@ecoconsumer profile picture
EcoConsumer @ecoconsumer

Twitter feed for the King County WA EcoConsumer public outreach program, and repair events. Postings by Tom Watson. Also reach me at tom.watson@kingcounty.gov

Joined January 2009
  • Tweets 15,800
  • Following 6,569
  • Followers 6,671
604 Photos and videos
Here's the schedule for Bike Works’ BikeMobile, which provides free and sliding-scale bike repair service in central and south Seattle and Skyway. bikeworks.org/bike-shop/bike…

BikeMobile - Bike Works

BIKEMOBILE From spring through fall, the BikeMobile travels around the Seattle area, primarily visiting areas designated as “bike deserts”, where bike shops are few and far between. All repair...

bikeworks.org
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Hope you can join us for our next King County free community repair event, this Sat. Aug 10, 1:30-4:30pm, at the Skyway Library near Renton! KingCounty.gov/repair-events @KCLS @SoSeaEmerald
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Environmental mixed-media artist Marita Dingus works with things people throw away. This project was done as part of Dingus’ and Wa Na Wari’s Safer Cleaning Practices workshop, funded and sponsored by King County’s Hazardous Waste Management program. southseattleemerald.com/2024…
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EcoConsumer retweeted
Robert D. Bullard
@DrBobBullard
9 Apr 2024
#EarthMonth2024: The "Father of Environmental Justice," Dr. Robert D. Bullard Writes to the Next Environmental-Justice Leaders | @TIME time.com/6958830/earth-award… @BullardCenter #ActOnClimate

A Letter to the Next Environmental-Justice Leaders

Over the past 45 years, the father of the environmental-justice movement laid the path for a new generation.

time.com
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More than 2 billion people, about a third of the world’s population, face food insecurity. At the same time, a recent UN report estimated that more than 1 billion metric tons of food went to waste in 2022. pbs.org/newshour/show/food-w…

Food waste is a global problem. Here are major drivers and what can be done about it

More than 2 billion people, about a third of the world’s population, face food insecurity. At the same time, a recent UN report estimated that more than 1 billion metric tons of food went to waste in...

pbs.org
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"About 40 percent of plastic waste comes from packaging. Yet plastic has so far been the most effective tool to fight another environmental threat: food waste." Great New York Times piece by Kim Severson. nytimes.com/2024/04/02/dinin…

So Much Produce Comes in Plastic. Is There a Better Way? (Published 2024)

As governments impose limits on plastic food packaging, climate-friendlier alternatives are in the works. Here are some that might be coming to a grocery store near you.

nytimes.com
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The City of Seattle's Seattle Channel feature on the Furniture Repair Bank, which rescues furniture from landfills, to help people who need it. It's nonprofit-operated and government-funded. youtube.com/watch?v=ZV0F32jc…

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EcoConsumer retweeted
Anthony Rosborough@arosborough
5 Mar 2024
Big news. Oregon's legislature voted to prohibit "parts pairing", a design practice where each component is authenticated by a device's onboard chip. This can prevent installation of "unauthorized" replacement parts. Huge news for the #RightToRepair! theverge.com/2024/3/4/240908…

Oregon is about to sign — or veto — the strongest right-to-repair law yet

So long, parts pairing?

theverge.com
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This 40-minute film, up for an Oscar, is an amazing celebration of repair, and music, and humanity. And maybe it's just me, but I would have some tissues handy. youtube.com/watch?v=xttrkgKX…

The Last Repair Shop | 2024 Oscar-winning Documentary Short

L.A. Times Short Docs & Searchlight PicturesIn a nondescript wareh...

youtube.com
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Washington state's right-to-repair bill suffered an early demise in the Legislature this year, but Oregon's right-to-repair bill is still alive. ktvl.com/news/local/oregon-r…

Oregon right to repair bill clears committee, heads to Senate for vote

A bill aimed at giving oregonians more options when it comes to fixing their electronic devices is making its way through the legislature.

ktvl.com
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EcoConsumer retweeted
Krista Kafer@KristaKafer
16 Feb 2024
"The unhappy result: Last year, Californians threw away more plastic bags, by weight, than when the law first passed, according to figures from CalRecycle, California’s recycling agency." nytimes.com/2024/02/15/clima…

