well, we here at bicas use a sink which drains into a bucket. the used simple green usually ends up in there and then we pour the bucket, when full onto our mesquite tree in front. i never would have thought but we have been doing it long before i was involved here. the tree loves it and has grown from just a 4 foot shrub into a full grown 25 foot tree in 5 or 6 years. maybe simple green, grease and hand cleaner act as a growth hormones or something. also we try to encourage that people first dilute the easy green, use minimal amounts of the stuff if soaking parts is absolutely necessary and also reuse it if possible as many times as we can. troybicas
----- Original Message ----- From: "Andy Dyson" To: "The Think Tank" Subject: [TheThinkTank] Disposing of used simple green Date: Wed, 20 Jun 2007 19:39:21 -0400
Ah, friendly simple green. Such a nice name. Is there anything you can do to this stuff to feel better about disposing of it. What do you guys do? .
-- Andrew C. Dyson Executive Director Neighborhood Bike Works Increasing opportunities for youth through bicycling
Check our Web Site: http://www.neighborhoodbikeworks.org
Neighborhood Bike Works 3916 Locust Walk, Philadelphia, PA 19104
Office: (215) 386-0316 Cell: (215) 873-6695 FAX: (215) 386-7288
thethinktank mailing list thethinktank@lists.bikecollectives.org http://lists.bikecollectives.org/listinfo.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.o...
Oh my God... that is so bad for the ground (and ground water) and surface runoff when it rains.
Most communities have household hazardous waste collection facilities, just for these types of chemicals that are dangerous, bad for the environment, and they don't want in the landfill.
From, Nathan
--- troy neiman troyneiman@myself.com wrote:
well, we here at bicas use a sink which drains into a bucket. the used simple green usually ends up in there and then we pour the bucket, when full onto our mesquite tree in front. i never would have thought but we have been doing it long before i was involved here. the tree loves it and has grown from just a 4 foot shrub into a full grown 25 foot tree in 5 or 6 years. maybe simple green, grease and hand cleaner act as a growth hormones or something. also we try to encourage that people first dilute the easy green, use minimal amounts of the stuff if soaking parts is absolutely necessary and also reuse it if possible as many times as we can. troybicas
----- Original Message ----- From: "Andy Dyson" To: "The Think Tank" Subject: [TheThinkTank] Disposing of used simple green Date: Wed, 20 Jun 2007 19:39:21 -0400
Ah, friendly simple green. Such a nice name. Is there anything you can do to this stuff to feel better about disposing of it. What do you guys do? .
-- Andrew C. Dyson Executive Director Neighborhood Bike Works Increasing opportunities for youth through bicycling
Check our Web Site: http://www.neighborhoodbikeworks.org
Neighborhood Bike Works 3916 Locust Walk, Philadelphia, PA 19104
Office: (215) 386-0316 Cell: (215) 873-6695 FAX: (215) 386-7288
thethinktank mailing list thethinktank@lists.bikecollectives.org
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I let most of the stuff on this list float by, but Nathan, your comments piqued my interest. So, I did some research and found the simple green's Material Safety Data Sheet. (http://consumer.simplegreen.com/cons_msds.php) Here's what it had to say about putting simple green in the soil:
Biodegradability: Simple Green is readily decomposed by naturally occurring microorganisms....Per OECD Closed Bottle Test, Simple Green® meets OECD and EPA recommendations for ready biodegradability.
In a standard biodegradation test with soils from three different countries, Butyl Cellosolve reached 50% degradation in 6 to 23 days, depending upon soil type, and exceeded the rate of degradation for glucose which was used as a control for comparison.
Environmental Toxicity Information: Simple Green® is considered practically non-toxic per EPA’s Aquatic toxicity scale. --
Seems like as cleaners go, this stuff is pretty benign, which I think is why Bicas and a lot of other places use it. The main active ingredient is butoxyethanol, which decomposes in the environment within a few days and has not been identified as a major environmental contaminant. It is not known to build up in any plant or animal species. And curiously, simple green is the substance used to clean the oil slick off of sea life when oil tankers spill their muck into the ocean.
I can't imagine that butoxyethanol is what makes Bicas' mesquite tree grow...I'd bet that its all the extra water its getting...desert trees love to be watered.
cheers,
Ian
Nathan Pierce wrote:
Oh my God... that is so bad for the ground (and ground water) and surface runoff when it rains.
