967118?pwd=azRUUlQraTY1Y3NwTmthZ2Jtamk4UT09 Write your Amazing Story! Thursday April 9, 2 pm https://zoom.us/j/117336219?pwd=a2RmSDduK3NjUnVHQkN0YmNRRWpLQT09 Build the Stage and Props! Tuesday April 14, 2 pm https://zoom.us/j/384589167?pwd=ZmE2dDhYVnJyd2R2WGpVMng4M1lxZz09 It’s Show (and Tell) Time! Thursday, April 16, 2 pm https://zoom.us/j/556967118?pwd=azRUUlQraTY1Y3NwTmthZ2Jtamk4UT09 Supplies Needed: -Basic Recyclable Materials: medium sized cardboard box (or scrap cardboard), paperboard of any kind like cereal boxes or thicker packaging paper that’s not corrugated, any loose paper. metal cans, plastic bottles, caps, lids, and other recyclable materials are a plus! -Art Supplies: scissors, tape, crayons and or markers, string/yarn, glue. Zoom links are included on www.lopezsolidwaste.org and on Lopez Rocks for each day’s activities. To RSVP for your household, or if you have any questions, please email Nikyta at nikytap@lopezsolidwaste.org. Hope to have fun creating with you soon!!

On site changes at LSWDD as precautionary measures for Covid-19: Changes to drive up window: -Two Lanes: To reduce person to person contact, we now have two lanes of traffic when you come up the hill. You will now see a sign that says: PAID GARBAGE to the left: this will direct you to the cashier booth so you can pay for your garbage disposal. The same sign directs RECYCLING ONLY to the right lane, where you will bypass the cashier booth and head directly into the recycle plaza to get in and out as quickly as possible. You will be stopped here as we are metering cars, only 9 cars allowed into the recycle plaza at one time. Changes at the cashier booth: -New faces: LSWDD has reduced it’s staff to three teams. So you may see some new faces in the cashier booth depending on when you come. This way if one team gets sick, we have non-contaminated coverage with another two teams. -No Cash, please: We have requested that you NOT pay in cash if you can help it. We prefer checks or credit cards. -6’ distance from Cashier Booth: You may be asked to pull in 6 feet away from the cashier booth, and use a long handled basket to pass payment into the booth. This is to protect our employees and YOU. -No Receipts: We will not be issuing receipts at this time unless requested. This helps reduce in the passing of items back and forth. -Metering cars: If car volumes are higher than we can accommodate parking in a 6 foot spacing between each car, you will be metered into the site. We only have capacity for 9 cars to be recycling at a time. So please, be prepared to be patient, and PRE SORT your recycling at home so you can get in and out QUICKLY. We also recommend coming at lower volume times— which are Fridays and Saturdays. Sunday afternoon is our HIGHEST volume time, and we recommend you avoid coming then if at all possible. Changes to Recycle Plaza Layout for Self Separated Recycling: -No volunteers on site: we will have an employee in the cashier booth and one on the “floor” so please be patient with us if you have questions. We have asked our volunteers to “stay home and stay healthy” per Governors orders. -6 foot space around each tote: You will see two totes in a row for the same material. For example, there will be two identical totes right next to each other to collect #1 plastics, etc). We have done this to reduce the amount of times an employee needs to change the totes during the day. The totes will be clearly marked, and there are no new changes to the materials we currently recycle. -No TIOLI donations: And just a reminder that the TIOLI is closed for the foreseeable future and is not receiving any donations. Thank you for your patience and flexibility during this challenging time.

LSWDD is introducing 3 new ways to REDUCE the spread of Covid-19 on our site. Please help us! REDUCE TRIPS – recycle & trash disposal in same trip, fill bags & cans FULL before disposal REDUCE PEOPLE & TIME ON SITE – come alone if possible, pre-sort recycling at home REDUCE USE OF CASH – we prefer credit cards or checks Thank you for helping us reduce the spread of Covid-19.

