Recyclique -the Art of Sustainability

Recyclique is a project of YIKES! We are a co-op of adults & older teens who do "upcycling" -- We design and build useful affordable products from found objects, trash and recycled materials. Our goal is eye-catching, cool products, that are distinctive (not kitsch!). We use the techniques (and some of our products) to promote education about sustainable lifestyles, and sales of our products help create income flows for underemployed people.

Our next session is Sun. Nov. 15 from 2:00-4:00 pm. Focus on jewelry & ornament making for holiday gifts & painting a new "chicken" themed rain barrel. No special skills needed. Join us! --- Directions are at bottom ---scroll down.

Fall happenings: We had a Workshop Upgrade Party on Sat and Sun. Oct. 3rd & 4th, to insulate and install ceiling and walls. Then on Tues. Oct. 6th, students in Durham Tech's Brownsfields program volunteered to help finish the job. On Thurs. Oct. 15th at 4 pm we had a round-table w/ Good Work's Brandon Hudson to help us design our co-op model.

We're most well known for our artistically-painted rain barrels -- which have sold well for the 2nd summer in a row. Prototypes in process include a solar space heater, revamped lamps, no-smell kitchen compost bins and a "beautiful" (no kidding) worm bin. We will begin work on rotating composters & chicken coops next month. Our work sessions are typically Wednesdays or Thursdays 4-6 pm, and sometimes on Sunday 2-4ish -- Email Sandy at scsmith @ email.unc.edu for schedule for coming week. See rain barrel pages on this website for more detail on barrels, and pics!

Join us! -- We are working with Good Work to develop a democratic co-op model in which members provide leadership and make decisions together about production and marketing and how to share proceeds. Our members benefit from our shared workshop space, use of common materials and supplies, hands-on instruction by artists, crafters and carpenters, and shared marketing. We host booths at local arts and environmental festivals and are now selling rain barrels through the new Orange/Durham Habitat for Humanity ReStore. We anticipate in the future being able to share a portion of proceeds with members in the co-op who put sweat equity into our common product lines. We also have a revenue-sharing system that allows members to benefit from using our venues to display & sell products that fit our concept which they make at home. Carpenters, crafters & visual artists especially welcome. For more info: Email: scsmith @ email.unc.edu

Directions to our workshop:
Take Hwy 147 expressway to Alston Ave exit, go north 2 blocks to intersection of Alston and Angier Ave, turn right on Angier, go 2 blocks, turn right on South Goley St., go to end, and through metal gate labeled Green Oil & Light Campus/Environmental Education Center.

Feed My Sheep Community Garden

YIKES! is a proud partner in the founding of the Feed My Sheep community garden at Asbury Temple UMC Church (corner of Angier & Alston Ave.). The first section of the raised bed organic garden was built in June, and the garden doubled in size in early July. It was a centerpiece in the church's Wright Room youth program in July and August. YIKES! led morning workshops on sustainable approaches to gardening on Tuesdays and Thursdays during the 4-week program.

The garden came about as a joint project of yikes!, Public Allies & Asbury Temple's Feed My Sheep food ministry. Three UNC service learning students, Linnie Greene, Jayme Strowd & Tavia Benjamin worked with Sandy on bio-intensive methods & container gardening in the spring of 2009 as part of an anthropology course titled "Inventing a Sustainable Agriculture." The students used container gardening to get a variety of seedlings underway; Our partners, the NCCU Public Allies organizers class (see Eric & Tionya above!) did neighborhood outreach and obtained a small grant to fund the project. The students gave a workshop with community members on biointensive methods in April. Rachel Hardy, who directs the "Feed My Sheep" food ministry at Asbury Temple secured permission for the garden on church grounds in May. Eric and Sandy did a presentation about the garden at a Feed My Sheep food distribution day. Many thanks to LeDarrell Murray, who brought his tiller to break ground on our first garden workday, and to David Arthur of Isaiah House/Jubilee Restoration Project who consulted with us on the entire project and built the frame for the raised bed.
In July the garden became a central part of the month-long Wright Room youth program at Asbury Temple. YIKES! volunteers Sandy & Nyota offered classes on community gardening and biointensive methods to young people (covering a range of ages from 1st through 12th grade) enrolled in the program two days a week. The young people filled the bed and planted the new portion of the garden and took care of it. We planted tomatoes, onions, cabbage, brocolli, green beans, swiss chard, squash, zuchinni and cucumbers. We ended the program with a tasting and sharing of recipes for healthy dishes made from fresh produce. Most vegetables we planted were very productive.
We are planning a fall workday on Sat. Oct. 17th at the garden site, on church grounds at corner of Alston and Angier in Durham, NC-- Come join us! our goal is to write small grants this winter to fund a wide range of garden related activities in the spring. To join the garden co-op, email Rachel: rahardy0052 @ mindspring.com or Sandy: scsmith @ email.unc.edu.

Green Living Issue of Indy Weekly

Check out the Indy's new Green Living Issue, which just came out in celebration of Earth Day 2009. I was the special project editor, & I thought it turned out nicely (but then, I would . . .)
Indy Weekly: Green Living Issue

Blogging toward Sustainability

Sandy's occasional editorials on sustainability (Independent Weekly):
Bladerunners: Towards a sustainable lawn

How our kids will pay for global warming

NC Powerdown events

From July 2008 through March 2009 we hosted regular events at the EcoLounge on energy/climate topics as part of NC Powerdown, a Triangle-wide meet-up site for all ages. We have just moved to a new site, so stay tuned for new info on the location for events. You can join the site to receive notices of future events at: http://oilawareness.meetup.com. Just go to home page and sign up. Events to date included:

· a forum on sustainable biodiesel w/ tour of production facility (July 2008)

· viewing of the film "Blood & Oil" followed by a panel discussion (August 2008)

· a slide-show by early adopters of solar hot water (October 2008)

· two workshops on do-it-yourself solar space heaters (Dec 2008 & Feb 2009)

· an electric car demo & showing of "Who Killed the Electric Car?" (March 2009)

Workshop - Build Your Own Solar Space Heater

Solar Space Heater Student project: Last spring a "miniterm" class from the NC School of Science & Math built a solar space heater at the EcoLounge (at Carolina Biofuels, 1404 Angier, Durham). These boxes, which come in a variety of designs, save energy in winter and many models have a rapid payback. YIKES! coordinated the project, which ran from Feb 26 - March 6. Prof. Marion Brisk taught the class; Steve Hren, Chris Allen & Matt Jacobi advised students on materials and construction. Special thanks to The Forest Foundation, which sponsored the project.
See the resulting YouTube video which lays out each step in construction:
How to Build a Solar Space Heater, Parts I, II & III
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hl5stDoprhw

Here's photo of our prototype (below, right):

This project grew out of a yikes!/NC Powerdown workshop: How to build your own solar air heater on Feb. 6, 2009 held at the N.C. School of Science & Mathematics, Durham, NC, taught by Steve and Rebekah Hren, authors of The Carbon-Free Home.

Update: In fall 2009, after some trouble-shooting, the space heater is being redesigned with a different kind of insulation, as we discovered the rigid polystyrene warped when it got too hot. We plan to test the efficiency of the rebuilt unit this winter with help from NCSSM students.

"Global Warming gonna get yo Mama" Halloween Party

Be Very Afraid!!
Can you survive the Haunted Staircase. . .
Food, drink & treats! Come in costume! (Prize for best) - Invent a bio-superhero costume!
NE Central Durham neighborhood kids especially welcome!!

7-9 pm - Friday Oct. 31
The EcoLounge at Carolina Biodiesel
1404 Angier Ave.
Durham, NC