Most communities have household hazardous waste collection facilities, just for these types of chemicals that are dangerous, bad for the environment, and they don't want in the landfill.
From, Nathan
--- troy neiman troyneiman@myself.com wrote:
well, we here at bicas use a sink which drains into a bucket. the used simple green usually ends up in there and then we pour the bucket, when full onto our mesquite tree in front. i never would have thought but we have been doing it long before i was involved here. the tree loves it and has grown from just a 4 foot shrub into a full grown 25 foot tree in 5 or 6 years. maybe simple green, grease and hand cleaner act as a growth hormones or something. also we try to encourage that people first dilute the easy green, use minimal amounts of the stuff if soaking parts is absolutely necessary and also reuse it if possible as many times as we can. troybicas
----- Original Message ----- From: "Andy Dyson" To: "The Think Tank" Subject: [TheThinkTank] Disposing of used simple green Date: Wed, 20 Jun 2007 19:39:21 -0400
Ah, friendly simple green. Such a nice name. Is there anything you can do to this stuff to feel better about disposing of it. What do you guys do? .
-- Andrew C. Dyson Executive Director Neighborhood Bike Works Increasing opportunities for youth through bicycling
Check our Web Site: http://www.neighborhoodbikeworks.org
Neighborhood Bike Works 3916 Locust Walk, Philadelphia, PA 19104
Office: (215) 386-0316 Cell: (215) 873-6695 FAX: (215) 386-7288
thethinktank mailing list thethinktank@lists.bikecollectives.org
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That's surprising about simple green, and makes me feel a little better. (Though I don't thoroughly trust EPA when it comes to that sort of thing... and the FDA for that matter.) Yet using simple green to clean parts adds other things besides the "simple" green, which are bad for the soil and water... and runoff of oil products pollutes a disproportionate amount of water.
I like Chris and Re-Cycles suggestions of coffee filters to lengthen useful life [for whatever cleaner], followed by the hazardous waste disposal.
from, Nathan
--- sprocket sprocket@riseup.net wrote:
I let most of the stuff on this list float by, but Nathan, your comments piqued my interest. So, I did some research and found the simple green's Material Safety Data Sheet. (http://consumer.simplegreen.com/cons_msds.php) Here's what it had to say about putting simple green in the soil:
Biodegradability: Simple Green is readily decomposed by naturally occurring microorganisms....Per OECD Closed Bottle Test, Simple Green® meets OECD and EPA recommendations for ready biodegradability.
In a standard biodegradation test with soils from three different countries, Butyl Cellosolve reached 50% degradation in 6 to 23 days, depending upon soil type, and exceeded the rate of degradation for glucose which was used as a control for comparison.
Environmental Toxicity Information: Simple Green® is considered practically non-toxic per EPAs Aquatic toxicity scale. --
Seems like as cleaners go, this stuff is pretty benign, which I think is why Bicas and a lot of other places use it. The main active ingredient is butoxyethanol, which decomposes in the environment within a few days and has not been identified as a major environmental contaminant. It is not known to build up in any plant or animal species. And curiously, simple green is the substance used to clean the oil slick off of sea life when oil tankers spill their muck into the ocean.
I can't imagine that butoxyethanol is what makes Bicas' mesquite tree grow...I'd bet that its all the extra water its getting...desert trees love to be watered.
cheers,
Ian
Nathan Pierce wrote:
Oh my God... that is so bad for the ground (and
ground
water) and surface runoff when it rains.
Most communities have household hazardous waste collection facilities, just for these types of chemicals that are dangerous, bad for the
environment,
and they don't want in the landfill.
From, Nathan
--- troy neiman troyneiman@myself.com wrote:
well, we here at bicas use a sink which drains
into
a bucket. the used simple green usually ends up in there and then we pour the bucket, when full onto our mesquite tree in front. i never
would
have thought but we have been doing it long before i was involved
here.
the tree loves it and has grown from just a 4 foot shrub into a
full
grown 25 foot tree in 5 or 6 years. maybe simple green, grease and
hand
cleaner act as a growth hormones or something. also we try to encourage that people first dilute the easy green, use minimal amounts of the stuff if soaking parts is absolutely necessary and also reuse it if possible as many times as we can. troybicas
----- Original Message ----- From: "Andy Dyson" To: "The Think Tank" Subject: [TheThinkTank] Disposing of used
simple
green Date: Wed, 20 Jun 2007 19:39:21 -0400
Ah, friendly simple green. Such a nice name. Is there anything you can do to this stuff to feel better about disposing
of
it. What do you guys do? .
