Check out all of GREENevada’s recent photos from its Idle Free Schools campaign, as well as Reed High School’s new hydration station.

This month, Reno residents are getting a step closer to single-stream recycling as Waste Management starts deliver curbside carts – more than 62,000 altogether. Pickup of the carts is set to start the beginning of February.

The program is only in Reno, but single-stream might be getting closer in Sparks as well: A story in The Sparks Tribune today says the City of Sparks has submitted a proposal to Waste Management about single-stream, so a change there could be on the horizon.

For Reno residents, here’s what you need to know.

– You can start using your new recycling cart on your first recycling day in February (until then, keep using your yellow and green bins).

– The first day you use your cart, you can also put out your yellow and green bins for collection.

– More recyclables can go in the cart and you no longer have to separate! Here’s what can go into the bin:

• paper,
• newspaper,
• magazines,
• junk mail,
• glass (unbroken food containers),
• aluminum cans,
• steel cans,
• plastics numbered 1-7 (all hard plastics – NO SHOPPING BAGS),
• cardboard and paperboard (like cereal boxes).

– If you didn’t select your cart sizes, it’s too late now as delivery has started, but you will get another chance in a couple of months.

– You’ll also get 20 Excess Waste Stickers (12 in fall, 8 in spring) for extra trash.

– You’ll get to dispose of one standard pickup bed of municipal solid waste four times per year at no cost at one of the two Waste Management landfills.

If you have questions about single-stream recycling, you can call Waste Management at 775-329-8822, or visit the special site they set up just for you: reno.wm.com.

If you have questions about where to recycle other items, check out KTMB’s Recycling Guide!

For the 23rd year, KTMB’s Christmas Tree Recycling program will start the day after Christmas at three locations for residents ready to recycle their trees: Bartley Ranch Regional Park and Rancho San Rafael Regional Park in Reno, and Shadow Mountain Sports Complex in Sparks. The drop-off will be at a new location – in the Pagoda parking lot – at Rancho San Rafael this year.

“Our volunteers look forward to this program every year,” said Jaime Souza, program manager at Keep Truckee Meadows Beautiful (KTMB). “Everyone is in the holiday spirit, and you come home smelling like Christmas trees. But with about 10,000 people recycling trees every year, we always need more help.”

Locations will be open 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Dec. 26, 2013-Jan. 12, 2014, and groups or individuals who are interested in volunteering can sign up at ktmb.org/volunteer. Trees must be free of any decorations, tinsel, lights, stands, and not flocked (covered in fake snow).

A $3 donation is asked to cover the cost of the program, and every donation is matched dollar for dollar again this year by the NV Energy Foundation. Recycled trees are chipped into mulch, and used year-round for weed- and erosion-abatement projects. Residents can also pick up free mulch at Bartley Ranch and Rancho San Rafael after the program is over.

Sierra Nevada Journeys is hosting a EE Summit 2013 Flyer, bringing together the best environmental and outdoor educators in our area to:

• Collaborate on partnership models for student and teacher programs
• Innovate new program ideas to foster natural resource stewardship
• Advance methods to best serve our region;s students and teachers

Date: Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Time: 9:00am – 12:30pm

Location: McKinley Arts Center, 925 Riverside Dr, Reno

RSVP: Laurie Gray, 775-355-1688 or laurie@sierranevadajourneys.org

Hello everyone! KTMB staff member and Program Manager (and GREENevada partner), Jaime Souza, here. I recently stepped off the trail in the Grand Canyon National Park, as a newly appointed Leave No Trace Master Educator. I received a scholarship from the Leave No Trace Center for Ethics for a five-day course with the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS), backpacking in the vast and beautiful Grand Canyon. It was an incredible experience and adventure seeing the Grand Cany0n for the first time, and backpacking around the Horseshoe Mesa off of the Grandview Trail.

What is Leave No Trace?

At the heart of Leave No Trace (LNT) are seven principles for reducing the damage caused by outdoor activities, particularly non-motorized recreation. LNT ethics can be applied anywhere – in remote wilderness, city parks, even in our own backyards – and in all recreational pursuits. LNT principles extend respect and courtesy to other visitors in parks, on trails and in open space areas, as well as to the flora and fauna.

Leave No Trace Center for Ethics Mission

The Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics teaches people how to enjoy the outdoors responsibly.

Seven Principles of Leave No Trace for the Front Country

Leave No Trace is often thought of as wilderness ethics, but studies have shown that the majority of outdoor use occurs in open space areas (we have many of these areas in and around the Truckee Meadows), in urban and state parks and in established and accessible campgrounds. In an effort to address the explosive use of America’s “frontcountry” or day-use areas, Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics has expanded its educational focus to include principles which are applicable to the local natural places we enjoy on a daily basis and for quick escapes on the weekends.

1. Know Before You Go
2. Stick to Trails and Camp Overnight Right
3. Trash Your Trash and Pick Up Poop
4. Leave It As You Find It
5. Be Careful With Fire
6. Keep Wildlife Wild
7. Share Our Trails and Manage Your Pet

Leaving No Trace will help to Keep the Truckee Meadows Beautiful

KTMB will begin to integrate LNT into its programs and outreach. Be sure to look for updates and announcements on KTMB’s social media accounts and the KTMB website on specialized LNT programs, offerings and presentations. My LNT Master Educator Course allows me to offer LNT Awareness Workshops and LNT Trainer Courses for a variety of groups and individuals.