Washington, U.S.A. — Online registration is now open for Keep America Beautiful’s America Recycles Day (ARD), the one day to educate and motivate people about the importance of recycling to our economy and for our environmental well-being.

Recognized annually on November 15, ARD celebrates the benefits of recycling while providing an educational platform that helps raise awareness about the value of reducing, reusing and recycling – every day – all throughout the year.

Online registration is now open at AmericaRecyclesDay.org for local organizers to schedule events in their communities and gain access to valuable resources to plan, promote and host an event. To support event organizers, there are best practices guides for hosting events from plastics bag and film recycling to tailgate recycling, activity ideas, posters (on recycled paper), banners (made from recycled plastic bottles), pencils (made from recycled newspaper), buttons (made from recycled steel), and much more.

Access to these collateral materials and other resources is available to any organization ranging from state and municipal governments to local “green teams” or scouting troops. Many collateral materials are offered “first-come, first served,” so early registrations are highly encouraged. Events can be scheduled any time during the month of November, but should be held as close to November 15 as possible.

Many more opportunities are becoming available and will be announced soon, so stay tuned. Be sure to bookmark AmericaRecyclesDay.org and “Like” their Facebook page (facebook.com/AmericaRecyclesDay) for the latest information.

America’s leading companies are proud to make America Recycles Day, a national initiative of nonprofit Keep America Beautiful, possible. National sponsors to date include: American Chemistry Council, Anheuser-Busch, Glad, Johnson & Johnson, Nestle Waters North America, Owens-Illinois, PepsiCo and Waste Management.

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Boston, U.S.A- The Massachusetts Beverage Association and the Massachusetts Food Association announced on June 21st that they will launch a two-year initiative aimed at increasing recycling in Massachusetts communities. The Massachusetts Recycling Challenge – building upon past investments in recycling in the Commonwealth – is designed to enhance residential recycling programs, while also increasing the presence of ‘on-the-go’ receptacles to encourage recycling in public places.

“While Massachusetts has built up its infrastructure for recycling over the past several years, there is still much work to be done as far as increasing our state’s recycling rate,” said Chris Flynn, President of the Massachusetts Food Association and spokesman for Real Recycling for Massachusetts – a coalition of citizens, businesses and community organizations that support a comprehensive approach to recycling. ”Our industry is committed to playing a leading role in increasing recycling in our state, and we believe this initiative can set the stage for meaningful progress.”

Through this challenge, a number of pilot programs will be established to help target communities improve their rates of recycling. A newly-formed nonprofit entity will engage outside consultants to provide technical advice to targeted communities looking to institute “pay as you throw” programs, through which residents can save money on trash collection by recycling more. In addition, the organization will purchase approximately 200 ‘on-the-go’ recycling receptacles to be deployed in high visibility locations in target communities.

The pay-as-you-throw approach to household waste disposal – in which residents pay trash collection and disposal fees proportional to how much they throw away – has proven highly effective in communities such as Worcester, Marshfield, and elsewhere for diverting material away from disposal. Diversion from disposal in pay-as-you-throw communities typically increases 16 percent with the adoption of these programs – and diversion is even higher if single-stream or other recycling program enhancements are introduced at the same time. The use of on-the-go recycling receptacles in public places is a priority initiative for many environmental, community and legislative leaders dedicated to enhancing recycling in Massachusetts.

“Legislative leaders in Massachusetts have spoken clearly that they want a comprehensive approach to recycling across the Commonwealth, and they are looking for a commitment from our industry to help lead the way,” said Chris Crowley, Executive Vice President of Polar Beverages in Worcester and Chairman of the Massachusetts Beverage Association. “That’s a challenge we embrace, and through the Massachusetts Recycling Challenge we hope motivated communities will see the opportunity to make a difference.”

The two-year, $533,000 pilot program will be established in 2012 and implemented in 2013 and 2014.  The pay as you throw program will begin with free workshops and include technical resources and advice to 15 to 20 communities in each of those two years. Experts will provide higher level technical assistance to five communities selected each year of the program. The public space initiative to place on-the-go recycling receptacles will fund the purchase of approximately 100 receptacles in each of the two program years. The initiative will fund technical support on receptacle siting, communications, and documentation of results and will include in-kind, promotional support from beverage companies and food retailers.

