GREENSPACE
PHOTO/ASHLEY HENNEFER
GREEN
A river runs through it A report, looking at the next 50 years of water consumption in the Southwest region, found that the Colorado River will not be able to sustain the states that depend on it. This comes as little surprise to Nevada water scientists (“Trickle down,” Dec. 6), who are looking at alternatives to keep Nevada’s water supply stable, such as desalination and better conservation measures. The Colorado River, which supplies water to nearly 40 million people in Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah and Wyoming, has already dropped to 12 million acre feet from 15 million acre feet as a result of the decade-long drought. The report found that water levels would drop an additional 3.2 million acre feet—a total of 8 million acre feet less than required to sustain the growing Southwest population. The report was released shortly after similar discussions were held at the Great Basin Water Forum, an organization comprised of Nevada, Utah and California, and in the midst of the proposed water pipeline, which would transport water from rural Nevada to Clark County.
“Seventy-five percent of the stuff I get, I recycle,” says Tim Doss, pictured.
Wind in the sails
One man’s junk
Last week, the New York Times reported the U.S. Department of Energy’s plans to fund several offshore wind projects throughout the country. For now, only one Western state, Oregon, has been chosen to receive funding for the project. Other coastal states include Maine, New Jersey, Ohio, Texas, Virginia. According to the report, “So far, no offshore wind farm is operating in American waters.” Each project will “receive up to $4 million to complete the engineering, design and permitting phases of their projects in six states. Three of the seven [states] will then be selected to receive up to $47 million over four years.” Operation will start in 2017. The DOE website states, “Data on the resource potential suggest more than 4 million megawatts could be accessed in state and federal waters along the coasts of the United States and the Great Lakes, approximately four times the combined generating capacity of all U.S. electrical power plants.” A DOE report published last spring entitled, “A National Offshore Wind Strategy: Creating an Offshore Wind Energy Industry in the United States,” says, “Offshore wind energy can help the nation reduce its greenhouse gas emissions, diversify its energy supply, provide cost-competitive electricity to key coastal regions, and stimulate revitalization of key sectors of the economy by investing in infrastructure and creating skilled jobs. Key challenges to the development and deployment of offshore wind technology include the relatively high cost of energy, technical challenges surrounding installation and grid interconnection, and permitting challenges related to the lack of site data and lack of experience with permitting processes for projects in both federal and state waters.” Visit http://1.usa.gov/U0DJAq. to read the whole report.
Business owner Tim Doss turns trash to recycled treasure “Everything can be recycled,” says Tim Doss, owner of Go Junk Removal. Doss travels throughout the region collecting large trash items from residential households. Go Junk Removal was founded in 2003 when Doss saw a need by Ashley for a year-round, inexpensive trash pickup service. Doss previously worked Hennefer in landscaping, but during the colder seasons, he needed a new venture. “I needed to do something during the winter,” he says. “So I had this trailer, ashleyh@ newsreview.com and I just started doing junk removal, and I found that it’s a good business.” There’s nothing Doss won’t collect, he says. “I pick up everything—slot machines, cars, boats, anything,” he says. “I picked up a piano yesterday.” After seeing how other trash pickup services take all items directly to the dump, Doss made it a point to recycle as much as he could. “Seventy-five percent of the stuff I get, I recycle,” says Doss. “It either goes to a new home, or it gets recycled and reused.” Doss will sometimes pick up items for free if he knows he can donate them, or if he can easily restore an item to sell it. He can usually evaluate quickly how much certain items are worth once he visits a person’s house. More information about Tim Doss and The more recyclable items a person has, says Doss, the cheaper he can offer Go Junk Removal can removal services. Doss says beds and couches are the most frequently be found at requested items for pickup, which can often be easily restored. The only gojunkremoval.com. items he can’t recycle are “old, dirty beds, landscaping stuff, sometimes old hot tubs where you just can’t do anything with them. Sometimes you can donate them, but it’s very rare.” “I donate about 8 percent of what I collect to Salvation Army,” he says. “I’ll also adopt a family, sometimes people who don’t have anything at all, and I’ll bring them furniture and stuff they need from the stuff I get.” Doss has also furnished his entire house using castaway items, including a stainless steel refrigerator, which needed minor repairs when it was discarded. Most of the time, people get rid of large items because they obtain new furniture or appliances, Doss says. The most unique item he was called to pick up was a signed photo of the United States hockey team from the 1980 Winter Olympics, in which the team famously beat the Soviet team and went on to win a gold medal. Doss was also called to a house to pick up a full supply of race car equipment, including the car itself. Other trash removal services are available throughout the year, such as Waste Management’s residential dump days, which happen two weekends a year, but Doss says that cheap services for struggling families need to be more available. “I’m from California, where, if you leave a pile of stuff in front of your house, it will be picked up,” he says. “There’s no local option like that here.” In the past, Doss has helped with the local Earth Day celebration and this year’s electronic waste event at Reno High School, which collected “around three truckloads of e-waste,” he says. He also collaborated with the Kiwanis International Bike Program, which collects and repairs bikes for children. He hopes to work more with local environmental groups to reduce waste buildup in landfills. Ω
— Ashley Hennefer ashleyh@newsreview.com
ECO-EVENT Squaw Valley USA will host the Get Outside Festival to benefit the Tahoe Fund and the American Himalayan Foundation. The festival starts at 10 a.m. on Dec. 22. A concert by the Gin Blossoms will start at 2 p.m. Call (800) 403-0206 or visit www.squaw.com for more information.
Got an eco-event? Contact ashleyh@newsreview.com. Visit www.facebook.com/RNRGreen for more.
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DECEMBER 20, 2012
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RN&R
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