PSFC Environmental Committee

New e-Waste Collection Center in Brooklyn

noreply@blogger.com (Eileen) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 11:00:00 +0000

The Lower East Side Ecology Center just opened a new permanent e-waste drop-off & reuse center in Brooklyn. It's at 469 President Street (near Nevins Street) just a half mile from the Park Slope Food Coop. No more waiting months and months for collection day to ditch that cathode computer monitor!

Even better than the one-day events, the warehouse offers both recycling and reuse—you can stop by the warehouse to peruse their selection of affordable electronic equipment and parts.

Stop by the Community Reception to celebrate the opening
February 04, 2012 | 12:00pm - 4:00pm
Light refreshments will be provided. All are welcome.

For regular hours (beginning January 31) and a list of accepted materials, click here.

Find directions to the warehouse.

How I Shop Without NEW Plastic Bags !

noreply@blogger.com (Sensho) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 11:49:00 +0000

I don’t have to use a plastic bag to shop at the Coop...in fact I REuse plastic bags I’ve already been using, many times. Even in the bulk aisle, those muslin bags - you know, the beige flags which are hanging up near the mangoes and the bananas, near the bulk aisle and other places in the store. They move around with the air currents, looking like they are there for a purpose, and yes they are. I discovered that these little to large bags can hold flour (they’re not mesh but a very tight weave cotton), and most every other bulk item. I use a twist tie or bring rubber bands and put the stock number yellow sticker on the tag of the bag itself. Easy !

I put my carrots into these great muslin bags. Even the beets. The muslin bags are washable. The greens are big, so those go in my REused plastic bags until they tear. Wow - it takes a really long time to make those bags UNusable. Sometimes I’ll put all my greens into one reused plastic bag or better yet, a recyclable shoulder bag, then just take one or two out for the ultimate weighing.

I learned how to make those produce plastic bags (that I used to take off the roll) into a very small triangle. I do that with really any plastic bag I’m reusing. See this really short video on about folding plastic bags for re-use so that they fit in my pocket.

Sometimes I’ll put all of my root vegetables into one recyclable shoulder bag that I’m still using from years ago. (They’re all rolled up, usually into a little bag attached to itself, in endcaps near the bulk aisle. Some of them have a snap for really efficient pocket-storage! ) One bag is easy, because the check out person weighs one veggie at a time anyway, so I can take out the carrots, and leave the turnips in the bag. The bag is weightless, so I’m not overpaying.

I use another shopping bag for this purpose or for an entire small shopping trip for, say, my apples, pears and oranges. Again, it’s so easy to take out and weigh one thing, and if there’s a lot of pears, well, they just get weighed in the bag.

I use the small muslin bags for the cherry tomatoes, or a larger one for potatoes. All weighed or presented for the checkout person in their own bag.

I’ve heard of people making bags for shopping out of fabric or even old clothes. I want to try that sometime. It sounds easy.

My bread purchases are in a mesh bag I use for shopping - you know - a very Continental look (!), and there’s always the plastic bags I wash and reuse to bring home my chicken and meat, so there’s no dripping.

In fact, I haven’t had to use a bag from those rolls at the Coop for, well, I can’t remember the last time I pulled one off the roll. Not only is it possible, but I want to do my part in not perpetuating new plastic bag production and use.

That’s how I do it.

image of t-shirt bag courtesy of Martha Stewart

Eco-Infographic of the Day: Worldwide Waste Mgt.

noreply@blogger.com (Cynthia) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 21:39:00 +0000

Some of my co-workers are on an infographic craze, so I decided to look for some eco-infographics. What are infographics? They're just a graphical way to present date, that makes it more interesting to look at and easier to understand.

Click on the infographic for a larger version and answer the following questions; you can also use the zoom feature on your browser to enlarge the image.

How is the US doing compared to Germany in the waste management of common materials like paper and plastic?

How do our waste disposal techniques compare to other countries (landfill vs. recycling, etc.)?

January E-Waste Recycling

noreply@blogger.com (Cynthia) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 20:06:00 +0000

The Lower East Side Ecology Center is bringing its 9th Annual After the Holidays E-waste Event series to all five boroughs this January to help you responsibly recycle of all of your unwanted or broken gadgets. Please spread the word about responsible disposal of electronics to your family, friends and neighbors.