“We’re taking what have proven to be effective means for comprehensive recycling in communities in Massachusetts and across the country and are providing the resources to expand on them,” said Jim Crosby, owner of Crosby Supermarkets located in Middlesex and Essex Counties and Chairman of the Massachusetts Food Association. ”We look forward to working with communities and individuals who share our desire to improve the way we recycle in Massachusetts, and with that, the way we care for our environment.”

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Plastic bags originally became popular in the 1980’s, when businesses made the switch away from paper bags to cut back on costs. But the widespread use of plastic bags is leading to irreversible damage to the environment, and it is past time to start cutting back on use.

According to reuseit.com, over one trillion plastic bags are used every year worldwide. Each of these plastic bags, due to their content of high-density polyethylene, can take up to one thousand years to degrade when thrown in a landfill. Furthermore, plastic bags are the second most common type of ocean refuse after cigarette butts. The regular consumption and disposal of plastic bags is filling the earth with waste that will not decompose.

Some companies have taken steps toward correcting the growing problem. For example, the Envion Oil Generator, from the Envion company located in Washington D.C., turns recyclable plastic into synthetic oil, which then can be turned into fuel. Each generator processes 10,000 tons of fuel annually, and each ton creates around 4 barrels of crude oil. Their synthetic oil can be generated for a mere $10 per barrel, while the current market price is $70 per barrel. They plan to dramatically reduce the amount of plastic bags that build up as trash worldwide by “actively manufacturing, marketing, and licensing its proven technology in the U.S., Europe, Latin America, and Asia,” according to the company website. 

Michael Han, chairman and chief executive of Envion, said “We’re creating immediate answers to today’s environmental concerns. This is an answer to environmentalists who don’t want a landfill in their back yard.”

Blest Corporation, a Japanese company, made a similar machine. Their machine also outputs crude oil, which they plan to use for industrial businesses. They offer some of these generators for sale on their website.

However, these companies require that people actively recycle plastic bags. According to Clean Air Council’s Waste and Recycling Facts, only 1% of plastic bags are recycled. In addition, the cite claims that with old technology, recycling one ton of plastic bags costs $4000, while the average box of plastic bags can only be sold for $32 on the commodities market. Recycling is therefore not considered the best way to deal with the high-intensity use of plastic bags. The 99% that is not recycled still pollutes the environment.

One country has recognized politically that something needs to be done. In 2001, Ireland implemented a plastic tax, or plastax, to cut back on use. In stores, customers were charged a nominal amount per bag at checkout. Usage dropped 93.5% overall, a drop from about 328 bags to 21 bags per person each year. Reusable shopping bags, which took the place of disposable ones, have saved around 18 million liters of oil. This was an extremely successful way to counteract the effects of plastic bags in Ireland: a large-scale incentive not to use them.

Following Ireland’s example, many other countries and cities have developed a similar tax in the hope of cutting back on waste.

Plenty of states have developed recycling initiatives, such as New York, Virginia, and Iowa, but nothing has been as successful as Ireland’s tax. School districts have also imposed environmental education, installing recycling bins in classrooms and teaching elementary school students to ‘Go Green’ with reusable bags. The world has a long way to go before plastic bags are finished with, and the next couple of generations will still be cleaning up the mess.

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With micro-blogging becoming more popular than ever, people are going above and beyond simply reading about non-profit organizations on the internet and how they can get more involved in life-changing programs. Instead, people all over the world are taking matters into their own hands and creating websites themselves and blogging about a wide array of world affairs in order to reach readers on an international level. People are becoming more engaged in these types of blogs and as blog sites continue to reproduce and evolve, perhaps those in need will see change for the better themselves.

According to BestUniversities.com, the more we educate the youth of society, the more we can make a difference in this world. The site states, “you may have heard of the theory that education can change the world. This is undoubtedly true. Whether you are a high school graduate or a student pursuing a degree from traditional or online colleges, you are more likely to make a difference when you are an educated individual. In fact, the world is full of students and visionaries and people who want to make a difference in the world, and many of those people share their knowledge online through their blogs. Whether you want to change the world through environment, humanitarianism, business, or any other way, there’s a blog out there that can offer you guidance and inspiration.”

BestUniversities.com has compiled a list of some of the greatest blogs out there to help individuals become better educated and to inform others on the differences we can be making in this world right now.

