The mission of Fields to Families is to help increase nutrition to the area hungry by coordinating distribution of fresh produce obtained from local gardens and farms. (We received and distributed more than 43,000 pounds of locally-grown donated produce in 2007 alone!)

On Saturday, February 9 from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. at Earth Fare in West Ashley, Fields to Families will hold “Pounds for Prizes” to raise awareness and gather donations of fresh produce for the area hungry. Shoppers and the community at large will be encouraged to donate fresh produce and in return, will receive an entry into a drawing for prizes that have been donated by local businesses and attractions including Earth Fare, Gullah Gourmet and Magnolia Plantation among others. All produce collected during the event will be made available free of charge to the community through James Island Outreach.

Through Earth Fare’s “Friends of Earth Fare” community program, Fields to Families will be the featured organization during the month of February. Stop by to learn more about Fields to Families or visit www.fieldstofamilies.org.

The site does not have a bin for corrugated cardboard yet, but there are five West Ashley locations that do:

• Bees Ferry Road Convenience Center; 1344 Bee’s Ferry Road
• St. Andrew’s Fire Station #3; 2590 Ashley River Road
• 1051 Gardner Road off Sam Rittenberg Boulevard
• Ashley Landing Shopping Center; 1401 Sam Rittenberg Boulevard
• West Ashley High School; 4060 West Wildcat Boulevard

“When serving your party food and drinks, go for the real thing instead of disposable. If you decide to go disposable, remember that Styrofoam and plastic products are definite no-nos. Use biodegradable cups and plates made from corn “plastic” or bamboo — they’re as sturdy as paper and plastic, but they compost in just over a month.”

Place a recycling bin front and center for bottles, etc. We all know people that actually still throw even bottles and cans away. Even if your friends don’t normally recycle, they should, and a great way to help them learn is by example. Have a couple extra containers on hand to send home with people—they may be picked up free of charge at various recycling centers. (Call 720.7111, ext. 30 for more information.)

“From food to décor, buy all your party goods locally. Shop your nearest farmers market or family-owned store (vs. national chains) to reduce your carbon footprint.”

I love this one! There are so many reasons to shop locally—and we luckily have a plethora of options. Visit an area farmers market for local flowers, or your neighborhood grocer for fresh foods. I recently discovered a shop in West Ashley called Home Grown Grocery (829-A Savannah Hwy.) that carries all local seasonal fruits and veggies, fresh pasta, home grown dinners and sandwiches, pies and cakes, and a variety of party-ready treats.

“In the spirit of recycling, add a green swap meet to your next get-together. Create an at-home bazaar where guests can bring gently used items and trade everything from DVDs to kitchen appliances.”

This is a great, fun way to host a get-together. Some of my friends and I did a “clothes-swap” a few months ago and though most of the clothes went to the donation bin, we all had a great time and left with a few items.

View the entire enewsletter here.

According to a representative at Charleston County Solid Waste and Recycling, the removal of that location was spurred by a couple of reasons:

1. A lot of residents were simply “dumping” unwanted household items there or leaving recyclables on the ground – not even using the containers. C’mon people, you drove there, braving the pothole-speckled parking lot – the least you could do is lift the lid on the bin instead of doing a drive-by!
2. The shopping center is apparently undergoing a renovation and it was only a matter of time before the recycling center had to be relocated anyway.

So in the meantime, while they find another location for that section of W-A, here are a couple of alternatives:

• Ashley Landing Shopping Center; 1401 Sam Rittenberg Boulevard
  Note: The recycling bins are located behind the plaza
  
• St. Andrews Firestation Number 3; 2590 Ashley River Road

St. Andrew’s Parks and Playground in West Ashley is taking part in Nike’s Reuse-A-Shoe program, which is an awesome initiative that keeps worn-out sneakers out of landfills and repurposes them to make surfaces for athletic fields, tennis courts, running tracks, and playgrounds.

It’s simple, instead of throwing away your crusty athletic shoes, you drop them off in designated collection boxes at the St. Andrew’s Parks and Playground complex. And they accept all brands — not just Nike. The collected shoes are then sent to Nike and processed into “Nike Grind” material. The shoe components, including rubber, foam, leather and various fabrics are separated into three distinct types of material and used in different aspects of producing various sport surfaces.

For more information, contact Ann Black at St. Andrew’s Parks by calling 843.763.4360. For a map containing drop off locations nation-wide, click here. St. Andrews just recently began collecting shoes so they’re not on the map yet, but three other locations in South Carolina are, including Myrtle Beach, Lynchburg, and Sumter. Nike also provides a mailing address where you can send shoes directly…

Nike Recycling Center
c/o Reuse-A-Shoe
26755 SW 95th Ave.
Wilsonville, OR 97070