The girl that shut the world up - ECO 92

What is the Best Way to Recycle Waste?

There are many different ways to recycle waste, and they are largely dependent on the type of waste that needs to be recycled. Many basic forms of waste, such as glass bottles or aluminum cans, can be easily recycled, while things like electronics and batteries may require a bit more work to recycle. One can generally recycle waste that is highly toxic, as well, but it often costs a fee or requires driving to one of only a handful of facilities in a state or country.

It should be noted that there is usually a distinction made between a composting program, and a program to actually recycle waste. Although the general principle is roughly the same, composting involves organic materials being allowed or encouraged to break down into soil that can then be reused. Recycling, on the other hand, takes materials and breaks them into their constituent parts and purifies them somewhat so they can be reused again in further manufacture. Generally, however, there is some degradation in quality, so that, for example, white writing paper might be recycled and turned into a brown paper or cardboard.

Most cities in the United States offer recycling programs that make it relatively easy to recycle waste. Many municipalities offer curbside pickup, where residents can get a special bin for common household waste items that can be recycled. In order to recycle waste in these, all one needs do is clean the waste somewhat, and dispose of it as one would garbage, but in a special bin. In some areas, waste must be separated by material, for example into glass, metal, plastic, and paper. In many areas, however, waste may be mixed, and is sorted later, either manually or through mechanical means.

In areas where curbside pickup is not available, often waste management facilities offer recycling through their normal programs. Recycling waste at these locations is nearly always free, in contrast to the fee imposed by disposing of waste. Some states have facilities that offer money in return for recycling certain materials, generally bottles and cans, which is usually marked as a Redemption Value.
Industrial recycling most often takes place at special facilities. For example, waste concrete or building materials can often be recycled by bringing them to an industrial recycling location. In some cases a small charge may be charged for recycling these materials, but in other cases their disposal is subsidized by a local government.
Clothing and electronics that are still in functional condition can most easily be recycled by donating them to a free service that redisburses them. In cases where the electronics are no longer viable, they may be turned in through a special electronics recycling program. Many programs exist for specific devices, such as cell phones or computers, and some manufactures include a recycling program and kit with new products. One should be aware, however, that there are certain risks involved in recycling electronic components, such a hard drives or cell phones, that may contain personal information.
Other items, such as paint, fluorescent lights, and chemically-treated wood products, may be recycled only in special facilities. Depending on the state these facilities may charge a collection fee. Nonetheless, they may be recycled if properly handled, and recycling these toxic items can greatly reduce the environmental impact on the planet.

Can you improve your conversation skills? Certainly.

It might take a while to change the conversation habits that’s been ingrained throughout your life, but it is very possible.



To not make this article longer than necessary let’s just skip right to some common mistakes many of us have made in conversations. And a couple of solutions.



Not listening

Ernest Hemingway once said:



“I like to listen. I have learned a great deal from listening carefully. Most people never listen.”



Don’t be like most people. Don’t just wait eagerly for your turn to talk. Put your own ego on hold. Learn to really listen to what people actually are saying.



When you start to really listen, you’ll pick up on loads of potential paths in the conversation. But avoid yes or no type of questions as they will not give you much information. If someone mentions that they went fishing with a couple of friends last weekend you can for instance ask:



Where did you go fishing?

What do you like most about fishing?

What did you do there besides fishing?

The person will delve deeper into the subject giving you more information to work with and more paths for you choose from.



If they say something like: “Oh, I don’t know” at first, don’t give up. Prod a little further. Ask again. They do know, they just have to think about a bit more. And as they start to open up the conversation becomes more interesting because it’s not on auto-pilot anymore.



Asking too many questions

If you ask too many questions the conversation can feel like a bit of an interrogation. Or like you don’t have that much too contribute. One alternative is to mix questions with statements. Continuing the conversation above you could skip the question and say:



Yeah, it’s great to just get out with your friends and relax over the weekend. We like to take a six-pack out to the park and play some Frisbee golf.

Nice. We went out in my friend’s boat last month and I tried these new lures from Sakamura. The blue ones were really great.

