Posts Tagged ‘recycle’

In this internet day and age, there really is no use for phone books. They keep showing up though on millions of American doorsteps despite the fact that no one ever orders them. The environmental impact of these books is huge when you think about it: 5 million trees a year are used to produce them and only about 15% are ever recycled.

Some actions have been taken to tackle the phone book issue. There are some states that have created opt-in/out programs where you can sign up either to get a phone book or not get a phone book. Local recycling bins created just for the creation of collecting unwanted phone books have also been used. There is even a “Ban the Phone Book” initiative created by White Pages in an effort to get more states to adopt the opt-in/out  and recycling options. The majority of states do have the local telephone companies under legal obligation to provide phone books to every customer in there area, which is why so many of us get them without asking.

So, what can you as an individual do about helping to stop the waste that has become of obsolete phone books? Plenty.

• You can check to see if your local phone company has an opt-in/out program. Give them a call to find out it’s that 800 number at the top every monthly bill.
• Recycle the phone book collection you currently have instead of throwing them away. You can learn more at Recycle Your Phone Books by Keep American Beautiful Works, Yellow Pages and AT&T.
• Upcycle your phone book or books by creating another use for them around the house.  For some ideas you can check out DIYLife’s New Uses for Phone Books or you can just get crafty and come with an idea on your own.  If you do come up with something, let us know by contacting laura dot ecoexistent.com and we’ll feature you and your upcycle snazziness in an online interview.
• You can also check out the banthephonebook.org and sign the petition to stop having them printed up in the first place.

Also, take a look at the Say No to Phone Books blog to learn more and have a laugh at the same time.

Technorati Tags: diy, phone books, recycle, Upcycle

The Importance of Christmas Tree Recycling

Christmas tree recycling Christmas tree recycling is vital so millions of douglas firs and blue spruces are not wasted every year, thrown away only to increase the space used in local landfills. Instead they can be utilized to their fullest potential through local recycling services. Over thirty million trees are chopped down every year to be decorated and enjoyed during the holiday season. Once cut down, tree farmers generally plant new trees. Re-planting combined with Christmas tree recycling makes these evergreens a renewable resource, much more environmentally-friendly than artificial trees, which are made with synthetic materials which eventually end up in landfills.

From BStone at BrightHub Read more: http://www.brighthub.com/environment/green-living/articles/58674

Technorati Tags: christmas trees, recycle, recycle trees, recycling

Right, so today we are starting to keep track of out plastic waste as a part of Beth Terry’s Fake Plastic Fish challenge.

At the end of this week, we’ll have a tally and photos of our households plastic waste.

There are some  things that we already do that helps us cut down on plastic usage.  The following are the plastic aware steps that we take now:

• We’ve recycled plastic mix buckets from a local bakery for use as our garbage cans. They have handles, are easily washable and have been re-purposed since they would not be recycled in our area.
• We don’t purchase or use plastic garbage bags, just the buckets.
• We use recycled shopping bags and cloth tote bags to carry items.
• In the event we do get some plastic shopping bags from the store, they are saved for making plarn. (Our plarn rug has not been completed yet but has been started)
• We use bar soaps that come in cardboard boxes, no washes in plastic bottles.

Now, we could be doing a lot more in the way of our plastic usage and we are certainly going to try.  The main component that we are dealing with at the moment is in our budget and in purchasing items that come in plastic wrappings and containers.

Technorati Tags: garbage bags, household plastic, plastic use, recycle, recycled plastic buckets

Eco-friendly and anti-plastic crusading blogger Beth Terry, has developed and on going challenge through her blog Fake Plastic Fish.

The challenge is called Take The (Plastic) Trash Challenge and in it, she invites those who are green minded to catalog and share their plastic trash tallies online with the world.

All you have to do, is simply keep track of both your recyclable and non-recycle plastic trash over a week or more and then photograph the results to post online at Fake Plastic Fish.  The idea behind this challenge is to help people become more aware of the trash that they create and how they can start changing their buying and product using habits.

Much like the basis behind a food diary, in that we become aware of what we are doing when we hold ourselves accountable and keep a written log… this challenge that Beth has created lets people become more aware of their plastic trash and usage thereby putting a personal spotlight on what plastic items are bought, used and then tossed.

For more information on Beth, her blog and the plastic trash challenge visit: www.fakeplasticfish.com

Technorati Tags: fake plastic fish, non-recycling, recycle, trash challenge

Upcycled Bunny by Tom Deininger

Upcycling is term that was coined by German chemist Michael Braungart and American architect William McDonough in their book, Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things.

The main theme of the book is about restructuring human industry and its affects on the environment by creating things through ecologically intelligent design.

Since the book came out in 2002, the term upcycling has spread through the global green movement. All over the world people have begun to upcycle instead of just recycling and in many ways the term is synonymous with “repurpose”. Though upcycle just rolls off the tongue better.

Read the rest of this entry »

Technorati Tags: recycle, repurpose, Upcycle, upcycle art, upcycle ideas

ArtFire is an online re-seller shop that specializes in organic, fair trade, vegan, recycled and re-purposed handmade green products.

Based out of Tuscon, AZ theArtFire team formed in 2008 with the goal of utilizing a community based development site. This means that they are more geared to working with you, rather than you supporting them through fees and shipping.

Currently in beta, ArtFire boasts enough users that a trend section has been created. Top trends at the moment are Steampunk, Green Products and Handmade Soap.

For more information check out their main web site at: www.artfire.com

Technorati Tags: green crafts, handmade green, recycle, repurpose, reuse

Earth Day started back on April 22nd 1970.

Gaylord Nelson, a Democratic Senator from the state of Wisconsin created Earth Day as a way to show people holding political offices that the general population was concerned about the environment as a whole.

That first year it was proposed more than twenty million American’s came together to participate in what was at the time a grass roots effort for environmental awareness.

The prior passing of the National Environmental Policy Act being signed into law on January 1st 1970 paved the way for Earth Day to show support and encouragement to our law makers that the general population was paying attention to environmental issues.

Since 1970 the some of the following laws have been created from this grass roots effort:

• Clean Air Act
• Water Quality Improvement Act
• Resource and Recovery Act
• Toxic Substances Control Act
• Federal Environmental Pesticide Control Act
• Endangered Species Act

To see a list of environmental policies that have been enacted since 1970, click here.

To find Earth Day events and celebrations in your area, click here

To get involved with Earth Day, join the Earth Day Network at www.earthday.net The Earth Day Network is a global green initiative created with the goal of making everyday an Earth Day.

Technorati Tags: Earth Day, earth day 2008, earth day network, EPA, global green, recycle, reduce, reuse