Please use other door

 

Here at the Green Garage we’ve been having a little trouble with guests entering through the wrong inner door in our vestibule. So after a bit of discussion and design, we thought it would be helpful to put a little 5″ x 7″ sign on the wrong door that says “Please use other door.” In the photo above, the sign location is inside the red rectangle that I drew on the photo. We’ve had the sign up for a few days and it seems to be working fine. But the amount of materials and time involved was not reflected in the $4.24 price when we’re true-costing.

A local print shop (hereafter referred to as the Printer) handled the job for us. We have worked with this Printer before and they are very fast, good quality, and service-oriented. It’s also handy to be able to email them with our print requests, so that they can get going on our work and we just go there to pick it up when it’s done.  This time Jason picked up the order, and he was struck by the amount of paper one tiny sign had generated. He brought it all back to me for examination.

First, the Printer printed, on 8 1/2 x 11, my four-line email detailing my simple print request (so much for the paperless office). Next, the Printer generated and printed an order summary, proof approval, quality check sign off sheet, and detail receipt, all at 8 1/2 x 11. Then the Printer placed these pages into an 11 x 17 folder, and marked the folder with a sticky note. After that, when Jason was standing at the counter waiting to check out, they printed three more copies of the receipt (3 in. wide by 29 in. altogether) at the cash register and put the whole stack, including the little sign, into a brown paper bag which included a handy 4 1/4 x 11 coupon for our next visit.

Can you believe it? That subtle little 35 square inch sign generated nearly 1200 additional square inches of paper! Here, check my math:

8 1/2 x 11: 5 sheets @ 93.5 = 467.5 sq. in.

11 x 17: 1 sheet @ 187 sq. in.

3 x 4 Sticky: 1 sheet @ 12 sq. in.

Coupon: 1 sheet @ 46.75 sq. in.

Receipts: 3 sheets @ 29 = 87 sq. in.

Bag: 1 @ 374 sq. in.

Total: 467.5 + 187 + 12 + 46.75 + 87 = 1174.25 sq. in.

 

The thing that really got me thinking was the environmental statement printed on the bag! Go figure.

Monkey see, monkey do

 

Ever wondered what to do with your old mattress? Me either, until I started working here! Since I became a regular at the Green Garage three years ago, I’ve been wondering where all the trash that piles up in the neighborhood’s alleys, vacant lots, landscaping and fencerows comes from. Especially troubling are the large number of mattresses I see dumped near, but often not in, trash bins. Just in the little stretch of alley between the remote parking lot and our building, I have seen up to three mattresses piled up behind one of the buildings.

Often the people that place them there at least try to stack them up on their edges. Invariably however, they end up flat side down, sucking up water like gigantic sponges. Once that happens, you can imagine how much the thing weighs. It’s no wonder they never get upended after that. The eyesore and hazard created by this illegal dumping is a strain on the neighborhood’s image and patience. Eventually, after a couple of weeks, the wet, smelly, ugly, and heavy mattresses get hauled away. Who is the angel that does that, I wondered. Often it is the City of Detroit Department of Public Works. I’m sure they have nothing better to do (yeah, right).

If the used mattress is in good condition (no rips or stains), the Salvation Army (multiple locations, www.salvationarmyusa.org) can pick it up for free. They’ll need a week and a half to two week’s notice, and of course the mattress cannot have spent time outdoors. Other donation centers may be able to provide similar services.

Many mattress retailers will take back your old mattress when they bring your new one. This is how I have always disposed of my old mattresses. So it never occurred to me what should be done otherwise, and unfortunately if the mattress is damaged there is not a great answer.

1-800-GOT-JUNK (www.1800gotjunk.com) can take damaged mattresses with just a few days notice. But that service is expensive at $139 and up. If you’ve got a way to haul it, there are several bulk item drop-off sites located around the city. And if you can plan ahead a bit, four times a year the city does a curbside bulk collection. More information on that service is available at: www.detroitmi.gov/Deparments/DepartmentofPublicWorks/BulkCollection/tabid/454/Default.aspx.

As with any upholstered item, mattresses, regardless of their final destination, cannot be left outside. When they are, as is happening in our neighborhood, other people passing by and observing the unsanctioned disposal methods tend to get the same idea. “Oh so THAT’S how you do it!”

Keep this number handy: 313-224-4636. This is the phone number for the City of Detroit Department of Public Works. If you suspect illegal dumping, dial it. DPW requests as much of the following information as you have: Time, date and location of occurrence, and description of the vehicle and license number if possible. I would suggest you photograph the crime as well. Heck, I’ll even publish it in the blog if you want (minus any personal info, of course).

The new phone book is here! I’m somebody now!

Navin Johnson, lead character in the 1979 comedy The Jerk, was ecstatic to receive his very first phone book, showing his new found independence and adult status, at his apartment. Me, I was not so thrilled to receive a phone book at the Green Garage this morning. How many trees died as a result of publishing this? How much carbon was burned to process and transport and deliver it? And then there is the question of relevance. I haven’t cracked a phone book in years, have you?

The young woman who delivered it seemed to be just as much on a mission as I am. When she entered, I said “No I’m sorry but we don’t want those here,” referring to the two familiar orange plastic bags she was carrying. She replied, “Well you could have said it nicer,” and she turned around and walked out. On her way, she dropped one on the floor and kept on walking, quickly, back out to her van. So now we are stuck with ten pounds of brand spankin’ new paper that we don’t even want.

Jason, who is often the voice of reason around here, told me she is just doing her job. He also reminded me that there is a certain population that enjoys looking stuff up in the books and would never even think to use the internet. On the advice of my favorite recycling guru, Matthew Naimi of Recyclehere, I let my fingers do the walking as far as the front cover of one of the books. There I found the phone number to opt out, dialed it, and within 13 minutes had completed the circuitous procedure to get us off the distribution list. If you would like to do the same, call 866-329-7118 or visit www.yellowpagesoptout.com.  You will be required to give them your name and address and the tiny little number on the edge of the binder. Find your reading glasses before you make the call. BTW, most recyclers can accept phone books.

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