And then the conversation can flow on from there. And you can discuss Frisbee golf, the advantages/disadvantages of different lures or your favourite beer.



Tightening up

When in conversation with someone you just meet or when the usual few topics are exhausted an awkward silence or mood might appear. Or you might just become nervous not knowing exactly why.



Leil Lowndes <!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--> once said: “Never leave home without reading the newspaper.” If you’re running out of things to say, you can always start talking about the current news. It’s also good to stay updated on current water cooler-topics. Like what happened on the latest episode of Lost.

Comment on the aquarium at the party, or that one girl’s cool Halloween-costume or the host’s mp3-playlist. You can always start new conversations about something in your surroundings.

Assume rapport. If you feel nervous or weird when meeting someone for the first time assume rapport. What that means is that you imagine how you feel when you meet one of your best friends. And pretend that this new acquaintance is one of your best friends. Don’t overdo it though, you might not want to hug and kiss right away. But if you imagine this you’ll go into a positive emotional state. And you’ll greet and start talking to this new person with a smile and a friendly and relaxed attitude. Because that’s how you talk to your friends. It might sound a bit loopy or too simple. But it really works.

Poor delivery

One of the most important things in a conversation is not what you say, but how you say it. A change in these habits can make a big difference since your voice and body language is a vital part of communication. Some things to think about:



Slowing down. When you get excited about something it’s easy to start talking faster and faster. Try and slow down. It will make it much easier for people to listen and for you actually get what you are saying across to them.

Speaking up. Don’t be afraid to talk as loud as you need to for people to hear you.

Speaking clearly. Don’t mumble.

Speak with emotion. No one listens for that long if you speak with a monotone voice. Let your feelings be reflected in your voice.

Using pauses. Slowing down your talking plus adding a small pause between thoughts or sentences creates a bit of tension and anticipation. People will start to listen more attentively to what you’re saying. Listen to one of Brian Tracys cds or Steve Pavlina’s podcasts. Listen to how using small pauses makes what they are saying seem even more interesting.

Learn a bit about improving your body language as it can make your delivery a lot more effective. Read about laughter, posture and how to hold your drink in 18 ways to improve your body language.

Hogging the spot-light

I’ve been guilty of this one on more occasions than I wish to remember. Everyone involved in a conversation should get their time in the spotlight. Don’t interrupt someone when they are telling some anecdote or their view on what you are discussing to divert the attention back to yourself. Don’t hijack their story about skiing before it’s finished to share your best skiing-anecdote. Find a balance between listening and talking.



Having to be right

Avoid arguing and having to being right about every topic. Often a conversation is not really a discussion. It’s a more of a way to keep a good mood going. No one will be that impressed if you “win” every conversation. Instead just sit back, relax and help keep the good feelings going.



Talking about a weird or negative topic

If you’re at a party or somewhere were you are just getting to know some people you might want to avoid some topics. Talking about your bad health or relationships, your crappy job or boss, serial killers, technical lingo that only you and some other guy understands or anything that sucks the positive energy out of the conversation are topics to steer clear from. You might also want to save religion and politics for conversations with your friends.



Being boring

Don’t prattle on about your new car for 10 minutes oblivious to your surroundings. Always be prepared to drop a subject when you start to bore people. Or when everyone is getting bored and the topic is starting to run out of steam.



One good way to have something interesting to say is simply to lead an interesting life. And to focus on the positive stuff. Don’t start to whine about your boss or your job, people don’t want to hear that. Instead, talk about your last trip somewhere, some funny anecdote that happened while you where buying clothes, your plans for New Years Eve or something funny or exciting.





Another way is just to be genuinely interested. As Dale Carnegie <!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--> said:



“You can make more friends in two months by becoming really interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you. Which is just another way of saying that the way to make a friend is to be one.”





Knowing a little about many things or at least being open to talk about them instead of trying to steer the conversation back to your favourite subject is a nice quality.



Meaning: talking for what seems like hours about one topic. Topics may include work, favourite rock-band, TV-show and more work.