In Park Slope:
January 15, 2012 | 10:00am - 4:00pm
Prospect Park West and 3rd Street, Brooklyn, NY 11215
- Post this flyer in your lobby or workplace.
- See a list of what can be accepted for recycling.

See a complete list of all January E-waste recycling events in all
five boroughs.

Never Doubt . . .

noreply@blogger.com (Cynthia) — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 06:18:00 +0000

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."
— Margaret Mead

image of NYS Adirondacks courtesy of Marcy Hall Haislip

Energy Independence? One Village Makes It Happen

noreply@blogger.com (Judy) — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 04:48:00 +0000

Wildpoldsried, a village of 2,600 in Germany, produces 321% more energy than they use. Employing a variety of methods including wind turbines and solar panels, the village is now in a position, both earth-friendly and enviable, of making money by doing the right thing.
Currently they earn $5.7 million in revenue a year by selling their extra energy back to the national grid.

They made their changes over a period of 14 years, and they did it without going into debt. See their story and slide show here.

For more information on this village's energy transformation, see this article, or do some googling.

Wildpoldsried's experience and inspiration is now available not just online but in person. The mayor visits other towns, giving advice on how to make changes. Also, the village council offers energy tours and talks for people who want to visit the village to see for themselves.

Don't know about you, but I've been waiting 40 years for a story like this. On one hand, during those decades, a number of individuals and, more recently, commercial buildings have achieved energy independence, sometimes economically. On the other hand we've heard way too many repetitions of lines like alternative energy is "too expensive," "impractical," "unreliable," "not scaleable," blah blah blah. These are the turf-defending views of King CONG (Harvey Wasserman's name for the Coal Oil Nuclear natural Gas industries).

CONG needs us to believe that we must have their deep-water drilling, their hydrofracking, mountaintop removal coal mining, and nukes in order to have enough energy.

Enter Wildpoldsried. The accomplishment of this one small village stands as a potent refutation of CONGtalk. CONG is simply wrong. Energy independence is in fact possible and practical. A group of people with good leaders decided to make a change, acted on their decision, and change happened.

It can happen in more places. Maybe the rest of us will be inspired by the Wildpoldsried story. Maybe there's hope for our species to sustainably inhabit this planet, after all.

photo by jinterwas on flickr

Creative Cleanser

noreply@blogger.com (Cynthia) — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 17:01:00 +0000

It’s really easy to make your own multi-purpose cleanser—mix one part vinegar with one part water. Vinegar is known to kill germs and bacteria; although there are different estimates, the most common one is that vinegar kills 99% of bacteria, 82% of mold, and 80 percent of germs (viruses).

You can get creative by adding a few drops of one of the many essential oils sold by the coop (jasmine, juniper, etc.) The coop also sells reusable spray bottles to store your cleanser. If you share your home with others, just make sure to label the bottle so others know what is in it.

You will save a lot of money by doing this (vinegar is inexpensive!) and have an environmentally friendly cleanser. You will not have to buy and dispose of multiple plastic bottles of cleanser at the store. And it's fun to pick your own scent(s).

Write us at ecokvetch at yahoo.com if you have any creative cleaning recipes/ideas you want to share.

Seattle Bans Plastic Bags

noreply@blogger.com (Cynthia) — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 16:29:00 +0000

They did it—can we?

From the 11/29/11 NY Times:

Seattle Bans Plastic Bags, and Sets a Charge for Paper
By William Yardley

SEATTLE — The City Council here voted unanimously on Monday to ban plastic grocery bags and charge a 5-cent fee on paper bags — and this time city leaders hope the ban actually takes effect.

Three years ago, Seattle city officials became the first in the nation to approve a fee on paper and plastic bags, instituting a charge of
20 cents for each bag provided by many retail stores. The idea was to create a financial incentive to reduce pollution: the fee was supposed to prompt people to bring reusable bags with them to shop.