-- Andrew C. Dyson Executive Director Neighborhood Bike Works Increasing opportunities for youth through bicycling
Check our Web Site: http://www.neighborhoodbikeworks.org
Neighborhood Bike Works 3916 Locust Walk, Philadelphia, PA 19104
Office: (215) 386-0316 Cell: (215) 873-6695 FAX: (215) 386-7288
thethinktank mailing list thethinktank@lists.bikecollectives.org
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Nathan, I share your distrust of government regulatory agencies, but short of conducting our own tests, where else can we look for conclusive answers? I see your point about the waste from petroleum based lubricants etc. getting into the waste stream, but I think it would help to put that problem into perspective a little. Multiple 10's of thousands of cars drive through the downtown Tucson area every day spewing hydrocarbons and various deadly oxides into our air, and they leave behind them on the road surfaces, tons upon tons of tire dust (600,000 tons per year in the US), brake fluid, oil, etc. What doesn't go airborne washes into our storm sewers and straight into the Santa Cruz river which brought life to this valley in the first place. The story is the same in every city. My point here is that we are much better off focusing our efforts on getting people out of their cars and onto a bicycle than wasting energy fretting about an environmental impact that when compared to the larger environmental violence associated with the use of automobiles, doesn't add up to a hill of beans.
my 2 cents,
Ian
Nathan Pierce wrote:
That's surprising about simple green, and makes me feel a little better. (Though I don't thoroughly trust EPA when it comes to that sort of thing... and the FDA for that matter.) Yet using simple green to clean parts adds other things besides the "simple" green, which are bad for the soil and water... and runoff of oil products pollutes a disproportionate amount of water.
I like Chris and Re-Cycles suggestions of coffee filters to lengthen useful life [for whatever cleaner], followed by the hazardous waste disposal.
from, Nathan
--- sprocket sprocket@riseup.net wrote:
I let most of the stuff on this list float by, but Nathan, your comments piqued my interest. So, I did some research and found the simple green's Material Safety Data Sheet. (http://consumer.simplegreen.com/cons_msds.php) Here's what it had to say about putting simple green in the soil:
Biodegradability: Simple Green is readily decomposed by naturally occurring microorganisms....Per OECD Closed Bottle Test, Simple Green® meets OECD and EPA recommendations for ready biodegradability.
In a standard biodegradation test with soils from three different countries, Butyl Cellosolve reached 50% degradation in 6 to 23 days, depending upon soil type, and exceeded the rate of degradation for glucose which was used as a control for comparison.
Environmental Toxicity Information: Simple Green® is considered practically non-toxic per EPA’s Aquatic toxicity scale. --
Seems like as cleaners go, this stuff is pretty benign, which I think is why Bicas and a lot of other places use it. The main active ingredient is butoxyethanol, which decomposes in the environment within a few days and has not been identified as a major environmental contaminant. It is not known to build up in any plant or animal species. And curiously, simple green is the substance used to clean the oil slick off of sea life when oil tankers spill their muck into the ocean.
I can't imagine that butoxyethanol is what makes Bicas' mesquite tree grow...I'd bet that its all the extra water its getting...desert trees love to be watered.
cheers,
Ian
Nathan Pierce wrote:
Oh my God... that is so bad for the ground (and
ground
water) and surface runoff when it rains.
Most communities have household hazardous waste collection facilities, just for these types of chemicals that are dangerous, bad for the
environment,
and they don't want in the landfill.
From, Nathan
--- troy neiman troyneiman@myself.com wrote:
well, we here at bicas use a sink which drains
into
a bucket. the used simple green usually ends up in there and then we pour the bucket, when full onto our mesquite tree in front. i never
would
have thought but we have been doing it long before i was involved
here.
the tree loves it and has grown from just a 4 foot shrub into a
full
grown 25 foot tree in 5 or 6 years. maybe simple green, grease and
hand
cleaner act as a growth hormones or something. also we try to encourage that people first dilute the easy green, use minimal amounts of the stuff if soaking parts is absolutely necessary and also reuse it if possible as many times as we can. troybicas
----- Original Message ----- From: "Andy Dyson" To: "The Think Tank" Subject: [TheThinkTank] Disposing of used
simple
green Date: Wed, 20 Jun 2007 19:39:21 -0400
Ah, friendly simple green. Such a nice name. Is there anything you can do to this stuff to feel better about disposing
of
it. What do you guys do? .
