Project Re-Patio

While waking my dog Frank, I've noticed a good many stray bricks in the alleys around my house. A couple of weeks ago, I couldn't help but pick one up. Actually, it was half a brick. I carried it around with me as Frank and I walked back to the house feeling its texture, its weight, it's chunkeyness. As I walked along, I began to notice a brick here, a brick there. So I began really looking. Its amazing what one sees with focused attention.

And then, an inspiration came to me.

I've been thinking about expanding my back patio. Dovetail that with my intention of utilizing recycled materials, and an elegant solution presented itself. Why not construct the patio of "found" bricks.

So now, every time I go out with Frank, I pick up a brick or two or three - always from the public right of way - and the pile is growing.

I'm planning to build a solar bar-b-que grill as well. A brick base will support a cast-iron plate upon which I'll direct concentrated sunlight from a movable solar reflector. Can I finish this project before the 4th of July? Will there be solar-grilled shrimp and vegy kabobs to go with John Phillips Sousa's Stars and Stripes Forever?

Well, that depends on how fast the brick pile grows.

If you have a stash of bricks laying around yearning for some creative usefulness, let me know. I'll be glad to take them off your hands. Meanwhile, I'll keep picking up loose bricks on the side of the road and, like a garden, watch the brick pile grow.

A journey of a thousand bricks begins with one small dried piece of clay.

Recycling the Recycling Business Model

Is recycling just a feel-good exercise in America?

Wild swings over the past few years in the demand for recycled waste material has presented a challenge for communities attempting to promote universal recycling and a rational for communities who are hostile to the very idea of recycling. I hear stories all the time about recycled material "piling up" outside of town because of a weak buyer's market, and I've read about instances where excess recycled stock is periodically hauled off to the landfill. At the same time, manufacturers and contractors use far less recycled material than they could as most stock is too difficult to locate and identify. Who has the time to look for something that may not even be available?

Here's a proposal: Why not set up a national database for recycled materials? The effectiveness of such a structure would hinge upon being comprehensive in nature. This could take the form of a government agency or an industry-funded consortium - take your pick - and it should cover all products, all grades of materials, and all locations withing the US.

A comprehensive database of available material open to all potential buyers will be a big step in closing the environmental loop and making recycling economically feasible in the US.