Ecology Center
Community SubscriberArchived Q&A and Reviews
Jan 2012
RE: Ants in garage
Hello- The Berkley Ecology Center has a helpful fact sheet on their website about Ant Control that may answer your questions: http://www.ecologycenter.org/factsheets/ant_control.html Good luck!! Stacy
Oct 2011
No, you are not alone. Yes, these people are incredibly annoying. What they are stealing is revenue that would go to the Ecology Center, the good people who bring Berkeley its farmers' markets, among other services that we in this town value highly. You can and should call the police. They will not do much, however, as the thieves move quickly and will be gone from your location by the time they show up. If they do see them, they probably won't even cite them. The Ecology Center has a page up about how/why to call the police with poaching complaints. It is here: http://www.ecologycenter.org/recycling/poaching/index.html You might call and ask to speak with your beat officer too. They might have some suggestions for you and your neighbors to implement.
Another option is to forego curbside recycling and instead bring your recyclables to the Ecology Center. Yes that is a hassle, takes time, and isn't carbon neutral. It's a terrible option, really, but if you happen to drive over there anyway....
Other solutions are more systemic and so harder to implement, but maybe you will want to get active and champion them in the community. Is there a technical solution, such as some kind of locking bin that only opens when the recycling truck gets it? Or maybe we ought to go back to store-based recycling -- when I was a child we dropped off bottles at the supermarket where we'd bought them.
In any event, use the knowledge that your home is regularly studied by people with a low moral threshold to take necessary security measures. 50% of property crime in Berkeley is committed by non-residents, so we are a ''soft target'' for out of towners. Are there motion-activated lights in the right places at your home? Do you have and use locks on doors and gates? Poaching is a crime of opportunity, so make sure there aren't other opportunities to address besides this one. Equally vexed
Jan 2011
First off, I share your pain! I am certain we live on an ant hill and have had our share of ant infestations like I have never seen. I too go crazy like your wife, so can relate....they will drive you mad! We have a now 4 y.o and what has seemed to work - at least for us is to use Grants Ant stakes outside and some inside - especially behind appliances and places on the counters where they are somewhat hidden and behind furniture where kids can't get to. We line up the Grant's on the outside of the house where our kitchen is (for us that's Ground Zero) and replace them every few months after the stuff inside is gone. We space them maybe 2 ft apart and with this many it has seemed to work. Inside, we also use Orange Guard which is non-toxic (active ingred is orange peel extract) and spray that right on the ants when we see a bunch of them. We leave it on there for a little while and then clean it up and try to make sure the area is clear of food particles. It is kind of oily, so can be a bit messy, but apparently the orange essence helps keeps them away. It isn't cheap - $8 a bottle and we get it at the Ecology Center. All in all, this combo has worked for us, but isn't immediate. Rather it takes a few days to see them mostly disappear. We have gotten used to living with the stragglers and to accept that it is a battle we just won't win. Good Luck...... anon
Google Berkeley Ecology Center and they have a section on what to do w/ ants.
At my old place, I had a huge gaping hole in the bedroom closet where the ants would come in from underneath the house.
What we did was: 1. vacuum up any we see instead of killing them as they leave a scent when they're killed. 2. spray Orange guard over any trails. leave it there for a bit before we wipe up. 3. dump baby powder or corn starch over that gaping hole so they can't come in. If it's not a hole, I usually just spray where they're coming into the house w/ orange guard 4. find out where they are coming in on the outside and put those boric acid ant bait stations outside the house. You can get those at Ecology Center or even Ace I think. anon
April 2009
RE: Is the soil safe for gardening?
Yes, you can test your soil through a variety of places. http://www.ecologycenter.org/directory/results.php?sFAQ=soil%20testing The Berkeley Ecology Center has this list online.
