Dinosaurs...in CalMAX!

by Maggie Coulter

What do you do with leftover dinosaur parts? List them in CalMAX, of course! That's exactly what Academy Studios in Novato did with the 20 cubic yards of extruded polystyrene foam left over from the production of Pleroceolus. Pleroceolus was made for the Museum of Natural Science in North Carolina. This 25-foot-tall, 50-foot-long dinosaur is known as the "Terror of the South," notes Academy's Kathy Wood.

At Academy Studios, which designs and produces exhibits for museums across the country, Wood explains, "we are fanatics about recycling and the environment." Academy started listing with CalMAX about seven months ago and has made good contacts for the leftover lumber and foam used in making Academy's exhibits.

"When I first came to Academy Studios, nearly 9 months ago, I was stunned with the large amount of recycling, particularly for the foam," explains Wood. "Where was I supposed to get rid of this stuff? I popped into the Web and began asking for recycling information. CalMAX came up. I logged on, and have since found a source for the two products we hated to see either wasted or sent to the landfill. I think CalMAX is a fantastic service."

One of those products is foam, like the type used to make the "terror" Pleroceolus. Through CalMAX, Academy found a reliable taker for the used foam in Marko Foam Products of Hayward. Marko grinds the foam to make more packaging material; or it densifies the foam for other companies to manufacture hard plastic products like coat hangers, playground equipment, and plastic pots.

Another product is lumber, now collected by the Marin Conservation Corps (MCC). MCC has been getting the leftover lumber for a program called "For Earth's Sake" through which potentially reusable business discards are brought to schools for students to creatively reuse. The corps members at MCC pick up the materials from local businesses in their large truck and take them to the schools where they talk to students and teachers about the importance of reusing and recycling.

"I regularly check the CalMAX Web site," says MCC program coordinator, Shelley Flint, who is also working on developing a creative reuse art contest for summer camps. For Earth's Sake is funded by the California Department of Conservation, Division of Recycling (www.consrv.ca.gov/dor/index.htm).

Pleroceolus and other creations of the Academy can be viewed at their Web site, www.academystudios.com/. 

Contacts:

Katherine Wood
Academy Studios
70 Galli Drive
Novato, CA 94949
(415) 883-8842
kwood@academystudios.com

Marin Conservation Corp 
33 Commercial Blvd.
Novato, CA 94949
(415) 884-2400

Marko Foam Products
2898 W. Winton Ave.
Hayward, CA 94545
(510) 782-3011

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Last updated: August 01, 2008