-- Andrew C. Dyson Executive Director Neighborhood Bike Works Increasing opportunities for youth through bicycling
Check our Web Site: http://www.neighborhoodbikeworks.org
Neighborhood Bike Works 3916 Locust Walk, Philadelphia, PA 19104
Office: (215) 386-0316 Cell: (215) 873-6695 FAX: (215) 386-7288
thethinktank mailing list thethinktank@lists.bikecollectives.org
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good point about getting peeps out of cars. If all the people in cars rode bikes, then we spilled all the used simple green from cleaning all the more bikes, it would still be less pollution than all the cars were previously making.
Still: give a hoot, don't pollute.
I don't mean to bag on anyone about pouring bad stuff on trees. (And I don't want to debate it.) I just wanted to point it out because some people still don't know that what goes on the ground goes into our ground water or into the rivers and oceans.
Peace out.
From, Nathan
--- sprocket sprocket@riseup.net wrote:
Nathan, I share your distrust of government regulatory agencies, but short of conducting our own tests, where else can we look for conclusive answers? I see your point about the waste from petroleum based lubricants etc. getting into the waste stream, but I think it would help to put that problem into perspective a little. Multiple 10's of thousands of cars drive through the downtown Tucson area every day spewing hydrocarbons and various deadly oxides into our air, and they leave behind them on the road surfaces, tons upon tons of tire dust (600,000 tons per year in the US), brake fluid, oil, etc. What doesn't go airborne washes into our storm sewers and straight into the Santa Cruz river which brought life to this valley in the first place. The story is the same in every city. My point here is that we are much better off focusing our efforts on getting people out of their cars and onto a bicycle than wasting energy fretting about an environmental impact that when compared to the larger environmental violence associated with the use of automobiles, doesn't add up to a hill of beans.
my 2 cents,
Ian
Nathan Pierce wrote:
That's surprising about simple green, and makes me feel a little better. (Though I don't thoroughly
trust
EPA when it comes to that sort of thing... and the
FDA
for that matter.) Yet using simple green to clean parts adds other things besides the "simple"
green,
which are bad for the soil and water... and runoff
of
oil products pollutes a disproportionate amount of water.
I like Chris and Re-Cycles suggestions of coffee filters to lengthen useful life [for whatever cleaner], followed by the hazardous waste
disposal.
from, Nathan
--- sprocket sprocket@riseup.net wrote:
I let most of the stuff on this list float by,
but
Nathan, your comments piqued my interest. So, I did some research and found the simple green's Material Safety Data Sheet. (http://consumer.simplegreen.com/cons_msds.php) Here's what it had to say about putting simple
green
in the soil:
Biodegradability: Simple Green is readily
decomposed
by naturally occurring microorganisms....Per OECD Closed
Bottle
Test, Simple Green® meets OECD and EPA recommendations for ready biodegradability.
In a standard biodegradation test with soils from three different countries, Butyl Cellosolve reached 50%
degradation
in 6 to 23 days, depending upon soil type, and
exceeded
the rate of degradation for glucose which was used as a
control
for comparison.
Environmental Toxicity Information: Simple Green®
is
considered practically non-toxic per EPAs Aquatic toxicity scale. --
Seems like as cleaners go, this stuff is pretty benign, which I think is why Bicas and a lot of other places use it. The
main
active ingredient is butoxyethanol, which decomposes in the environment within a few days and has not been identified as a major
environmental
contaminant. It is not known to build up in any plant or animal species. And curiously, simple green is the substance used to clean the
oil
slick off of sea life when oil tankers spill their muck into the ocean.
I can't imagine that butoxyethanol is what makes Bicas' mesquite tree grow...I'd bet that its all the extra water its getting...desert trees love to be watered.
cheers,
Ian
Nathan Pierce wrote:
Oh my God... that is so bad for the ground (and
ground
water) and surface runoff when it rains.
Most communities have household hazardous waste collection facilities, just for these types of chemicals that are dangerous, bad for the
environment,
and they don't want in the landfill.
