An Extra Special Holiday Gift: Protecting your Environment while Enjoying Your New Electronics
People love getting new gadgets for the holidays. Whether you are a tech-savvy professional at the school district or someone who never figured out how to program their VCR, the thought of a new ‘toy’ is exciting! This year there are more possibilities than ever to find electronics under the tree, from video game consoles to sophisticated cell phones that are connecting people in new ways. Even underprivileged children around the world are now receiving discount laptops in record numbers, hopefully helping to breach the digital divide. But the growing market of electronics and accelerating pace of technology have meant an increased impact on the environment. This is never truer than after the holidays, when people clean out their old gear in favor of the new shiny toys, appliances, and electronics they have just received. With the 2009 change in TV transmissions around the corner, even more e-waste is being generated. Consider this: the average cell phone user changes handsets every 18 months-is it really necessary? Of course not, but most people want the cell phone with the most advanced technology. Continue Reading »
It’s hard to believe, but we are, in fact, smack dab in the middle of another holiday shopping season. And although the economy has most people making their list and checking it twice (or three times…or four times, to see what purchases they might be able to forgo), maybe we should be thinking of our new, “cash-strapped” condition as an opportunity to employ some more ecological gift-giving tactics.
So, before you rush off to the big box store down the street to pick up more cheap trinkets made from non-renewable petroleum-based substances and manufactured – en masse – in a foreign country known for its resplendent use of toxic paints, perhaps you should consider these ideas first…
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On November 18, 2008, the School Board recognized Banyan Creek Elementary School’s student recycling club for its outstanding recycling efforts. Under the guidance of teacher Sandy Doherty and with the assistance of head custodian DeJane Telusma, the club is now in its second full year of paper and commingled recycling. The school utilizes the student recycling club to collect paper, plastic and aluminum for recycling. There are 20 active student members, including a large group of Safety Patrols. Over the course of one year, the school is expected to collect 21 tons of paper products, which saves over 200 trees, and 78 cubic yards of aluminum, glass and plastic.