But before the 2008 fee took effect, the plastic-bag industry led a petition drive that forced the issue onto a citywide ballot. In August 2009, in the midst of the recession and after the industry spent $1.4 million on the campaign, Seattle voters rejected the fee.

“Twenty cents felt kind of punitive, especially for low-income folks,” said Mike O’Brien, a council member whose committee introduced the current bill.

Instead of becoming a leader on the issue, Seattle watched as other cities moved forward with bans and fees.

“There’s a competitive side to seeing who can come up with the most progressive legislation,” said Mr. O’Brien, who was a local Sierra Club leader, and a candidate for the Council, when the bag fee was on the ballot.

Now Seattle is the fourth city in the state to approve a ban, modeling its measure closely on one approved this year in Bellingham. Some larger cities, including San Francisco, Washington and Portland, Ore., have also instituted bans and fees. But plenty of places are still wrestling with the subject. In Los Angeles, the City Council has studied the issue for four years.

Arguments persist about the environmental drawbacks and benefits of each type of bag. Mr. O’Brien said one reason the Council was allowing paper bags was because the city has one of the highest rates in the nation for paper bag recycling, about 85%, while it recycles only about 13% of the 292 million plastic bags distributed in the city. Under the ban, plastic bags could still be provided for produce and bulk grocery items.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Of course we know that the answer is not paper or plastic but reusable. Reusable bags can be made sustainably out of a variety of materials, even recycled plastic, in an effort to keep that substance out of landfills and oceans. The coop carries a variety of reusable bags and we hope to expand the selection in the
near future.

Last Three Workshops to Stop Hydrofracking

noreply@blogger.com (Cynthia) — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 16:38:00 +0000

We are holding three last workshops to create effective letters commenting on the problems in the DEC's proposed hydrofracking regulations under which hydrofracking could occur in New York State, as early as next year.

The workshops are:

Friday, December 16 from 5-7 pm

Saturday, December 17, from 3-5 pm

Tuesday, January 3 from 3-5 pm

Please help publicize these last workshops by forwarding this information to others on your squad, friends, neighbors, etc. The workshops are open to everyone: coop members and non-members alike.

You don't have to stay for the whole time—just stop by for awhile and write an effective letter to the DEC. It will be mailed for you (no procrastination!)

Governor Cuomo and the DEC seem unmoved by the facts about hydrofracking. See the recent news articles "EPA Sounds Alarm on Fracking in Wyoming" and E.P.A. Links Tainted Water in Wyoming to Hydraulic Fracturing for Natural Gas and Some Blame Hydraulic Fracturing for EarthQuake Epidemic.

Your small time commitment will make a difference—let's protect New York's drinking water and our health from hydrofracking.

Mrs. Meyer's Stinks

noreply@blogger.com (Jenna) — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 17:51:00 +0000

Many environmentally-aware folks have been lured into believing that Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day is a healthy product.

However, if you read the fine print (and the ingredients list) you will see the truth. If you use your nose, you will smell the truth. Mrs. Meyer's uses synthetic ingredients and fragrances.

When you see the term "fragrance" or "parfum" in the ingredients list remember that the fragrance/perfume industry is protected by trade secret laws. This means they are not required to tell you what's in their formulations.

The ingredients that are lumped into the listing fragrance or parfum could include up to 1000 different synthetic chemicals!

Our current toxic chemicals law (the Toxic Substances Control Act) is so outdated and weak that testing has been required on fewer than 2% of the 80,000 chemicals available for use in the United States. Many of these chemicals, especially when they interact, are linked to numerous health problems, like endocrine disruption and neurotoxicity.

The green cleaning business is booming with new products that claim to be "effective alternatives". Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day and other greenwashed products, like Method and SimpleGreen, have a very clever (but misleading) marketing scheme.

Don't waste your hard earned cash on clever marketing. A bottle of castile soap, a box of baking soda, and bottle of vinegar is all you need to keep your home fresh and clean. If you like fragrance, use a few drops of organic essential oil.

Read more at Raganella's blog and see why Mrs. Meyer's Stinks.

This post was originally published on PlasticAlbatross.org

'Tis the Season . . .

noreply@blogger.com (Cynthia) — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 03:05:00 +0000

To Receive a lot of Junk Mail!!!