Read on to learn more about the top three blogs that will change the world and how you too can get involved.

3. The Blog: What do you Stand for?

This blog is about recycling, pollution control and conserving the environment. The purpose of this blog is to raise awareness about the importance of ‘going green,’ while giving tips and advice of how the little things we do on a daily basis, if changed just a bit, will make a huge impact all over the world. According to the 2012 Green Gap Trend Tracker, “42 percent of consumers say they are most influenced by messaging related to the environmental impact of disposing of a product. Easy-to-read, on-pack symbols take the guesswork out of recycling at home, which should in turn bolster recycling rates, increase material recovery, reduce waste and perhaps even create a new industry standard.”

2. The Blog: A Volunteer’s Guide for Changing the World.

This blog comes in at number two because it not only informs readers about making a difference, but also allows them to volunteer for the site and programs to help others in their area.  The sites slogan is “empowering you to help others, one post at a time.” Mark Horoszowski , founder of the site and co-founder of MovingWorlds, also volunteers his time to the American Cancer Society’s National Relay Advisory Team. He blogs about everything, but specializes writing about communities coming together, collaboration, communication and leadership, in an effort for each organization to succeed to it’s utmost potential. To check out his blog, go to http://www.helpinghelp.org/

Coming in at the number one spot on our list is:

1.The Blog: United Nations Good Works

Yes, even the United Nations has created a blog site. This blog features inspirational true stories about life-changing experiences, miracles, saving lives and all around just greatly impacting the world. The site has up-to-date blogs around the clock from all over the world. Some of the topics, to name just a few, include blogs about poverty, women’s rights, third world country affairs, war, famine, HIV, world tragedies, among dozens of others. Each blog discusses how anyone that is interested in a particular topic can get more involved. From the blog, you can also access various associations, foundations, programs, funds and organizations related to the United Nations. The site’s slogan is, “Every day across the globe the United Nations is empowering millions of people to build a better life for themselves, their family, their community, and our world.” If you would like to become more hands on with this blog, please go to http://unworks.blogspot.com/.

““No one can do everything, but everyone can do something. And if everyone does something, then together we can change the world.” (Author unknown)

Image Courtsey of  Marisa Vasquez  &  Tolly Moseley

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Cartersville, GA,U.S.A. – Metal Conversion Technologies (MCT), the second largest consumer rechargeable battery recycler in North America, is educating consumers on important safety guidelines for recycling lithium batteries. Many consumers are not aware that shipping lithium batteries to recycling facilities without following the Department of Transportation shipping guidelines can result in an explosion and a fire, either during shipping or at the receiving facility.

Metal Conversion Technologies makes it easy for consumers to quickly obtain the Department of Transportation shipping guidelines to ensure proper shipping. By visiting the MCT website at www.metalconversion.com, consumers can watch a video which demonstrates proper shipping guidelines, download step-by-step instructions, and print shipping labels required for easy identification when shipping hazardous materials such as lithium batteries.

“By following some simple steps to prevent the battery terminals from touching during shipment, consumers can help contribute to a healthier environment by recycling batteries, and can ensure that the batteries do not become a fire or explosive hazard,” said John Patterson, CEO of Metal Conversion Technologies. ”Consumers are doing something good for the environment by recycling batteries, but need to be aware of the simple but effective steps outlined by the DOT to help them feel confident that they are safely recycling batteries.”

Lithium batteries produce a higher voltage than traditional alkaline batteries and often have a longer life, resulting in minimizing battery replacement. Lithium-type batteries are more often used in consumer products including electric vehicles and smaller devices such as cell phones, remote car locks, watches, digital cameras and camera recorders.

“MCT is genuinely interested in resource conservation, and environmental stewardship is the foundation of our business,” said Patterson. “We truly want to make it easy and safe for consumers and companies to recycle more batteries which results in a safer and healthier environment for us all.”

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Traveling and keeping all your sustainable habits is not always easy. Depending on where you travel, some cities make it easier than others to protect the environment, and when you are a stranger to the area, it is just that much more difficult. However, every bit helps, and these four travel accessories are great examples of ways you can help the environment before you even leave home.

Platypus Soft Bottles—You save the environment; they save you space.

