5 years and Still Growing

Dear Friends, Family, Acquaintances, Co-workers, and Volunteer Organizations,

I realize how much I miss because of my business and multiple jobs.  I miss birthdays, holidays, parties, happy hours, lunches, events, major life events and most importantly I miss many occasions to just connect and be together.  I struggle with this weighing of choices every day because you all mean so much to me and I want to be there.  Growing a business takes more than I ever thought possible and many of you have been there along the way rooting and supporting SHIKOBA's efforts.  

December 12th, SHIKOBA celebrated 5 years in business. I can barely believe it's been that long.  It came and went so quietly, I almost didn't notice it myself.  It has been a wild 5 years with so many sacrifices, obstacles, changes and challenges.  However, but by the fact that SHIKOBA is still here tells us that despite the hard times, there have been many achievements, victories and lessons learned that will continue to carry these successes into the future as we take on new challenges and growth opportunities.

I am so grateful for everyone that has allowed me and SHIKOBA to be a part of their lives in the last 5 years.  So many of you deserve a supporting role credit in the story of SHIKOBA because I would have never made it if it wasn't for the kindness and support many of you have shown over the years.  

2014 is just around the corner and with all these great tools in the tool box, I see big leaps for us all next year.  I will probably miss a few more parties and birthdays in the near future, but someday, largely in part because of your support, I will be able to take a larger role in giving back to you, what you have given to me.  We will all be able to look back on where SHIKOBA started and feel proud that we were a part of something bigger than ourselves that helped make our community a stronger, better, more sustainable place.  

My love and sincere gratitude to each of you is hardly expressed in words, but please know I don't just do this for myself.  There is a big beautiful world that we must protect and that includes the people in it.  

Thank you again for your love, encouragement and support!  2014 will be for you!

Sincerely,

Kristen McCormick

SHIKOBA Recycling
SHIKOBA Foundation

Tulsa Running, Racing and Recycling

The fall is a popular running season. SHIKOBA has been getting pretty good at this event thing over the last couple years.  This year commenced our second year providing trash and recycling services to the Tulsa Run.  For more than 30 years runners of all ages have gathered in Tulsa each October to participate in the Tulsa Run.  

This year was fantastic!  The weather was amazing, and the waste foot print this year was so low, we didn't even fill up half of one 30 yd dumpster designated for the landfill.  We managed to divert 70% of the race waste by collecting plastic, aluminum, cardboard and plastic wrap. With somewhere between 9,000 and 10,000 people, that is awesome! Great job Tulsa!  Next year will be even better.

Reduce REUSE Recycle - DIY Fabric Softener

A big part of the "Doing Small Things with a Big impact" includes reducing our consumption and reusing what we can.  I have been pinning homemade fabric softener recipes for MONTHS and finally decided it was time to actually do it.  Two things happened.  First, I learned that commercial fabric softeners are literally toxic and full of chemicals that leach into our bodies over the time that we wear them.  Second, it took me all of 7 minutes to make about 24oz and it cost less than $2.00 because I chose to use a Fair Trade All Natural Conditioner rather than a cheap chemically laden conditioner.  I made two batches.  

The first batch I reused a fancy old french lemonade bottle and made a really pretty custom label.  It turned out so well, I was afraid no one would believe that I made it.  So the second batch I put in an old white vinegar bottle I saved and put a masking tape label on it to show that it doesn't have to be in a fancy container in order for you to make this at home.  It's the exact same stuff regardless of the container or label and it's so easy to make,

So here's what you will need:


1.  Ingredients and Tools
-Distilled White Vinegar
-Water (I chose to use distilled)
-Conditioner (preferably an organic one with few ingredients).
-Optional Essential Oils for scent if the conditioner isn't scented
-Optional 2 table spoons of baking soda
-Mixing Bowl
-Wisk
-Measuring Cup (1 cup, and 1/3 cup)
-A way to heat the water






2.  Heat up 3 cups of Water.  I used an electric kettle but you can use the microwave or stove.

3.  Mix 1 cup of Distilled White Vinegar, 1/3 cup of conditioner, and 3 cups of water.  Also add the optional essential oils and baking soda.











4.  Wisk all the Ingredients together.
















5.  Choose the desired containers.  Any old container can be used.  I prefer glass because it's non-toxic and won't leach toxins like plastic containers over time.

