Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
i'm going to have to have a big talk with my little bro
Last night I was talking to my stepmom. She asked if I knew how my little bro was spending his bday, which was yesterday. I didn't. I had tried to call him but gotten voicemail. She says that he is changing the oil on my sil's car. I say wow, I didn't know that little bro knows how to do that. Stepmom tells me that his fil is teaching him things like that. In fact, little bro is over at his in-laws' house now to change the oil, because there they can just dump the old oil in the grass. 
and step-mom doesn't know where you would dispose of it anyway.
Now, I am admittedly not the most environmentally conscience person out there, but I do make a reasonable effort. we recycle, use cfl's, etc. I was seriously blown away. I started to tell step-mom that you could dispose of the old oil at any auto parts store, which really, he had to know.. because where did he buy the new oil anyway??! She shrugged off the whole thing like it wasn't a big deal. I realize that there is a different attitude towards being green there (Louisiana) than there is here in Washington.. but I still couldn't believe the whole thing. I told dh about it last night (he is not the greenest person either) and he was pissed! As in yelling mad about it. Ugh.
Soooo since it's not his bday anymore... I guess I'm going to have to call little bro and explain to him exactly why it's not okay to put used motor oil in the yard and tell him what he can do with the old oil.
"I've always followed my father's advice: he told me, first to always keep my word and, second, to never insult anybody unintentionally. If I insult you, you can be goddamn sure I intend to. And, third, he told me not to go around looking for trouble." -John Wayne
Re: i'm going to have to have a big talk with my little bro
Best sound ever: baby's heartbeat! (Heard @ 10w1d)
Yikes indeed! Please do talk with him! From dealing with my little sister, my advice would be to approach the situation as "I didn't know if you knew, but dumping oil in the grass is illegal and is bad for the environment because.." rather than starting with "How could you do that? Don't you know how bad that is?" or something to that effect. The latter is what I would really want to say
but I know my sister shuts down if I try to tell her what to do. I'm almost positive dumping hazardous materials like oil is illegal no matter where you are...
Here are some resources created by the State of LA.
Recycling drop off locations:
http://www.deq.louisiana.gov/portal/Portals/0/assistance/recycling/2000commoditi.pdf
Oil disposal dos/don'ts and FAQs:
http://www.deq.louisiana.gov/portal/default.aspx?tabid=2084
http://www.deq.louisiana.gov/portal/default.aspx?tabid=2087
General local recycling info:
http://www.deq.louisiana.gov/portal/default.aspx?tabid=178
Best sound ever: baby's heartbeat! (Heard @ 10w1d)
super, good points about how to approach this!
thanks cd!
Maybe I will just send him a nice email... telling him that i'm proud of him that he learned how to change the oil on a car... but asking that he dispose of the oil properly.. and then I can include the links.
Thats scary. Imagine buying a house and growing a veggie garden only to find out you shouldn't be eating your own produce...
(I'm from New Orleans and the 'dump it in the yard' kind of thinking is all too common)
yeah, we are from nola originally. little bro lives in baton rouge now and i think sil's family is about 1/2 hour outside.
though in nola itself.. i wonder how safe the ground is anyway for gardening after katrina.