From, Nathan
--- troy neiman troyneiman@myself.com wrote:
well, we here at bicas use a sink which drains
into
a bucket. the used simple green usually ends up in there and then
we
pour the bucket, when full onto our mesquite tree in front. i never
would
have thought but we have been doing it long before i was involved
here.
the tree loves it and has grown from just a 4 foot shrub into a
full
grown 25 foot tree in 5 or 6 years. maybe simple green, grease and
hand
cleaner act as a growth hormones or something. also we try to encourage that people first dilute the easy green, use minimal amounts of
the
stuff if soaking parts is absolutely necessary and also reuse it if possible as many times as we can. troybicas
----- Original Message ----- From: "Andy Dyson" To: "The Think Tank" Subject: [TheThinkTank] Disposing of used
simple
green Date: Wed, 20 Jun 2007 19:39:21 -0400
Ah, friendly simple green. Such a nice name.
Is
there anything you can do to this stuff to feel better about
disposing
of
it. What do you guys do? .
-- Andrew C. Dyson Executive Director Neighborhood Bike Works Increasing opportunities for youth through bicycling
Check our Web Site: http://www.neighborhoodbikeworks.org
Neighborhood Bike Works 3916 Locust Walk, Philadelphia, PA 19104
Office: (215) 386-0316 Cell: (215) 873-6695 FAX: (215) 386-7288
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As far as being green, non-toxic, biodegradable etc. wherever possible: is there any collective wisdom out there on a non-petrolium, non super-yukko lube (and grease, for that matter)? The Durham Bike Co-op's just gotten off the ground, so we've used what's on hand mostly (tri-flow, park polylube), but tri-flow smells something awful and I'm not thrilled about putting it into the environment at all ... looking around the internet there seems to be some things out there (pedro's has something out that's supposed to be biodegradable, also a bunch of vegetable-based lubes designed for heavier applications like chainsaws...) Anyone out there have some positive experiences / knowledge to share?
peace, Colin.
Nathan Pierce natnc17@yahoo.com wrote: good point about getting peeps out of cars. If all the people in cars rode bikes, then we spilled all the used simple green from cleaning all the more bikes, it would still be less pollution than all the cars were previously making.
Still: give a hoot, don't pollute.
I don't mean to bag on anyone about pouring bad stuff on trees. (And I don't want to debate it.) I just wanted to point it out because some people still don't know that what goes on the ground goes into our ground water or into the rivers and oceans.
Peace out.
From, Nathan
--- sprocket wrote:
Nathan, I share your distrust of government regulatory agencies, but short of conducting our own tests, where else can we look for conclusive answers? I see your point about the waste from petroleum based lubricants etc. getting into the waste stream, but I think it would help to put that problem into perspective a little. Multiple 10's of thousands of cars drive through the downtown Tucson area every day spewing hydrocarbons and various deadly oxides into our air, and they leave behind them on the road surfaces, tons upon tons of tire dust (600,000 tons per year in the US), brake fluid, oil, etc. What doesn't go airborne washes into our storm sewers and straight into the Santa Cruz river which brought life to this valley in the first place. The story is the same in every city. My point here is that we are much better off focusing our efforts on getting people out of their cars and onto a bicycle than wasting energy fretting about an environmental impact that when compared to the larger environmental violence associated with the use of automobiles, doesn't add up to a hill of beans.
my 2 cents,
Ian
Nathan Pierce wrote:
That's surprising about simple green, and makes me feel a little better. (Though I don't thoroughly
trust
EPA when it comes to that sort of thing... and the
FDA
for that matter.) Yet using simple green to clean parts adds other things besides the "simple"
green,
which are bad for the soil and water... and runoff
of
oil products pollutes a disproportionate amount of water.
I like Chris and Re-Cycles suggestions of coffee filters to lengthen useful life [for whatever cleaner], followed by the hazardous waste
disposal.
from, Nathan
--- sprocket wrote:
I let most of the stuff on this list float by,
but
Nathan, your comments piqued my interest. So, I did some research and found the simple green's Material Safety Data Sheet. (http://consumer.simplegreen.com/cons_msds.php) Here's what it had to say about putting simple
green
in the soil:
Biodegradability: Simple Green is readily
decomposed
by naturally occurring microorganisms....Per OECD Closed
Bottle
Test, Simple Green® meets OECD and EPA recommendations for ready biodegradability.
In a standard biodegradation test with soils from three different countries, Butyl Cellosolve reached 50%
degradation
in 6 to 23 days, depending upon soil type, and
exceeded
the rate of degradation for glucose which was used as a
control
for comparison.