When visiting destinations where the tap water is safe to drink, bring your own water bottle with you. Not only will you save money, but you will avoid having to add to the 3 billion pounds of waste each year produced by plastic bottles that are not recycled. This way, you do not have to worry if you cannot find a recycling bin! Although any reusable water bottle without BPA and PET will work, sometimes space in your suitcase or carry-on can be a problem.

Platypus sells soft water bottles that fold up when empty, saving precious luggage space. These bottles are sold in lots of different colors and sizes, are completely BPA free, and are much lighter than the typical hard water bottle. The bottles are made in the United States, and less energy and materials are used to manufacture them, compared to the typical hard water bottle. Starting at around $7.00 (for a 0.5 liter bottle), the prices do not break the bank either.

Use eco-friendly footwear.

No matter where you plan on going this summer, chances are pretty good you are looking for new flip flops or sandals to replace grungy, old ones. This year, why not buy biodegradable ones? Feelgoodz sells fair trade flip flops made of top quality, all-natural rubber. This means you do not have to add them to a landfill when you want to dispose of them. Not only are they safe for the environment, but Feelgoodz claims that their flip flops are “curiously comfortable”. The flip flops are available in several different designs and colors for women, men, and children.

Before you throw out your flip flops from last year, check out Feelgoodz “Recycle your un-flop” campaign. You mail them your worn-out footwear, and they send them to Kenya where local artists transform your trash into “eco-boutique” items to be resold in Kenyan villages. Not only are you recycling your shoes, but if you join the Flipsquad, their rewards program, they will give you points towards a free pair. You can buy the flip flops directly online, or search for a store near you.

Travel-size natural bath products

If you are looking for green bath products, check out Indigo Wild’s Zum line. All their soaps and other bath essentials are made with all natural ingredients, such as goat milk, shea butter, natural oils, and vitamins. The ingredients are all listed on their website, and all their merchandise is vegetarian-friendly. Many of their products are also vegan and gluten-free. Products are sold in various sizes and with their travel-size zip bag, everything is under three ounces, so you do not have to worry about them not passing through airport security.

Record your journey with a tree-free journal.

Keeping a travel diary is a great way to remember your vacation and ends up being a priceless souvenir. If you do not already have a journal, consider buying one made with recycled materials. Several companies produce journals with recycled paper, but Ecopaper goes one step more.

Ecopaper makes journals and stationary products with tree-free paper. Their products are 100% recycled, produced from leftover materials from bananas, coffee, lemons, and mangoes. For example, their Banana Paper is made from the pinzotes (stems) of bananas.

Normally, these stems are not used for anything and can actually be harmful to the environment because their strange composition does not decompose fully. However, Ecopaper extracts fiber from these stems to create paper. Their website gives you in-depth information about how they make their paper, and their online store has numerous options of styles and sizes, all for very affordable prices.

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Carol Tanzi, ASID, a.k.a. The Goddess of Garbage, is an award-winning interior designer in the San Francisco Bay Area obsessed with recycling and designing with trash. She has been at the forefront of the recycling movement for more than two decades. And, in this economy, when people can’t afford to buy new home furnishings and nice gifts, her message is coming through loud and clear, making The Goddess of Garbage the go-to expert.

She has received national recognition for using recycled materials and reuse items to create attractive and appealing home and office decor, furniture and accessories and for her dedication to teaching people, including children, how easy it is to recycle and reuse almost anything.

Carol Tanzi‘s Crafty Projects Have Green Style

With consumerism on the wane, and environmental consciousness on the rise, Carol’s eco-friendly and thrifty ideas perfectly match the green shift in our culture. Her do-it-yourself projects are attractive and useful, while encouraging scaling back and returning to a more sensible waste not, want not outlook on life.

You can see the Goddess at work at http://www.goddessofgarbage.com. Check out the stylish stools made from discarded tire rims, tables made from trashed radiators, and desk sets crafted from old cans. Her projects are easy for anyone to do, proving that you are never too young or too old to recycle.

Dumpster Diving, Yard Sales, and a Space Only a Hoarder Could Love

Carol is energetic and enthusiastic, and a dumpster-diver who can’t resist a yard sale, thrift shop or pile of curbside trash. Her storage space and office, crammed with finds for projects, would scare a neatnick, but The Goddess of Garbage is on a mission. Her goal is to educate, inform and show the world a new way to recycle and reuse. She wants to change the way people think about trash, one dumpster at a time.

