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Success Stories - Tribal Government
Success Stories
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Blue Lake Rancheria – Blue Lake, CA
The Blue Lake Rancheria made impressive inroads to developing a solid waste reduction program in its first year of WasteWise program participation. The tribal office, which had no solid waste reduction program before joining WasteWise, conserved 33 pounds of copier paper by double-siding all documents, and 49 pounds of printer paper by reusing single-sided copies for draft printouts and in the fax machine. The tribal office also implemented a new voice mail system that decreased handwritten phone messages, and an intraoffice mail network that allows employees to send memos and other documents to coworkers without printing them. These activities conserved 7 pounds of memo pads and internal memos.
The Blue Lake Rancheria has made advances in reducing one of its largest waste streams: paper. The switch to duplex printing, two-sided copying, and faxing saved the California tribal group large amounts of paper. Recycling efforts collected nearly 6 tons of paper products, allowing up to 93 trees to live and continue carbon sequestration, an activity our whole planet can be thankful for. Blue Lake is also making progress through green purchases: 98 percent of the paper it bought in 2001 contains postconsumer material. Paper isn’t the only area of success, though, as the Rancheria collected nearly 1 ton of steel and aluminum cans for recycling.
The tribal office conserved 44 pounds of printer paper by using the back side of single-sided copies for draft printouts and in the fax machine. The tribal office also reduced 60 pounds of secondary packaging by switching from non-recyclable PVC/vinyl plastic bags to recyclable PET containers.
Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation – Pendleton, OR
The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation spread waste reduction values throughout the tribal community. Staff at the Tribal Environmental Recovery Facility (TERF) take extra steps to reduce waste, recovering reusable items such as furniture from the waste stream. The tribal transfer station plans to open a materials exchange in its new recycling building, where residents can pick up reusable items. The tribe spreads the waste reduction message via brochures, public meetings, a quarterly newsletter, and articles in the local Confederated Umatilla Journal. Its waste reduction commitment extends throughout the reservation and contributes to a healthier environment for everyone living on or visiting the Umatilla Indian Reservation. In 2003, the TERF also closed the recycling loop by purchasing 526 pounds of recycled content products, including calendars, facial tissue, toilet paper, and office supplies.
In Pendleton, tribal members are reusing their trash not only usefully, but creatively. The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation reuse milk jugs, for instance, as slow-watering irrigation devices and as warning signs to cattle near barbed-wire fences. The tribal operations manager promotes reuse by running an informal materials exchange via e-mail. A resident once brought the manager 500 flea-and-tick spray bottles, almost all of which were then redistributed to willing takers in the community.
The reservation’s quarterly newsletter, The Tribal Environmental Recovery Facility, educates residents about waste prevention and highlights the community’s progress in reaching its substantial waste reduction goals. With the installation of a new recycling and waste disposal facility, residents now have the option of dropping off recyclables or ordering curb-side pick-up. This center collected nearly 15 tons of paper products and 30 tons of metal for recycling in 2001. The tribe purchases recycled products whenever possible. In fact, in 2001, 85 percent of the products bought contained recycled material! Items like toner cartridges, storage drums, and recycling totes all contain 100 percent recycled material.
Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation – Tribal Transfer Station – Pendleton, OR
The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation expanded its recycling program in 2005 by adding a recycling recovery center, eliminating the need to haul recyclables to neighboring cities. Donation and reuse are not only central to Umatilla’s waste reduction program, but also help the local community. Its materials exchange center serves as a distribution center for donated items such as silverware, furniture, and tires. Umatilla also reused more than 1 ton of carpet by distributing it to the community. In addition to purchasing office supplies in bulk, Umatilla increased the amount of recycled content in the paper it purchased from 25 percent to 50 percent and in tissue products from 50 percent to 75 percent.
The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation is the only Northwest Tribe with a full-blown transfer station that offers recycling and solid waste reduction to the public. The tribal government reduced its consumption of high-grade paper and mixed paper through various paper reduction activities. The reservation recycled 40 tons of steel, 25 tons of ferrous metals, more than 3 tons of high-grade paper, and more than 2 tons of mixed paper in 2000. The tribal government, which employees 470 people, also spent $750 on recycled-content products.
Oneida Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin
The Oneida Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin strives to impart its environmental ethic to all tribal members, especially its children. The tribe implemented a composting program at the Turtle Elementary School in which children composted cafeteria food scraps and applied the compost to vegetable gardens. In addition, the Oneida Tribe held a clothing and small household item exchange, taught a “Make It Second Nature” class to help community members reduce their environmental footprints, and provided incentives for vendors to offer recycling at its annual Pow-Wow.
Robinson Rancheria of Pomo Indians – CA
“Disposal fees have dramatically dropped thanks to our recycling efforts, and we expect them to drop even more,” says Irenia Quitiquit. The Robinson Environmental Center is spreading the word about waste reduction and recycling across the Robinson Rancheria of Pomo Indians because it’s not only good for the environment, it’s also good for the economy. As part of its efforts, the Rancheria conducts workshops for each tribal department and holds sessions to educate youth and the entire community. Last year, this tribe incorporated recycling and composting practices into the operations of a newly expanded, 150-seat restaurant. It then used the restaurant’s compost, along with compost collected from the ongoing program at the Rancheria’s senior nutritional center, in the environmental center’s community garden.
Waste reduction efforts spread to paper in 2001, as the Robinson Rancheria tribal employees set up Internet services and an e-mail system. Going global reduced the use of paper, while improving collection efforts increased paper recycling—the Robinson Rancheria recycled an impressive 20 tons of paper products in 2001.