Environmental Toxicity Information: Simple Green®
is
considered practically non-toxic per EPAs Aquatic toxicity scale. --
Seems like as cleaners go, this stuff is pretty benign, which I think is why Bicas and a lot of other places use it. The
main
active ingredient is butoxyethanol, which decomposes in the environment within a few days and has not been identified as a major
environmental
contaminant. It is not known to build up in any plant or animal species. And curiously, simple green is the substance used to clean the
oil
slick off of sea life when oil tankers spill their muck into the ocean.
I can't imagine that butoxyethanol is what makes Bicas' mesquite tree grow...I'd bet that its all the extra water its getting...desert trees love to be watered.
cheers,
Ian
Nathan Pierce wrote:
Oh my God... that is so bad for the ground (and
ground
water) and surface runoff when it rains.
Most communities have household hazardous waste collection facilities, just for these types of chemicals that are dangerous, bad for the
environment,
and they don't want in the landfill.
From, Nathan
--- troy neiman wrote:
well, we here at bicas use a sink which drains
into
a bucket. the used simple green usually ends up in there and then
we
pour the bucket, when full onto our mesquite tree in front. i never
would
have thought but we have been doing it long before i was involved
here.
the tree loves it and has grown from just a 4 foot shrub into a
full
grown 25 foot tree in 5 or 6 years. maybe simple green, grease and
hand
cleaner act as a growth hormones or something. also we try to encourage that people first dilute the easy green, use minimal amounts of
the
stuff if soaking parts is absolutely necessary and also reuse it if possible as many times as we can. troybicas
----- Original Message ----- From: "Andy Dyson" To: "The Think Tank" Subject: [TheThinkTank] Disposing of used
simple
green Date: Wed, 20 Jun 2007 19:39:21 -0400
Ah, friendly simple green. Such a nice name.
Is
there anything you can do to this stuff to feel better about
disposing
of
it. What do you guys do? .
-- Andrew C. Dyson Executive Director Neighborhood Bike Works Increasing opportunities for youth through bicycling
Check our Web Site: http://www.neighborhoodbikeworks.org
Neighborhood Bike Works 3916 Locust Walk, Philadelphia, PA 19104
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So we don't lose people on the list, put your 2 cents on simple green, disposal and the like on the wiki...
http://www.bikecollectives.org/wiki/index.php?title=Parts_Washers http://www.bikecollectives.org/wiki/index.php?title=Shop_Recycling#Used_Part...
I posed your question below to our current supplier of grease (an eco-minded distributor that sought us out and started sending us supplies, got to like that :-) Here are some of his thoughts:
"The environmental damage done by bicycles and bike shops are a
very small drop in a bucket compared to a clean truck or construction shop. I might add these guys in particular the construction companies have done enormous leaps and bounds of improvement since I started selling grease in 1988. Construction guys used to dig a hole drive the machine over and drain the engine oil in it add the filter and dirty rags and bury it. Now they get excited about fixing hydraulic oil leaks. The trucks have reduced smoke to the point of not seeing hardly any of it.
My idea on the whole bike thing is to make it as inviting and easy
as possible for people to use bicycles. Every time someone is riding a bicycle for any reason they are not using a gasoline engine.
The VIP grease I sell does not wash off (I have a sample stuck to
the bottom of my boat for two years now). It gets used on the chains, derailers and bearings in a bike. The superior performance makes the ride, shift etc much better and more inviting. Keeps the derailers working better even if not use often. The grease stays in the bearings a lot longer (forever in a bike) and provide easy peddling and coasting. The chains do not rust and perform better providing better shifting and no rust keeps up a better appearance. If more people ride more often and longer because of this I feel I have done my part for the environment.
Using biodegradable greases etc, you will find they wash off, do
not lubricate well and reduce the performance of the bike and make it less inviting to the rider."
Chris
--- durham bike collective durham_bikes@yahoo.com wrote:
As far as being green, non-toxic, biodegradable etc. wherever possible: is there any collective wisdom out there on a non-petrolium, non super-yukko lube (and grease, for that matter)? The Durham Bike Co-op's just gotten off the ground, so we've used what's on hand mostly (tri-flow, park polylube), but tri-flow smells something awful and I'm not thrilled about putting it into the environment at all ... looking around the internet there seems to be some things out there (pedro's has something out that's supposed to be biodegradable, also a bunch of vegetable-based lubes designed for heavier applications like chainsaws...) Anyone out there have some positive experiences / knowledge to share?
peace, Colin.