“I don’t create anything I wouldn’t want to have in my own office or home. I get huge satisfaction from rescuing castoffs that would otherwise end up in a landfill,” Carol says.

Carol is dedicated to teaching children about recycling. Her dream is that the younger generation will make green living a way of life.

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For the second consecutive year, natural cork will be in the spotlight at the GRAMMY Awards. Maintaining its commitment to sustainability, the 54th GRAMMY Awards will host two events featuring wines sealed exclusively with natural cork and will recycle the closures.  Natural cork is biodegradable, recyclable and sustainable, and its use encourages the stewardship of cork oak forests that offset carbon pollution.

The awards show will take place at Staples Center in Los Angeles and will air on CBS at 8/7 p.m. CT on Sunday, Feb. 12, 2012. The Recording Academy, internationally known for the GRAMMY Awards, continues its ongoing effort to reduce the environmental impact of its annual awards ceremony, telecast, and associated GRAMMY Week events.

Wines sealed with cork will be served at the MusiCares Person of The Year tribute dinner and concert honoring Paul McCartney two days prior to the awards ceremony and at the official GRAMMY Celebration® following the awards show.

The events will be equipped with recycling bins provided by ReCORK, a cork recycling organization that will collect the stoppers and provide them to SOLE, a company that manufactures shoes and sandals from recycled cork.

“We are honored that The Recording Academy has made natural cork a component of its sustainability program,” said Peter Weber, executive director of the Cork Quality Council.  “The Academy joins a growing list of organizations, including the Major League Baseball Association and the National Basketball Association, that has recognized the environmental benefits of natural cork.”

Natural cork is one of the world’s most sustainable products. Biodegradable and recyclable, its use provides an economic incentive to preserve vast cork oak forests in the Mediterranean Basin that trap greenhouse gases, prevent desertification and provide habitat for hundreds of plant and animal species. There is no shortage of cork, and cork oaks are not cut down to make cork.  A portion of their bark is removed every nine years during a 250-year lifespan.

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9 1/2 recycled plastic bottles = 1 dress. That’s the future when it comes to sustainable clothing production from the Danish Fashion Brand, Jackpot. Material recycling is currently the most environmentally friendly type of production on the market. So it is really a natural step for Jackpot’s designers to include recycled polyester in the clothing collections, which also feature organic cotton, linen, alpaca wool and Tencel.

An elegant grey dress, adorned with three exotic parrots, will be introduced as part of the spring collection 2012 from Jackpot. The dress is made of the polyester extracted from 9 1/2 plastic bottles!

With an appealing print in dusty purple cropped sleeves and delicately formed waist, there is nothing “recycled” about it. On the contrary, the dress combines the values of a perfect look, a good price and ethical environmental concerns. And who would have imagined all this could be achieved from just 9 1/2 plastic bottles?

“Pure Love by Jackpot” now uses two types of polyester, won from pre-consumer recycled industrial polyester-production bi-products and post-consumer recycled plastic bottles. Both types help spare the environment and provide a fine alternative to organic cotton and linen.

To date, Jackpot has sold 950,000 pieces of sustainable clothing and used 430 tonnes of organic cotton in the clothing collections. The dress bears the same print as the season’s Donation T-shirt and takes the Jackpot’s tradition of sustainable fashion one step ahead. The Eriana Dress will be in stores from February 2012 with a retail price of price of DKK 999 or Euro 129.95.

Jackpot Organic – Sustainable Fashion

Jackpot was one of the first fashion brands in Scandinavia to launch a collection of organic cotton. The company prides itself on being front-runners in the evolution of sustainable fashion Recycled Polyester (recycled plastic bottles) is one of the most environmentally friendly fabrics, and this season you can find beautiful dresses, skirts, knits and blouses made of recycled plastic bottles.

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The Residential Recycling Conference will convene for its third annual gathering at the Gaylord Texan on March 28-30, 2012. The nation’s premier recycling conference features municipal recycling leaders, executives from privately owned recycling companies and leaders from non-profit groups and associations.

The two-and-a-half-day event includes more than 25 speakers, an adjoining exhibit floor featuring the latest recycling technology and equipment, networking receptions, classes to earn professional education credits and a tour of a nearby recycling facility. Waste & Recycling News and Republic Services Inc. are the co-organizers of the Residential Recycling Conference.