My friends who garden in urban backyards usually garden using raised beds. This gets you above a variety of pests, while allowing you to control what's in the soil. It's a project, but you'd be surprised how much amazing produce can be grown in a small 3x5 plot. Gardener
Aug 2008
The Ecology Center in Berkeley has information on their website & runs workshops at Berkeley's Eco House (Hopkins & Peralta) about grey water systems & the permitted system installed at the Eco House. Check it out at http://www.ecologycenter.org/ecohouse/. There was also a feature article in a recent East Bay Express, ''Kill Your Plumbing: The Greywater Guerrillas say it's time to use less water.'' See http://www.eastbayexpress.com/ebx/SearchResults?keywords=Kill+Your+Plumbing
Rebecca
Try www.dig.coop. They installed the first permitted greywater system in Berkeley, which includes a small constructed wetland at the Berkeley Eco House. They offer a tour of that system if you want to learn more about it. You can get info at the Berkeley Ecology Center website. Claudia
March 2008
RE: Getting rid of plastic household items
For an enlightening read, see the Ecology Center's ''7 Misconceptions About Plastic & Plastic Recycling'' at http://www.ecologycenter.org/ptf/misconceptions.html. Better to Reuse Than to Recycle
April 2007
RE: Safe and environmentally friendly water bottle
Klean Kanteen makes stainless steel bottles that are great. There's no lining (which Sigg bottles have -- they tend to get unsettling deposits in them). If you're just using water in them you can simply clean them with a vinegar/water mixture, or you can put them in the dishwasher. They are excellent, and come in lots of sizes including a ''sippy cup'' size, which you can use with an Advent sippy adapter. You can get sport top or screw top caps. The Ecology Center sells them at their store and at the Berkeley farmers markets. The website is www.kleankanteen.com. Annie
Feb 2007
RE: Planning a green remodel in Moraga
The Ecology Center in Berkeley has links to resources on their website: http://www.ecologycenter.org/directory/
Beckie
Aug 2006
RE: Burned rubber smell in Albany
This comes from the cement factory on Sixth and Gilman. There is a neighborhood group that has been active for many years trying to get them to install more cleaning equipment on the stacks and some progress has been made through a deal with the Air District but many feel that deal is not enough. You can contact the Ecology Center on San Pablo Ave. www.ecologycenter.org or Communities for a Better Environment on Telegraph in Oakland www.cbecal.org for more details - there are pending lawsuits, dueling neighborhood groups, etc.... Health effects are controversial but I am convinced they are not good! clark
You can also find out more by calling the Ecology Center's info hotline at 548-2220 x233. The emissions are toxic, and the neighborhood group is training to take air samples during those unpredictable times when the smell is strong Amy K.
June 2006
RE: Rat-proof compost bin for school garden
If you follow proper composting rules, your compost bins should not attract rats. Do not compost any grains (bread, crackers, rice, etc.) or meat products. These are the things that they are attracted to. If you want further precaution, there are many compost bins available that are closed on all sides and if you do a search online you can even find designs that you can build yourself (or with the kids!) For more specifics, the Berkeley Ecology Center is a great resource too. www.ecologycenter.org Happy Composting! Nicole
Nov 2004
RE: What to do with "unrecyclable" plastics?
