http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/04/revolution-in-a-bottle-how-terracycle-redefines-green-business.php - great article about a company, TerraCycle, that was started in 2001 by two college students.
This company pays schools, non-profits and community groups to collect packaging from participants Honest Tea, Stonyfield Farm and Clif Bar. They upcycle the drink pouches into tote bags and pencil cases, the yogurt containers into planters; Clif Bar wrappers are “fused and woven into a strong material, which will then be used to make backpacks, gym totes and other products.”
Participating locations will earn two cents for every pouch, six oz yogurt container or energy bar wrapper and five cents for 32 oz yogurt container or 20 oz bottles. Donations will be made to a charitable organization or school of the location’s choice.
Interestingly, YOUR school can contribute to the growth of this emerging eco-innovation business by collecting and selling them (yes, you’ll get paid a little bit!) your collected materials. See here: www.terracycle.net or here: http://brands.kraftfoods.com/caprisun/be-green-earn-green.aspx.
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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A woman in my building just sent me this wonderful question and I thought, “Wow, this would make a great Q-n-A to post!” so here it is…
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