The average American receives 41 pounds of junk mail per year and about 44% ends up in landfills. Most of this mail is not made from recycled paper to begin with, so this represents the loss of a great many trees plus water and energy to produce and transport the mail.

Why not opt out of junk mail with one of the free services available, Catalogue Choice or 41pounds.org.

You should see a noticeable improvement within 6-8 weeks. Some companies print their mailing labels months in advance, so it may take a while for these to stop coming. After 16 weeks, your junk mail should be eliminated by 80 to 95%. In addition to the environmental benefits, opting out of junk mail offers protection against identity theft as junk mail provides thieves with valuable information
about you.

Start the new year right: 41 pounds of junk mail lighter!

Next Electronic Waste Recycling Day

noreply@blogger.com (Cynthia) — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 22:59:00 +0000

Saturday, December 10, 2011
10:00am - 4:00pm
rain or shine
in Park Slope at P.S. 321
(7th Ave. bet. 1st & 2nd)

A list of acceptable materials can be found here. Accepted items include electronics from households, small businesses (less than 50 employees, please call ahead) and not-for-profits. Appliances such as microwaves, refrigerators, or air conditioners are not accepted.

NYC Public Hearing about Hydrofracking

noreply@blogger.com (Cynthia) — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 11:00:00 +0000

If you are concerned about the potential health and environmental threats of hydraulic fracture gas drilling want to tell Governor Cuomo not to allow hydrofracking in New York State, here is a chance to speak up.

The Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) will be a public hearing in New York City on Wednesday, November 30, 2011 at the Tribeca Performing Arts Center, 199 Chambers St., New York, NY.

There will be two sessions of the hearing: 1pm and 6 p.m.

You can attend just to listen and support others, or write out a statement of your own to read. If you want to read your own statement, there will be a sign up list when you get to the hearing.

You can also submit your comments about the latest proposed regulations (SGEIS) by mail or email to the DEC until December 12. For some tips on writing an effective letter about these regulations, see this valuable resource suggesting the different topics you might want to comment on. If you can, please write to the DEC now and/or attend the hearing. If the SGEIS is accepted on December 12, gas drilling companies will start drilling.

NYC Lags Behind Other Cities in Recycling

noreply@blogger.com (Cynthia) — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 21:12:00 +0000

The October 21 New York Times featured an article titled, Lunch, Landfills, and What I Tossed. Author Mireya Navarro counted up the waste she produced in a week's worth of take out lunches:

"Saving all the packaging from a week’s worth of takeout food, I ended up with three plastic yogurt containers, a paper salad box, a paper cereal bowl, two Styrofoam plates, one plastic salad-dressing container and seven plastic food containers — the rigid ones with snap-on lids. Also, five plastic cups (each with a plastic straw), a paper cup with a plastic lid, a plastic water bottle and a plain old paper cup (it held milk for my cereal). Also, one plastic fork, one plastic knife and two compostable plastic spoons, which I threw out rather than composting."

Besides the individual trying to brown bag it and otherwise cut down on waste, there is another problem--New York City is lagging behind many others in its recycling:

"A survey by the Natural Resources Defense Council this year found that more than two dozen large and medium-size cities in the United States recycle all kinds of plastic containers, while New York takes only bottles and jugs."

Environmental advocates call recycling the weak link in the city’s green agenda, even after legislation was passed last year to overhaul the 1989 recycling law that made New York a 20th-century leader, not a laggard.

How far behind is the city? A survey by the Natural Resources Defense Council this year found that more than two dozen large and medium-size cities in the United States recycle all kinds of plastic containers, while New York takes only bottles and jugs. Another study this year ... ranked New York 16th among 27 cities in its handling of waste, though it was third in overall environmental performance.

Cutting-edge green cities, like San Francisco, offer curbside collection of food scraps and compostable items at homes, restaurants and offices. And dozens of places now charge residents for their trash by weight to promote recycling and keep refuse out of landfills."

The author points out that NYC is going backwards as far as recycling, currently recycling about 15% of the waste collected by the Sanitation Department down from 23% in 2001. Environmentalists feel the issue is not getting the attention it deserves from Mayor Bloomberg and City Hall. You can google the title of the article, "Lunch, Landfills and What I Tossed" to read the entire
piece online.