Lopez Solid Waste Disposal District (LSWDD) is committed to community health and well-being; thus, in response to the novel coronavirus (Covid-19), LSWDD made the decision last Friday, March 6, 2020 to close the Take It or Leave It (TIOLI) until further notice. This was done to proactively prevent the possible spread of Covid-19, following our county health department’s recommendation to practice social distancing. The TIOLI is a gathering space for our community and it takes in 500-800 pounds of donations per hour when open. With these volumes, it is impossible to sanitize objects and shopping surfaces within the TIOLI. Therefore, to protect volunteers who manage these volumes (many of whom are in the high risk age group), and the many visitors who exchange goods, LSWDD found it important for public health to close for the foreseeable future. During the closure, the TIOLI will be deep cleaned, organized and updated by our dedicated volunteers and staff. Please note that our garbage and recycling services will remain open. The TIOLI is not only a beloved institution, but also a site of HUGE diversion of items that might have otherwise gone to landfill. We easily receive 6,000 pounds of donations per weekend! So how are Lopezians to manage donations that would have been dropped off every weekend? Here are some helpful suggestions: 1. Practice Patience. If these donations have lived in your home, they can most likely live a little longer with you. Please hold onto donations until the TIOLI reopens. Also, we appreciate that no donations are left at the gate while TIOLI is unattended. 2. Utilize the Buy Nothing Lopez Island Facebook Group and Lopez Rocks to offer donations to the community. These are good ways to offer and receive goods in a 1:1 exchange, where items can be sanitized before and after being exchanged. 3. Let’s not overload the Lopez Thrift Shop with our TIOLI donations. On their website they state: “The DONATION ZONE will be open as scheduled, but please do not leave any items at the Thrift Shop Donation Zone that you planned to drop off at the Take It Or Leave It (TIOLI), which is currently closed. All items left in the Donation Zone must be eligible and desirable for resale. As always, all donations should be clean and in good condition. No furniture or electronics.” 4. Stuffed Furniture is a category of fee items that includes mattresses, couches, and stuffed chairs. The fee helps cover their disposal if they are not adopted in a timely manner from TIOLI. If you have one of these items that most likely wouldn’t be adopted because it is in poor condition, please just pay to have it thrown out. 5. Make use of our recycle streams – for those items that might not be right for reuse. Examples include: outdated books, magazines and paper products that can be recycled into our mixed paper container. Metal recycling is an outlet for questionable use objects that are 50% steel or more, or made of aluminum, copper, brass, or mixed metals. There are labeled bins for each metal next to the green baler shed in the recycle plaza. Just ask one of our staff members for help – as we have many recycling options! 6. Please bring your own reusable bags to the grocery store. SWAP has made the decision to remove the reusable bag bin from in front of Blossom Grocery for the same reasons as the TIOLI closure. This gives us all the opportunity to continue the best practice of remembering and bringing our own reusable bags every time we shop. We are a resilient community dedicated to zero waste and free community reuse. The TIOLI will be back in action as soon as we can – and we look forward to it! LSWDD thanks you for your continued support, patience, and consideration during this time.

The arrival of a new year marks a special time for setting intentions for the year to come. Since this year is 2020, it’s an especially apt time for making “vision board,” a collage that helps visually set your intentions and goals for the future. All supplies will be provided as well as light refreshments. Bring any images or text that you’d like to incorporate into your board. All ages welcome. Children under 8 must be accompanied by an adult. Part of the 2020 “Year of Vision” programming collaboration between the Lopez Library and the Lopez Solid Waste Disposal District.