“I love the RRC because it is singularly focused on residential recycling. It’s a business that deserves special emphasis, given its complexity and reach into our daily lives,” said Brennan Lafferty, publisher of Waste & Recycling News. “Our attendees make great connections with their peers, and exhibitors consistently tell us that they are now doing business with someone they met at the RRC.”

The general session is a diverse mix of panel discussions and singular presentations. Highlights include a panel on the challenges of recycling in apartments and other multi-family locations, a session on educating community residents using schools and social media, and a discussion on how recycling managers can maximize the prices they receive for their collected material..

Speakers include experts from Coca-Cola Co., Sims Municipal Recycling, ERI Electronics Recyclers, ReCommunity and several municipalities, including the city of San Antonio, Texas.

“There is always something new and exciting about this event,” Conference Chairman Kurt Blascoe said. “I look forward to hearing from the team of all-star speakers and to seeing the latest in technology from our valued vendors.

Through recycling’s evolution, we have begun to see a paradigm shift from doing it for economic reasons only to doing it because it’s the right thing to do,” said Blascoe, who serves as director of marketing materials for Republic Services.

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Waste Management today announced that it will launch its Zero Waste Challenge — an initiative aimed at educating vendors and patrons about proper disposal of waste, so that eventually zero waste is sent to the landfill — at the 2012 Waste Management Phoenix Open.

This year, Waste Management’s goal is to divert 90 percent of tournament waste away from landfills and into recycling and composting facilities. In addition, the company hopes to recover 70 percent of the total waste, either as recyclable paper, cardboard, plastics, aluminum or as compost material.

As part of the Zero Waste campaign, Waste Management in conjunction with the Thunderbirds will work with all tournament vendors to ensure that everyone is using recyclable and compostable materials. And for the first time ever, there will be no trash receptacles along the course.

Instead, Waste Management will offer two alternatives to waste disposal — Recycling Bins and Compost Bins – which will collect and keep separate recoverable recycling waste and recoverable compostable food waste, diverting nearly all tournament materials from the landfill.

“The Zero Waste Challenge is an incredible opportunity for Waste Management to energize and educate this broad audience about our efforts to triple the amount of recyclable materials nationwide by the year 2020,” said Waste Management senior vice president Duane Woods.

He adds, “As a company committed to extracting the most value possible from all of the materials we manage, we continue to look for ways to make WMPO the greenest tournament on the PGA Tour.” Underscoring the company’s commitment to the Zero Waste campaign, Waste Management will showcase many green initiatives along the course:

• Recycling Stations in high-traffic areas, staffed with “Recycling Ambassadors” to answer any questions about using the recycling and composting bins.

• Waste Management will work closely with WMPO vendors to monitor their use of water throughout the week in order to increase overall conservation.

• Use of grey water, or wastewater generated from the concessionaire’s kitchens will be recycled for use in portable toilets. Last year this effort conserved 1,476 gallons of fresh water.

• Recycle bank Kiosks, or reverse vending machines, offering various incentives or retailer discount coupons to patrons who use them.

• Sixty WM solar-powered compactors along the course to allow patrons to dispose of their food waste more efficiently (these machines hold five times the amount of waste as a traditional non-compacting bin, which reduces the trips needed to service them).

• Four compressed natural gas (CNG) trucks to transport the waste and recycled materials that are collected during the tournament. The fuel in these trucks burns cleaner than a standard diesel truck and therefore will reduce fleet emissions associated with transportation.

• Waste Management’s hospitality tent will be powered by electricity generated from a portable solar power unit provided by First Solar.

Recycling Ambassadors will play an important role in educating tournament attendees, monitoring recycling and food waste receptacles and increasing awareness of the waste diversion goals for the 2012 Waste Management Phoenix Open.

Recycling Ambassadors will serve as a guide to assist fans with proper disposal of materials and will actively engage with fans and answer any questions they may have.

For additional information about volunteering as a Recycling Ambassador, visit www.wmphoenixopen.com/volunteer.

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Do you sometimes wish that you could do more for the environment but don’t know where to start? Maybe you’ve taken that first step by starting to recycle but with a hectic schedule you don’t think you have time to do anything else.