There's Still Time

noreply@blogger.com (Cynthia) — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 11:00:00 +0000

There's still time, though not much, to write a letter to the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) about the proposed hydrofracking regulations. The deadline is December 12.

If you're at the coop this weekend, why not stop at the workshop to help you write an effective letter to the DEC commenting on their proposed fracking regulations:

Saturday, November 26: 1-3 pm

Individual letters make a difference--the DEC is required to read every one, whereas form letters are merely counted. You can stop by any part of the workshop. Handouts will be available if you want to do your writing at home or share the information with others.

Bring friends—coop members and non-members are all welcome!

Towards Zero Waste

noreply@blogger.com (Cynthia) — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 19:47:00 +0000

Boulder, Colorado visionary Eric Lombardi has a plan to help that city and others move towards zero waste. His plan includes changing America's waste management system by shifting subsidies to green approaches, reducing the amount of waste generated by producers, funding appropriate recycling facilities and, ultimately, mandating recycling by law.

Lombardi said the economics of recycling have never been better.

"The value of recyclables is out of sight. It's now $150 a ton for the basket of goods I've been recycling for the past 20 years, and everyone I know in the business is looking at their landfills and incinerators and saying ‘why am I burying and burning $150 a ton?' It doesn't make sense." Learn more.

Saturday Fracking Comment Workshop

noreply@blogger.com (Cynthia) — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 19:14:00 +0000

If you're at the coop this weekend, why not stop at the workshop to help you write an effective letter to the DEC commenting on their proposed fracking regulations:

Saturday, November 19: 2-4 pm

Individual letters make a difference--the DEC is required to read every one, whereas form letters are merely counted. The deadline for submitting comments is December 12--fracking may start in early 2012 if we don't speak up.

We will help you complete a letter at the workshop and mail it for you.
Stop by at any point during the workshop sessions.

One more session will be held right after Thanksgiving:
Saturday, Nov. 26: 1–3 pm

Bring friends—coop members and non-members are welcome!

We are very, very lucky to have access to clean, drinkable tap water in New York. Let's not take it for granted and assume that this problem will go away or that someone else will take care of it. Everyone's help is needed.

If You Want to Stop Hydrofracking . . .

noreply@blogger.com (Cynthia) — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 22:41:00 +0000

Write to the DEC before the December 12 deadline.

For pointers on composing an effective letter to the DEC, see this resource from the Sierra Club and/or this resource from Sourcewatch.

It needn't be perfect; it needn't be long
Use the linked resources to make your words strong

We all tend to wait, but please don't delay
If you care for clean water, please write today!

New Way to Track Recycling Online

noreply@blogger.com (Cynthia) — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 19:35:00 +0000

Would competitive recycling inspire more people to recycle?
A Boston company called Greenbean Recycle is trying to make the act of keeping bottles and cans out of the landfill into a fun, competitive and engaging game for students at MIT.

The company has converted a recycling machine on MIT's campus into a point tabulator of sorts. When students approach the high-tech trash can to dump in their recyclables, they punch their phone number on a touch screen. A bar-code reader in the machine counts the number of cans, bottles and the like that the person has dropped off - and then uploads that data to Greenbean's website. The hope is that even non-recyclers may be inspired to do their part and sporadic recyclers to do even more. Read more.

Tote Those Totes

noreply@blogger.com (Cynthia) — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 11:00:00 +0000

It's hard to image 3.6 million pounds of plastic bags—and that NYC residents throw away that much every week. You can print Grow NYC's new poster and post it in your building or workplace to help others reduce their usage of plastic bags. There are so many nice reusable bag options today—there's no need to rely on plastic!

Hydrofracking Comment Workshops!

noreply@blogger.com (Cynthia) — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 21:03:00 +0000

Slowing Down the DEC on the
Fast Track to Frack New York State

Governor Cuomo and the Department of Environmental Conservation are putting the Energy Industry on a fast track to frack New York State.
Why the hurry?