6.  Fill and Label the desired containers.

7.  Use two tablespoons per load of laundry.












Conclusion: You will be so glad you started doing this.  Here's why:

1.  You have just eliminated a significant number of chemicals entering your body and the water system.  Remember, what is created here on earth stays on earth.  It's a closed loop system folks.
2.  I got to reuse a few of my saved bottles.  I kept the vinegar bottle with the masking tape and I gave the fancy one to my neighbor.
2.  It works from what I can tell.  Are you going to get that same overpowering scented, slightly greasy "softness"?  No, and for that I am grateful.  What I did get was a soft scent of coconut from the conditioner and a light softness minus the greasy feeling.
3.  It was so fast and easy to make that I think it actually SAVED me time.  In the store, it's going to take me approximately 5-10 minutes by the time I read the labels, sigh from all the chemicals, find it in the right aisle, lug it home, put it away...I started buying white distilled vinegar in bulk years ago.  I happened to have some conditioner I wasn't crazy about except the smell was really nice and water...well, that's easy.
4.  Consider buying White Distilled Vinegar, Baking Soda, Epsom Salts, Coconut oil and Olive Oil in Bulk.  Then you always have it on hand for making nearly every basic household cleaner or body product ever.  The rest you can get later as you need it.
5.  Guess what everyone is getting for Christmas?  Up next, homemade Laundry Soap (maybe).  This makes a really nice and easy hostess gift or thank you gift.

Good Luck and I would love your feedback!  Have fun being DIY Green!

Two Things We Love: Recycling and School!

As most of you know, we primarily do routine recycling pick ups for businesses every week.  However, every once in while, we get called to do what I call a "one off" and typically we love doing them because it usually benefits the community and it breaks up the day to day.  Last week, a client called and said they have some old office furniture and about 25 school desks that needed to be recycled or relocated.  So I called my good friend Ms. Cooper from Park Elementary and asked her if she knew of any schools that were in need of desks and filing cabinets.  As it turns out, Park was so excited to have them, the "custodianne" gave me a huge hug when I pulled up and said she was short desks for an entire class.  Well, now they have them!

  
I also promised her I would let the world know that if anyone is getting rid of free standing childrens desks or filing cabinets, try to remember that Park Elementary in Tulsa can always use them!  

SHIKOBA Recycling wishes Park Elementary a great school and a special Thank You to Ms. Cooper for helping us find a good home for these desks!

Center of the Universe Festival 2013

This year was the inaugural year for the Center of the Universe Festival here in Tulsa Oklahoma.  The organizers had a vision for making Tulsa the epicenter of all music festivals and for their first year, most would say it was a huge success.  SHIKOBA Recycling had the privilege of providing the recycling and trash service for the festival and let's just say...we got it done but it was a little crazy.  There was a lot of pride and butterflies going into the event because they expected a crowd of 40-50,000 people all crowded into the downtown Brady District.  This was to be the largest event SHIKOBA Recycling had taken on EVER and we were very excited!  However, little did we know it would be such a success that almost 100,000 people attended over the two days of music and festivities.  So, we were a little overwhelmed but it was a great experience and we can officially say that we can handle just about any event out there.  A special thanks goes out to Chris Leiberman, Kim Hann, Philip Kaiser, and their children for helping to clean up on Sunday.  Such an amazing team of folks help put all this together!  We can't wait to do it again next year!

Passion Project: Episode 1

We know a little something about passion here at SHIKOBA Recycling.  The thought of helping businesses recycle and make more sustainable business strategies is why we get out of bed every day and that is why we are so excited to have partnered with Ben Muratet of Wolf Pack Productions, Marshall Brewing and The Jake Flint Quartet to bring our first episode of the PASSION PROJECT to the public.

This was our first attempt at this and we had such a great time working with Marshall's staff.  Eric, Wes, Taylor, Garrick, and Cattle Rancher Cody Beach were nothing but genuine, patient and the perfect business for the first episode of the Passion Project.
It is businesses like Marshall Brewing that make towns like Tulsa an amazing place to live.  Plus it's REALLY great beer.  If you are interested in learning more about Marshall's Brewing, you can check out their website at www.marshallbrewing.com.  

Cody Beach is a local cattle rancher out of Bristow, OK and he and his family can be found at the Bristow Farmer's Market every weekend. 

The Jake Flint Quartet recorded these tunes, some old, some new just for this project.  Jake Flint, John Beaver, Robert Lehew, and David Nichols were the fantastic Oklahoma musicians that put this amazing track together.  The Marshall Brewers are all big fans of the bluegrass  genre and we think The Jake Flint Quartet were a perfect addition to the Passion Project.

Lastly, Ben Muratet and his team did an amazing job at turning our vision and story into a reality.  Despite some technical difficulties with
the sound, they were able to put all this together and tell this story.  Ben is a Masters Film student at Savannah College of Art and Design.  Jen Ward is a very talented Masters Design student also at SCAD and was kind enough to help Ben and I out with the filming and lighting. Peter Portales is also a SCAD student and an extra special thanks goes out to him and Ben for spending an extraordinary amount of time trying to get the sound worked out.
The post-production blog was kind of an afterthought.  Next time, I will be more thorough.  We are still searching for our next video project so if you know of a business with a passion worthy of sharing, please let us know!  Email us at info@shikobarecycling.com.

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