We continue our challenge to move towards less waste, more reuse, more recycling, and less dependency on plastics. We need your help to accomplish this goal. This year we have committed $10,000.00 towards site improvement of the Lopez Solid Waste Disposal District facility. Once the project is decided we will update through the newspaper and LopezRocks. We continue the adventure of our Shirts-to-Skirts Project!!! We take used t-shirts that are either given to us or donated to the Take-It-Or-Leave-It, and make one-of-a-kind skirts! All the designing, cutting, and serging is done by many volunteers. This summer we sold 83 skirts at the Lopez Farmers’ Market! If you would like to receive information about skirt making workshops, please send an email to lopezswap@gmail.com. Also let us now if you would like to spend one or more Saturdays working the SWAP booth at the Farmers’ Market next summer. We welcome Chyanne Escalate, Susan Greskovics, and Katherine Sorensen to the board. Chyanne is the artist/designer of this year’s Junk Bond. Susan and Katherine are familiar faces at TIOLI. We continue to seek new board members. SWAP is a non-profit 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization that supports our Lopez Dump in much the same way the Friends of the Library supports that institution. The annual levy for our Disposal District provides only about one-third of the funds necessary to operate our Recycle Plaza, Take-It-Or-Leave-It, and waste disposal facilities. SWAP helps fill the gap with goods, supplemental funding, and continuing education of our shared community values of reduce, recycle, and repurpose. That’s why we: ❖ Fund the Year of REUSE, a community focus by LSWDD staff member, Nikyta Palmisani ❖ Support the school’s ReMake Lab ❖ Support EARTH DAY which removed thousands of pounds of debris from beaches and roadsides on all our islands ❖ Provide funding for a Family Resource Center Program to subsidize trash disposal for low income households ❖ Award the Sarah Eppenbach scholarship to a graduating senior who has demonstrated a working understanding of environmental care ❖ Host a volunteer appreciation BBQ and a December volunteer appreciation evening to honor the many Lopez individuals contributing their time and effort to making our community-operated facility an award-winning reality ❖ Operate a SWAP booth at the Saturday Farmers’ Market where we hosted multiple conversations about the need to refuse, reduce, reuse, repurpose, and recycle ❖ Provide funds for the annual levy vote that allows us to tax ourselves to provide much of the funding to run our disposal district ❖ Participate in the Holiday Preschool Bazaar and the Port Stanley School Holiday Sale ❖ Contributed to the purchase of a new glass container at the recycle center ❖ Sponsor the Dogs at the Dump Calendar 2020 available at PSR (Kudos to photographer Nikyta Palmisani) ❖ Maintain a bag bin outside of Blossom Grocery In January 2020 our community-managed Lopez Solid Waste Disposal District will celebrate our seventh anniversary as a 100 percent local operation meeting Lopez Island needs. As you write your checks for year-end contributions this year, please consider adding SWAP to your list of worthy organizations that enhance the quality of life on our island. Your added support helps our Lopez Island Dump provide free separated recycling, additional recycling opportunities, the Take-It-Or-Leave-It free community goods exchange, and affordable disposal service. If you have already given to SWAP this year, we thank you for your contribution. A special thank you to those who have given SWAP funding directly from retirement funding. Lopezians interested in *board membership *helping with skirt design *serging/sewing skirts *helping at the Saturday Farmers’ Market Please contact us at lopezswap@gmail.com. THANKS! Sincerely, Chyanne Escalante, Susan Greskovics, Renee Koplan, Kim Norton, Katherine Sorensen, Kevin Utt Board of Directors Yet to come this year: The Lopez Preschool Bazaar, November 30, 2019 Port Stanley School Holiday Sale on December 14, 2019 Look for more fabulous reusable shopping bags repurposed from animal feed bags by Jodi and Velma Series E Junk Bonds by artist Chyanne Escalante 2020 Dogs from Lopez Dump Calendars available now at PSR AND LOTS MORE SKIRTS!

New! An event to practice speaking Spanish/English at LSWDD! ¡Nuevo! ¡Una reunión para practicar hablar español e inglés con LSWDD! This exciting event is a collaboration with the Lopez Library, LSWDD, and Spanish teacher, Claudio Pellegrino and his family. Please bring a sweet or savory finger food that is a favorite in your family and meet us at the Lopez Library's meeting room. We will pair folks who want to practice their Spanish with folks who want to practice their English and walk to the Dump for a fun and interactive tour. Ever wondered how to say cardboard? Or glass? Or other site specific words? This is your chance to practice speaking with generous, kindhearted community members interested in helping bridge the language barrier on both sides. After some fun and games, we will walk back to the Library to continue the conversation around everyone's favorite topic: food! For those Lopezians who spend many winter months in Mexico or other warm Spanish speaking countries, this is a great time to warm up your language skills while building community right here at home! It is also a wonderful opportunity to invite deepening relationships and friendships with Spanish speaking Lopezians who are working on their English skills. All ages and levels welcome! For more information contact Nikyta at nikytap@lopezsolidwaste.org

On Friday, September 20th at 4 pm, Lopez Island will join 150 countries around the world for the Global Climate Strike. Come join youth, Lopez students and adults on the green behind Blossom Grocery for a march through the Village. Lopezians are encouraged to come join this movement by creating signs, festooning bicycles, decorating electric and hybrid vehicles and joining the march which begins behind Blossom Grocery. The route will follow Fisherman Bay Road, turn left at Week’s Road, march past the post office, and turn left on Lopez Road to go through the village. Then a right on Fisherman Bay Road past the Library and Fire Station and to the Dump. Then it will march back to Blossom on Fisherman Bay Road. Please join us for this powerful statement that it is time to prioritize the planet. For more information on the climate strike go to www.globalclimatestrike.net, and for questions pertaining to the Lopez March please email Nikyta at nikytapalmisani@gmail.com.

To register to help clean beaches and roadsides, please email Nikyta at nikytap@lopezsolidwaste.org to organize a team. Registration will be at 10 am at the parking lot behind Blossom with the usual yummy Holly B's treat and free coffee and tea. Come and register, sign up your team, pick up vests, grabbers and bring your own 5 gallon bucket to pick up trash in. Stay tuned for more information to come about the celebrations and activities for National Public Lands Day!