Opening up a bit and not clinging desperately to one topic will make the conversation feel more relaxed and open. You will come across like a person who can talk about many things with ease. As you’ve probably experienced with other people; this quality is something you appreciate in a conversation and makes you feel like you can connect to that person easily.





Not reciprocating

Open up and say what you think, share how you feel. If someone shares an experience, open up too and share one of your experiences. Don’t just stand there nodding and answer with short sentences. If someone is investing in the conversation they’d like you to invest too.



Like in so many areas in life, you can’t always wait for the other party to make the first move. When needed, be proactive and be the first one to open up and invest in the conversation. One way is by replacing some questions with statements. It makes you less passive and makes take a sort of stand.





Not contributing much

You might feel that you don’t have much to contribute to a conversation. But try anyway. Really listen and be interested in what the others are saying. Ask questions. Make relating statements.





Open your eyes too. Develop your observational skills to pick up interesting stuff in your surroundings to talk about. Develop your personal knowledge-bank by expanding your view of interesting things in the world. Read the newspapers and keep an eye on new water cooler-topics.





Work on your body language, how you talk and try assuming rapport to improve your communication skills.





But take it easy. Don’t do it all at once. You’ll just feel confused and overwhelmed. Instead, pick out the three most important things that you feel needs improving. Work on them every day for 3-4 weeks. Notice the difference and keep at it. Soon your new habits will start to pop up spontaneously when you are in a conversation.

Starting A Business at Age 15

I received an email from an aspiring young entrepreneur in Florida. He has the same question, albeit with his own parameters, that we all have when trying to get started. Here is the summary of his question, and my thoughts:

Dear Mike,



How do I become successful at my age? I am 15 and I have been inventing products since I was 13 and I just can’t get a good break. My parents don’t have enough money to patent any of my ideas and I can’t set up a meeting with a company because either they think I am too young or I don’t have a patent. I also can’t get a job because I am not old enough either.



My products are realistic and I know that I have great profitable ideas. But how do I pull this off with my current situation. It would be amazing if you could provide me with a powerful answer that can lead me into the road of success. I want to be able to support my family and I want to start selling products that can be great convenience in people lives. It is extremely frustrating when I think of a great idea but all I can do is sketch it and put it in my folder and it just sits their I need to take action now. Thank you very much for your help.



Mike’s Answer:



First of all, I am amazed that you have the wherewithal to be pursuing your own company at age 15. That is awesome! I understand it can be discouraging at times, but we all face this. Whatever you do, don’t stop pursuing your dream. Don’t stop!!!



In regards to your questions, I hate to say this, but I don’t have a magical answer. And I bet nobody does. Regardless, here are a few tips to get you back on track:



1.Check out the website of Cameron Johnson, he started his first company at age 7 and had four or five companies under his belt by the time he was your age.

2.Patenting and manufacturing a product requires money. But it doesn’t have to be your money. Maybe you can find a manufacturer that is willing to pay for the manufacturing for a stake in your company. Maybe you can go to extended family. There is always a way. Always. It took Walt Disney over 300 hundred tries to get financing. If you haven’t tried at least 300 times, you haven’t exhausted all the possibilities.

3.Service businesses can be typically started with very little money. Can you spawn a service company, that uses the concepts you have for your inventions? Then down the road convert over to the product.

4.Can you make it yourself? If you can build it with your own hands, you may be able to do it in your bedroom or basement. That’s how one of our most successful Partners got started.

5.Are you asking yourself better questions? A lot of us (me in particular) will get stuck in a rut of asking the same lame questions over and over in my head. The result is the same lame answer. Instead, we need to ask better and NEW questions of ourselves. Then just sit back and let our heads sort it out.

6.Whatever you do, DON’T GIVE UP. Maybe these tips will help get you started, but they are not the end all be all. Be relentless, be tireless, and you will ultimately win.

And one more thing. On your eighteenth birthday, contact Obsidian Launch. You sound like the type person we like to partner with.



I wish you great success.

http://www.toiletpaperentrepreneur.com/the-right-actions/starting-a-business-at-age-15