Well now that the thread is miles long, I should do my duty and weigh in...

I'm not quite a boomer, supposedly a gen-x-er though I hate those labels... my grandparents endured the depression as children or young adults, and my parents were born in the 40's, during the war. My mother's side, especially, being farmers, grew up poor but used every single thing they had to the utmost. We're talking people that could make dinner for 20 any day, grow their own food and enough for the town, fix a tractor, build a house, build a car into a tractor if needed... versatile inventive folks.

On my father's side, brilliant people- I should have been an engineer like my father and his father (a life member of IEEE, from the mid-50's). I just went for a more technical side, taking everything apart at age 4... and I still do that.

I save all kinds of stuff. I look in dumpsters. I go to yard sales. I run a big tag sale once a year and I usually bring home a pile of stuff- stuff no one else wants but is definitely too good to throw away. I take free things others offer- furniture, cars, used whatever. But I am also generous and freely give myself- I fix stuff, and sell it, give it away, or exchange for a beer or a meal. I'd like to think I'm eminently practical about such things. If I have something you can use, or something in my collection is perfect to finish or repair something of yours, you're welcome to it. I give away parts, furniture, appliances, housewares, all kinds of stuff to all kinds of people. I truly enjoy finding the right person for some item, or finding the right part to fix a broken thing. It's as if, to me, solving the puzzle brings the most enjoyment. And every mechanical thing is a puzzle- sometimes one with pieces missing.

I love it when I see something no one else wants and I can put it to good use. It runs in my blood. I've literally been recycling my whole life- one local town was at the forefront of recycling glass, paper, magazines, and waste oil long before the rest of the country had any clue. Same town FCP is in, as a matter of fact. Our family used to make weekly trips to their Public Works garage to drop off our stuff in bins and old 40-foot trailers. I even work in a recycling plant- seems like a perfect job, doesnt it? We make new paper out of old corrugated cardboard. This country needs to do more of this, with every single thing we make or use- and not just send the waste products back to China so they can make us more of the same. I won't go into the frustration I feel when I read "MADE IN CHINA" on EVERYTHING.

How is this related to being a Brickster? I think it starts with being conscious of the fact that we all make an impact on the planet. The smaller we can make that footprint, the better off we will ALL be. I recycle cars- it's far better than junking one in terms of impact. All that plastic, rubber, wire, fluid... all gets burned out of them at the "Shredder", which is where the cubes go after the crusher... and the metal gets melted and saved. The rest is either oxidized (burned- into soot, dioxin, ozone) or remains as ash called "fluff". That gets sent to an industrial landfill, never to be recovered into anything.

I fix old cars so they're serviceable for a while longer. This includes fixing seals, gaskets, anything that leaks- a car should be as responsible as it can be, even in its old age. Volvos in particular demonstrate the ability to be viable transportation, even politically-correct, low-emissions transportation, long after most other cars go to the graveyard. Their lifecycle is long and their footprint, with care, is less than millions of other cars.

I find enjoyment in what I do, as well, whether it means fixing a car on the side of the road, or taking apart a parts car so pieces can be saved for another vehicle that may live longer. I share what I know here, in the hopes that some others may be able to keep their old car going as well, and not have to replace it when they'd rather not.

Now what do I do with my spare time, you ask? Build bicycles, of course! Yes, of course it's another aspect of recycling: I repair and rebuild old Schwinns. Not the Japanese ones of the 80s, or the Chinese GARBAGE built today (and sold at W*****T with all the other crap) but the classic, built-in-Chicago Schwinns of the 60s through early 80's. I rebuild Stingrays, Fastbacks, Fairladys, Breezes, Racers... any of the classic era bikes. We ride them even, down at our local pier and parks. Nothing like a classic 3-spd or 5-spd Schwinn. They're good for you too, since they all weigh 40 lbs! When we have enough beer, we even take old junkyard bikes and weld up exotic creations of our own design.... stuff like that can be seen on www.dragsterbikes.com. Personally I love the customs but prefer a leisurely ride on a fat-tired classic. Maybe one with a banana seat!