Actually it's the Ecology Center you should be bugging, not Trader Joe's, assuming you live in Berkeley, that is. Other cities do recycle these plastics. The Ecology Center, which has the recycling contract with the City of Berkeley, is picky about which plastics it will accept. The plastics you are talking about are recyclable, just not as profitably as other plastics. The Ecology Center has the theory that if they don't accept the plastics that are not as easy to recycle, then this will discourage people from using them. Of course the reality is, the plastics that they don't accept, go into landfill. The only way to change this, realistically, is to let the City know we want the Ecology Center to recycle all plastics, not just some of them. Recycling mama
Oct 2004
My other suggestion is to call the Ecology Center- they might have some referrals. They may have books on the subject. Good luck! Cecelia
Aug 2004
RE: Non-Toxic/Non-Smelly Household Cleaners
A good resource for things environmental is the ecology center. They have a collection of non-toxic cleaning recipes at: http://www.ecologycenter.org/erc/fact_sheets/cleaning.html I also have a more extensive list of recipes, many of which I have tried myself (they really work), that I am happy to send to people. If you want this let me know if Word format does not work for you. -Randall
July 2004
RE: The Ecology Center is leaving behind yogurt containers
The Ecology Center, which contracts with the City of Berkeley to do the recycling in our city, has an explanation of why it doesn't accept these. There are many other types of plastic containers they don't pick up too. See their website http://www.ecologycenter.org
Unlike other communities, Berkeley picks up only the plastics that are "easily recycled" (1 and 2, but not all 1 and 2). Apparently the reason is that they don't want us to be "mislead" about the (non)ease of recycling plastics, which might encourage us all to buy more and more plastic.
While the Ecology Center website contains a lot of information about how irresponsible the plastics industry is, there is surprisingly little information about whether these things really are recyclable, and what to do with them if they aren't. If I follow the link on their website for "suggestions on what to do with unrecyclable plastics" I'm told why plastic is bad and why I shouldn't buy it. The solution, they say, is to contact manufacturers, and ask them to put their product in more easily recyclable containers! OK, will do! as soon as I get home from work today and make dinner for my kids and do a couple of loads of laundry!!! Sure, and I'll make the yogurt from scratch, too! Plenty of time for all those things, right? Do these guys have jobs and kids? There's some kind of disconnect here.
As far as I can tell, the problem is not that yogurt containers can't be recycled - other communities do recycle them. The problem seems to be that they are not as profitably recycled as other stuff like bottles and cans. The implication that they can't be recycled and there is nothing we can do short of not buying them is a bit misleading on the part of the Ecology Center. As I recall, until very recently, Ecology Center also refused to pick up any plastics at all, including the ever-popular and recyclable plastic milk jugs. If memory serves, the reason given was that picking them up at curbside would make it too easy for people to continue using plastic, thus supposedly encouraging more people to use more plastic. Of course not picking them up encouraged people to throw them into the trash. Only after the City insisted did the Ecology Center start curbside plastic pick-up.
I have the feeling that the current plastic policy is a follow-on to the previous one - not based on practicality but rather on financial and political concerns.
Come on Ecology Center, we do want to recycle, but we need practical advice, not lectures! Help us out here!
Curmudgeon
Sept 2003
RE: Ants are everywhere - how to get rid of them?
I would like to share info about a wonderful product I use to prevent ant invasions . It's called Orange Guard. I first found it at the Ecology Center on San Pablo Ave in Berkeley. I went there because I wanted to find a non-toxic product to get rid of ants in my apartment. This product fits the bill perfectly. It's non-toxic and safe to use around food, pets, and humans, as the active ingredient is an extract of orange peel, which apparently is very toxic to ants. It's a spray, and has a pleasant orange smell. I have used this product successfully many times. I just spray on the ants, their trails, and the place or places where they enter the house. Sometimes I have to do this several times, waiting awhile to see if the ants reappear, and carefully tracing their trails back to the entry point. But it always works. I have recommended this product to many friends, who have used it successfully. Only one family said it didn't work for them; maybe they have different type of ants? It can be purchased at the Ecology Center on San Pablo in Berkeley and also at Ace Hardware (Grand Ave, Oakland) Lea
April 2000
The Ecology Center (San Pablo at Dwight; number in the phone book) used to rent humane mice traps for a nominal fee (only a couple of dollars for a week's use). They may still have them available for rent. Jennifer
Feb 1999
RE: Environmentally-friendly cleaning supplies
Good for you for becoming aware of simplifying your cleaning supplies! The Ecology Center on San Pablo at Parker Street has supplies and lots of literature. Also, any of the larger health food stores would have supplies. Vinegar and baking soda do a lot by themselves. Barbara
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