Luckily, there are several things you can do that are simple and don’t require a big investment of time and energy on the way to becoming green. Here’s a list of down-to-earth ways for you to reduce, reuse, and recycle your way to a more eco-conscience self:

1. Stop buying bottled water

Buying bottled water is both expensive and wasteful. Giving bottled water the boot will save money and help the environment. Bottled water creates 1.5 million tons of garbage yearly and although water bottles are recyclable, nearly 80 percent of these bottles aren’t recycled. If more people stop buying bottled water then fewer bottles will end up in landfills.

Two of the most popular bottled waters, Pepsi’s Aquafina and Coca-Cola’s Dasani, are sold along side soda in vending machines and cost about $1.00 per bottle. Both brands are sold in 24-ounce bottles and their websites state that their products are filtered and purified, municipally supplied water.

What does that mean exactly? Essentially, when you buy a bottle of water, you’re paying about $0.05 per ounce for filtered city water.

A better way to do water on-the-go is to buy a filtered water pitcher and each person in your home a reusable, dishwasher-safe water bottle. The Brita Bottle makes ditching bottled water easy: this reusable water bottle from Brita has a built in filter which allows you to filter water anywhere.

2. Switch to reusable cloth towels and napkins

Skipping paper towels and napkins in favor if a cloth alternative reduces garbage that would end up in landfills and saves natural resources. Stock up on cloth towels and napkins and store them in a drawer in your kitchen then pull them out when needed.

An easy way to determine the amount of cloth napkins you’ll need for your family and reduce your laundry pile is to assign each member of the family a different color napkin or a different color napkin ring and then wash their napkin only when it truly needs it or at the end of the week. Something Different Linen offers one-dozen, 20-inch square, cotton dinner napkins for $23.00 for sale at Amazon.com.

The retailer also sells smaller, 6-inch square napkins that would perfect for tucking inside of a child’s school lunchbox.

3. Start using reusable shopping bags

Cities across the globe are passing bans on plastic shopping bags. With tens of billions of plastic shopping bags ending up in landfills each year it’s no wonder. Even though these bags are recyclable only a very small percentage ever ends up being recycled.

The key to using reusable shopping bags is remembering them when going shopping. Stash reusable shopping bags in your car, your purse, jacket pockets or any place where you’re likely to look before heading into the store.

You’ll often be able to find reusable shopping bags for sale in your neighborhood grocery store however many stylish, inexpensive bags are available. Envirosax offer designer prints, have been tested for strength and safety, and are available different styles. The company’s Greengrocer Series bags will fit in the palm of your hand when rolled up and just under $9.00.

4. Reduce the amount of mail you receive

Let’s face it – not everything we get in the mail is important. More than one billion pieces of junk mail are delivered each year and in the United Statesalone the catalogs, sales flyers and credit card offers that clog mail boxes account for one-third of all the mail delivered in the world.

You can reduce the amount of junk mail you receive by contacting the biggest offenders directly or by visiting DMAChoice.org or Catalogchoice.org. Both companies add your name and address to junk mail and catalog “do not mail” lists.

Every year inAmerica, more than 350 million magazines are published and nearly 50 percent of those purchased end up not being recycled. An easy way to ease to minimize to lessen the burden on the environment is to contact magazines publishers and request that your subscription be converted to a digital format.

5. Reduce water consumption

A running water faucet uses about two to three gallons of water per minute and a running shower uses about five gallons of water per minute. Why is this important? Knowing how much water you’re using when you turn on the tap or step into the shower helps when trying to conserve water.

Conserving water allows more water to stay in reservoirs which helps to maintain ecosystems and preserve water for future use. You can start to lower your water usage by taking shorter showers. The average person showers for eight minutes, using approximately 40 gallons of water.

Cutting your shower time to five minutes or less will save at least 15 gallons of water which can add up to thousands of gallons per year for just one person.

Also consider turning off water faucets while you brush your teeth and shave. It takes practice to remember to turn the faucet on and off, but soon it will become second nature.

6. Clean out closets and donate unused items to charity

We live in a world that thrives on consumerism and it would be safe to assume that you, like many others, have items in your home that you no longer use. Are your closets bursting with unworn clothing? What about that set of golf clubs in your garage that you no longer use or all of the board games collecting dust in your hall closet?

