Coordinator Update Summer 2005

Coordinator Update

It’s a paradox, I suppose, that the purpose of materials exchange programs is to divert materials from the waste stream, yet measuring that diversion to demonstrate the programs’ success is nearly impossible. That’s because a large part the success of exchange programs is in fostering long-term business relationships that produce long-term diversion. The success is the cycle, measured in tons and relationships, that produces environmental and economic gains. That’s the value of CalMAX and of most materials exchange programs, in terms of sustainability.

Materials exchange programs provide direct support to sustainable practices in California and throughout the U.S. There are now 150 materials exchanges programs in the U.S. and several in Canada. Just the other week an email arrived from a consultant in London, inquiring about exchanges in Europe. Another consultant I spoke with a few weeks ago is working on a materials exchange project in Ireland. Arizona launched a new exchange recently, the Arizona Resources Exchange (AZReX), and the well established and highly imitated Industrial Materials Exchange (IMEX) in Washington state, continues to operate successfully after 16 years. This large, growing network of materials exchange programs, speaks to the important role we play in diversion and in supporting sustainability.

Final Catalog

Yes, we’re going paperless. In an effort to reduce the use of paper and to streamline our administrative processes, CalMAX will be changing to an internet-only format. Production of the quarterly paper catalog will end with this issue.

CalMAX brochures describing the program will continue to be available through our program staff here at the Board. Of course we will continue to list ads on the CalMAX website and send out the bi-monthly listserv with the new ads.

We encourage you to continue using CalMAX over the web at www.CalMAX.org. Please feel free to send me your thoughts or suggestions about our internet-only format.

In This Issue

As a farewell salute to the CalMAX catalog, our colleague Joyce Mason has volunteered a retrospective article about the program. 

At Joyce’s recommendation, we have a reprint from 1993 called “Cradle to Grave” about one of the first successful CalMAX exchanges. The company is called Tidee Didee and it’s still in operation. I made several unsuccessful attempts to find the original owners who sold the company some years ago. They exchanged dryer lint from cotton diapers, with a company in the Sacramento area.

Sarah Weimer’s Creative Reuse article is about a company in Northern California that makes furniture from reused wine barrels.

Kristy Chew prepared a CalMAX Connections sampler, a reminder of the wide variety of CalMAX customers.

Finally, Maggie Coulter has written some interesting articles about sustainability in agriculture.

As always, we appreciate your work and support in diversion efforts and we’ll see you on the web.

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Last updated: August 01, 2008