The NYS DEC recently issued a Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement (SGEIS) which, if accepted, will allow hydro-fracking to begin. We have until December 12 to send comments to the DEC. The Environmental Committee is organizing a series of workshops to provide guidance for writing an effective letter to The DEC commenting on
their regulations.

Individual letters make a difference--the DEC is required to read every one, whereas form letters are merely counted.

We will help you complete a letter at the workshop and mail it for you.
Stop by at any point during one of the workshop sessions:

Sunday, 11/06: 12-2 pm

Saturday, 11/19: 2-4 pm

Bring friends—coop members and non-members are welcome!

Haven't Seen Gasland Yet?

noreply@blogger.com (Cynthia) — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 11:00:00 +0000

Stop by the Park Slope United Methodist Church at Sixth Ave. and 8th St. on Thursday, November 3 for

a screening of Gasland, followed by

a Panel Discussion w/ fracking experts from the Park Slope Food Coop, NY H2O, United for Action, the Brooklyn Food Coalition and Assemblyman Jim Brennan, plus

refreshments

Film starts at 6:30pm; panel discussion begins at 8:30pm

Find out what you can do to protect our water and our food from fracking.

If they only had solar . . .

noreply@blogger.com (Cynthia) — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 01:28:00 +0000

Several co-workers, friends and relatives have been without power since Saturday’s storm, and not for the first time, as each year brings several bouts of extreme weather. If any of them had thought to install some solar panels, they would currently have lights, refrigeration, and many other electric powered conveniences.

Once solar panels are installed, the actual energy generated by it is free. After a few years, the solar panels pay for themselves. And yes, you can use the energy when it is dark—it is generated and stored during sunny days for use later on. Best of all, it is non-polluting, which cannot be said of the energy from the grid which is largely powered by coal burning power plants. So maybe it’s time for more people to go solar. Rebates and tax credits are available in some areas. Learn more about solar panels.

Saturday, Oct. 26 is Drug Take-back Day

noreply@blogger.com (Cynthia) — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 14:45:00 +0000

Medicines are now found in our surface and ground water, as well as drinking water supplies. Wastewater treatment facilities do not remove most medicines.

Throwing medicines in the garbage—especially controlled substances like OxyContin and other pain relievers—is not safe because the drugs can be found and used by others.
Medicines thrown in the trash can also get into the environment.

Saturday, October 26, from 10am to 2pm

is the third annual Prescription Drug Take-back Day.

There are many drop-off locations in Brooklyn and the other boroughs of New York City. Check this site to find a drop off location near you. Check the list of accepted items if you have any questions.

GMO Labelling at Park Slope Food Coop

noreply@blogger.com (Cynthia) — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 17:35:00 +0000

A big victory for the Non-GMO movement is occurring at the Coop! Starting on November 16, the GMO Shelf Labeling Committee will install on-shelf labeling of Non-GMO Project certified products. For those new to the issue: we basically don't know the long term effects of products containing genetically modified ingredients (GMOs) and would like food to be labelled so we can decide whether or not we want to chance eating these ingredients.

The US government and the NYS government have so far resisted requests by consumers to force manufacturers to indicate on the label whether or not the product contains GMOs. The European Union established labelling laws in 2004. Australia, Japan, Brazil, and China have mandatory labelling laws as well.

The Food Coop's GMO Shelf Labelling Committee wants to create labels inside the coop, so shoppers can have that information. Beginning November 16th, you will be seeing a 3/8 inch green dot saying "Non GMO" on the shelf label for all products that have been certified as GMO-free by the Non-GMO Project. In addition, the GMO shelf-labeling committee will be putting the Non-GMO Project logo next to the shelf label for these same products where space permits, which should be the case for about 80% of the products. Based on our initial survey, we expect to be labeling about 300 products at the Coop, including grocery products, refrigerated products and frozen products. Labeling will NOT be provided for dairy and fresh
produce items.

Labels will be updated on a bi-weekly basis by the committee to ensure that the labeling is up-to-date and accurate. To perform this work, the GMO Shelf Labelling Committee is looking to add four additional members. If you or someone you know would like to be a part of this effort and join our squad, please contact Greg Todd at gn.todd@verizon.net.