MORE Hidden Waste

The Waste Iceberg

Idle "Stranded" Assets

We're surrounded by idle assets. We have tons of stuff in our homes that we don't and never will use.  Stuff that, if they had the opportunity, other people would love to have, and would enthusiastically use.  I think of that stuff 

Freecycling on Facebook - A more touchy, feely experience

2003 Freecycle launched using Yahoo! groups as its platform.

2013 Freecycling started to migrate onto social media platforms like Facebook.

It's a more personal experience on Facebook.

A more informed experience.  You get to see who is interested in what!

Should "gifting" groups around the world be temporarily closed?

Over the past two decades, the informal gifting movement has engaged millions of people all around the world. Gifting behaviors which would have been viewed as exemplary just weeks ago, would now, in this Covid-19 era, be viewed as risky. 

Realizing the potential impact, two days ago, the Buy Nothing project published an excellent Covid-19 statement, warning members of the possible risks of their behaviours.

I've been talking locally with a colleague about the whole gifting / freecycling / freegling / Buy Nothing movement in these unusual times. Reviewing recent posts on many of the local gifting venues, it looks like members are not really sensitized to the possible risks of their gifting behaviours. They are just doing what they have always done.

I have been thinking that perhaps gifting-type groups could be temporarily "closed" except for "essential" transactions, kind of the like the closure of the USA/Canada border, which is closed, except for essential crossings.

Since many of the gifting groups around the world are largely Facebook-based, the groups could be temporarily closed and placed on "moderation".The moderators could review potential postings to determine if they are "essential" (whatever that might determined to be). Non-essential posts could just be held in suspension until such time as the COVID-19 circumstances and risks are reduced below the emergency level, and things get back to normal. 

I'm going to distribute this message to a number of people I think are "influencers" in the gifting world. And also to local politicians. What do YOU think?

Eric Snyder
Environmental Advocate

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Survival of the Human Race

Paul Andersen: The biggest entitlements of all

The entitlements from nature are never questioned and rarely acknowledged, yet their material value forms the foundation of the industrial world. These entitlements are rarely recognized and never repaid, even though they represent a long-term debt to the natural world on which all life depends.

This article is a "must" read.

5 Traits of Successful Teams

From the article...

1. Dependability.

Team members get things done on time and meet expectations.

2. Structure and clarity.

High-performing teams have clear goals, and have well-defined roles within the group.

3. Meaning.

The work has personal significance to each member.

4. Impact.

The group believes their work is purposeful and positively impacts the greater good.

Yes, that's four, not five. The last one stood out from the rest:

5. Psychological Safety.

We've all been in meetings and, due to the fear of seeming incompetent, have held back questions or ideas. I get it. It's unnerving to feel like you're in an environment where everything you do or say is under a microscope.

But imagine a different setting. A situation in which everyone is safe to take risks, voice their opinions, and ask judgment-free questions. A culture where managers provide air cover and create safe zones so employees can let down their guard. That's psychological safety.

I know, not the quantitative data that you were hoping for. However, Google found that teams with psychologically safe environments had employees who were less likely to leave, more likely to harness the power of diversity, and ultimately, who were more successful.

Engineering the perfect team is more subjective than we would like, but focusing on these five components increases the likelihood that you will build a dream team. Through its research, Google made the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle proud by proving, "The whole can be greater than the sum of its parts."

Hidden Waste

The Waste Iceberg

Time can be our enemy

Just time alone can make some useful things useless. Think about it.

Take elastic bands for example. An elastic band can be used many times before it becomes useless.  Unless it isn't used.  The other day I noticed a bunch of elastic bands hanging over a door handle.  They had been removed from daily newspapers delivered to the front door. Apparently, they had been hanging there for a long time. Long enough for them to become useless.  When I removed them from the door knob, I tried stretching one or two of them. They just snapped! Time had simply dried them out. We had probably looked at that bunch of elastic bands dozens of times over a few years.  Looked at them without really seeing them. And then for a brief moment I "saw" them.  Out of sight in plain view.

How about elastic waisted clothing?  Ever notice that, after a period of time, the elastic in our underwear just quits. Loses its elasticity. Long before the fabric is worn out the elastic is done. So what do we do with that underwear? Toss it in the trash.  Maybe there's a repair option.

How many things are there in our environment like this that you can think of?  Sometimes all we have to do is look around us. Raise our level of awareness to the conscious level for a minute or two.  And, all of a sudden, the out-of-sight in plain view stuff just pops out!

Eric "Gub" Snyder

Gub's Waste Watch "Bag"

I've created the Waste Watch Bag on BagTheWeb.  At the moment it contains about 90 links to stuff I've curated from around the world.

Here's how I describe it:

"We are immersed in waste and wasteful practices. But, we are oblivious to most of the waste surrounding us. The intent of this "bag" is to highlight waste and wasteful practices, and raise the level of awareness of waste... to get more people to pay attention, to notice, and to take personal action.
In the words of author, Joseph Conrad in the novel, Lord Jim... "in the destructive element immerse..."

 Check it out.