California Tried to Ban Plastic Grocery Bags. It Didn’t Work. (Published 2024)

A ban on single-use bags included an exemption for bags meant to be reused and recycled. Except, they weren’t. New legislation aims to fix that.

nytimes.com
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If swallowed, a button battery or lithium coin battery can cause serious injury. You should know what devices use these batteries, how to keep them out of reach of children, and how to act quickly if your child swallows a small battery. healthychildren.org/English/…

What Parents Need to Know about Button Batteries and Lithium Coin Batteries

Small and useful, but dangerous if children get at them, button and lithium coin batteries are found in remotes, key fobs, thermometers, and many other devices found throughout the home. Here’s what...

healthychildren.org
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"The new rules in Seattle ban trash disposal of common household batteries, more powerful batteries for vehicles and tools, and embedded batteries found in electronics, toys, computers, monitors, and e-bikes." From the Capitol Hill Seattle Blog. capitolhillseattle.com/2024/…

You really shouldn’t throw away a battery in Seattle

You shouldn’t throw batteries in the trash anyhow but now it is against the rules in Seattle. City officials are scrambling to get the word out after Seattle Public Utilities quietly put new …

capitolhillseattle.com
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EcoConsumer retweeted
IMCO Committee Press
@EP_SingleMarket
1 Feb 2024
Deal on strengthening consumers’ right to repair 🔧 Measures to boost repair after the legal guarantee has expired 💳 Incentives to use products for longer 💻 Online platforms will help consumers find local repair & refurbished goods shops europa.eu/!66r8nC

Deal on strengthening consumers’ right to repair | News | European Parliament

EU negotiators reached a provisional deal on a bill that aims to reduce waste and bolster the repair sector by making product repairs more accessible and cost-effective.

europarl.europa.eu
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Consumer Advocates Push for FTC Rule That Would Guarantee Consumers the ‘Right to Repair’ Products They Buy - story by consumer journalist Herb Weisbaum. nwnewsradio.com/2024/01/27/c…

Consumer Advocates Push for FTC Rule That Would Guarantee Consumers the ‘Right to Repair’ Products...

by Herb Weisbaum, a contributing editor at Checkbook.org When you buy a product and it breaks, your ability to fix it yourself—or send it to an independent repair shop—is often limited or thwarted by...

nwnewsradio.com
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EcoConsumer retweeted
Nathan Proctor@nProctor
30 Jan 2024
More than 1000 people have written in stories to the FTC about Right to Repair ... Here are 7 that show why the FTC should take action: pirg.org/articles/seven-stor…

Seven stories that show why the FTC should act on Right to Repair

Hundreds of people have submitted personal stories that show why it is so hard for people to fix their stuff. Here are some of the best

pirg.org
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EcoConsumer retweeted
Call2Recycle@Call2Recycle
30 Jan 2024
✨NEW: Call2Recycle CEO @leoraudys was interviewed by @lisa_stiffler for @geekwire on @SeattleSPU’s new Director’s Rule ban on the disposal of electronics and batteries. 📳🗑️🔋 Read the full article here: bit.ly/49bKRmj

Citing fire dangers, Seattle bans batteries from the trash — here’s where they should go instead

In an effort to reduce the risk of fires at transfer stations, Seattle Public Utilities is banning the disposal of old batteries in the trash. (SPU Photo)

geekwire.com
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In WA, a public hearing for Senate Bill 6276 for #righttorepair (companion bill to HB 1933) has been scheduled for this Wed. 1/24 at 8:00am in the Senate Committee on Environment, Energy & Technology. app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?B……
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Friday was the 15th anniversary of this King Co. WA EcoConsumer program Twitter feed (all tweets done by me). Twitter has had many problems recently. I don't post nearly as often now. But since we're followed by/following more than 7,000 people, I've stuck with it. Thanks all!
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In WA, Senate Bill 6276 for right-to-repair (companion bill to HB 1933) was introduced last week. app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?B… Just checked it now, and that Senate bill is up to 10 sponsors! Just had a couple at first. The House bill has 21 sponsors. #righttorepair
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