Nathan Pierce natnc17@yahoo.com wrote: good point about getting peeps out of cars. If all the people in cars rode bikes, then we spilled all the used simple green from cleaning all the more bikes, it would still be less pollution than all the cars were previously making.
Chris Wells (Head Mechanic & Email Handler)
re-Cycles Bicycle Co-op 112 Nelson St. Ottawa
Open 6pm-10pm Tuesdays, Wednesday & Thursdays
info@re-cycles.ca http://www.re-cycles.ca/
That's really interesting. There is also an environmental impact involved in producing, packaging and transporting new chains, bearings, derailers, cogs and other bike parts. If using a biodegradable product results in premature wear it might actually be worse for the environment since amount of grease/oil needed to keep a bicycle in tip top shape is so small. Kemmer
From: Chris Wells re-cycles@rogers.com Reply-To: re-cycles@flora.org,The Think Tank thethinktank@lists.bikecollectives.org To: The Think Tank thethinktank@lists.bikecollectives.org Subject: Re: [TheThinkTank] Disposing of used simple green Date: Fri, 22 Jun 2007 16:20:28 -0400 (EDT)
I posed your question below to our current supplier of grease (an eco-minded distributor that sought us out and started sending us supplies, got to like that :-) Here are some of his thoughts:
"The environmental damage done by bicycles and bike shops are avery small drop in a bucket compared to a clean truck or construction shop. I might add these guys in particular the construction companies have done enormous leaps and bounds of improvement since I started selling grease in 1988. Construction guys used to dig a hole drive the machine over and drain the engine oil in it add the filter and dirty rags and bury it. Now they get excited about fixing hydraulic oil leaks. The trucks have reduced smoke to the point of not seeing hardly any of it.
My idea on the whole bike thing is to make it as inviting and easyas possible for people to use bicycles. Every time someone is riding a bicycle for any reason they are not using a gasoline engine.
The VIP grease I sell does not wash off (I have a sample stuck tothe bottom of my boat for two years now). It gets used on the chains, derailers and bearings in a bike. The superior performance makes the ride, shift etc much better and more inviting. Keeps the derailers working better even if not use often. The grease stays in the bearings a lot longer (forever in a bike) and provide easy peddling and coasting. The chains do not rust and perform better providing better shifting and no rust keeps up a better appearance. If more people ride more often and longer because of this I feel I have done my part for the environment.
Using biodegradable greases etc, you will find they wash off, donot lubricate well and reduce the performance of the bike and make it less inviting to the rider."
Chris
--- durham bike collective durham_bikes@yahoo.com wrote:
As far as being green, non-toxic, biodegradable etc. wherever possible: is there any collective wisdom out there on a non-petrolium, non super-yukko lube (and grease, for that matter)? The Durham Bike Co-op's just gotten off the ground, so we've used what's on hand mostly (tri-flow, park polylube), but tri-flow smells something awful and I'm not thrilled about putting it into the environment at all ... looking around the internet there seems to be some things out there (pedro's has something out that's supposed to be biodegradable, also a bunch of vegetable-based lubes designed for heavier applications like chainsaws...) Anyone out there have some positive experiences / knowledge to share?
peace, Colin.
Nathan Pierce natnc17@yahoo.com wrote: good point about getting peeps out of cars. If all the people in cars rode bikes, then we spilled all the used simple green from cleaning all the more bikes, it would still be less pollution than all the cars were previously making.
Chris Wells (Head Mechanic & Email Handler)
re-Cycles Bicycle Co-op 112 Nelson St. Ottawa
Open 6pm-10pm Tuesdays, Wednesday & Thursdays
info@re-cycles.ca http://www.re-cycles.ca/ _______________________________________________ thethinktank mailing list thethinktank@lists.bikecollectives.org http://lists.bikecollectives.org/listinfo.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.o...
Picture this share your photos and you could win big!
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Ross Willard (Recycle Bicycle Harrisburg) here in central Pa got this request? Who is closer ? Phila or Allentown or is there anybody else out that way in Eastern Pa?
Thanks Ross www.recyclebicycle.info recyclebicycle@verizon.net
Request below:
I am from Newtown, just above Philadelphia in Bucks County looking for a recycle for someone who could use them and see your website. Do you know if there is anything in the local area? My email is deniserouse@comcast.net. Thank you.
participants (8)
-
Chris Wells -
durham bike collective -
Jonathan Morrison -
Kemmer Evans -
Nathan Pierce -
Recycle Bicycle of Harrisburg, Pa -
sprocket -
troy neiman