Donating your unused items to charity gives them new life and placing clothing, games and other gently used items into the hands of someone else promotes reuse. It doesn’t make sense to throw away something that somebody else might be able to use.

Two charities that accept donations and help those in need are Goodwill Industries International, Inc. and The Salvation Army. Goods donated to be sold at Salvation Army Family Stores benefit the charity’s Adult Rehabilitation Centers which the organization’s website explains assists people with issues of “substance misuse, legal problems, relational conflicts, homelessness, unemployment, and, most importantly, a need for spiritual awakening and restoration.”

Donations sold in one of Goodwill International’s stores are put to use by offering, “job training, employment placement and other services to people who have disabilities, lack education or job experience, or face employment challenges.” Last year, Goodwill helped more than 2 million people train for careers.

The article Six Simple Ways to Go Green appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

An abandoned bike helped two students find their calling as street artists.

In Spring 2011, Vanessa Nicholas, 25, a student at Ontario College of Art, was tired of staring at an old bike that rusted outside a storefront on campus for years.

Nicholas, with the help of friend, Caroline Macfarlane, 26, painted the bike neon pink and planted flowers in the bike’s basket. Two days later, the city of Toronto placed a removal notice on the bike, referring to it as “a bike stored on public property.”

Nicholas articulated her frustration with the situation on Facebook: “The funny thing is that this bike has been sitting in the same place for years, unnoticed by the city. However, once it is brightened and made beautiful, it’s got to go. I am determined to save the neon bike that makes so many people happy.” she said.

Nicholas said she was surprised when a large virtual group seemed to back her mission to beautify the city. The story reached the international level after BoingBoing, — a highly visited website — pick up on Nicholas and Macfarlane’s story. On June 2, BoingBoing featured Nicholas’ Facebook post.

Nicholas and Macfarlane appeared before the press outside Toronto City Hall to announce the birth of “The Good Bike Project” — a city-sponsored public art initiative that planned to place 60 decorated bikes around Toronto.

The city’s opportunistic support of Nicholas and Macfarlane’s efforts paid off. Buzz of “The Good Bike Project” has continued to spread internationally. On August 12, The Guardian in the U.K., featured a photo of the original painted neon bike that was ticketed and a description of the project.

According to Nicholas and Macfarlane’s blog, “support for the bike had poured in from locals and from people in far flung locations including Brazil and Australia.”

Nicholas said resources for the project from the City of Toronto dwindled, but she and MacFarlane have managed to keep the project moving forward. “The reaction has been so positive,” Macfarlane says. “I just feel like there’s a thirst in the city for more public art, more colour, not less.”

Learn more about: “The Good Bike Project”

The article Two Girls Transform Abandoned Bikes into Public Art appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Just the thought of using enough creativity for creating new things out of old ones is great! Not only is an eco-friendly solution, but the results and designs are great! If you like the urban furniture style, then these are great news for you!

The geniuses that came up with this art are Jason and Adam Podlaski. They are the creator of their first creations the “DeckStool”, but now they’ve just design and build The Deck Bench. This is their new creation that was inspired by their first design the “DeckStool”. They used the bases form their previous invention but this time they redesign it and decided to create a new piece that had better characteristics, and was more comfortable.

Therefore, what they basically use, are parts of skateboard decks.  They have created really cool designs, but really taking in consideration that the art is eco-friendly by using up cycled skateboards.

It all began one day, when Jason saw his brother Adam handing to him a pile of his old, used and broken skateboard decks, and ask him to create a piece of furniture. Jason tells that when he looked at the decks immediately he noticed that there were basically 2 sizes of decks, longer ones and smaller ones. He began to play with them, and the longer decks appeared for him like legs for a chair, and the shorter ones he Picture them as useful for a seat. Therefore, alter putting the pieces together and playing until forming something the first stool was design.

In U.S.A the recycling is very important, and the eco-friendly products are well valued. The broken skateboards are a byproduct in the American culture. And they are destined for the landfill. Therefore this idea of using the decks and creating furniture our or them its great because the decks are being recycled and they do not generate waste.

Nowadays, the brothers count with a factory in Pennsylvania where the designs are built and finished. All the designs are great, and can decorate rooms giving them an original touch. So if you are looking for new furniture, here is a great idea!

The article Old Skateboards Decks Turn Up to be New Awesome Furniture appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.