RDA to tackle recycling

Houstonist loves to recycle — partly because it's good for the environment and partly so we don't end up like the Collyer brothers. But we've noticed that it's not always easy to recycle in Houston: Sure, the city offers recycling services, but the city trucks sometimes forget to pick up the curbside recycling and our local city recycling center (which isn't terribly local) is in the middle of a block, isolated and kinda creepy. So what to do?

Enter the Rice Design Alliance, which will look at recycling in the Houston area during its 2006 Design Charrette. ("Charrette" was a new word for us, but it turns out it's just a meeting where people — usually designers — hash out a certain issue.) The RDA's recycling charrette will take on all aspects of local recycling, from getting more people involved to creating better infrastructure for recycling.

The charrette is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 5, at UH's Hines College of Architecture. The cost to participate is $20 ($15 for RDA members), which includes coffee, lunch and refreshments. Download the registration form here or call 713.348.4876 for more info.