Electronics Donation and Recycling

 

Why Recycle Electronic Products

 

Electronic products are made from valuable resources and materials, including metals, plastics, and glass, all of which require energy to mine and manufacture. Donating or recycling consumer electronics conserves our natural resources and avoids air and water pollution, as well as greenhouse gas emissions that are caused by manufacturing virgin materials.

 

For example:

• Recycling one million laptops saves the energy equivalent to the electricity used by more than 3,500 US homes in a year.
• For every million cell phones we recycle, 35 thousand pounds of copper, 772 pounds of silver, 75 pounds of gold and 33 pounds of palladium can be recovered.

Before Donating or Recycling Your Used Electronics

• For your computer or laptop, consider upgrading the hardware or software instead of buying a brand new product.
• Delete all personal information from your electronics.
• Remove any batteries from your electronics, they may need to be recycled separately.
• Check to see what requirements exist in your state Exit or community. 

Where to Donate or Recycle

Manufacturers and retailers offer several options to donate or recycle electronics. Search below to find programs developed by Sustainable Materials Management (SMM) Electronics Challenge participants. If you are an original equipment manufacturer or retailer, learn how to join the SMM Electronics Challenge. Participation in the SMM Electronics Challenge is voluntary. EPA does not endorse any of the participants or their products and services.

• Sustainable Materials Management (SMM) Electronics Challenge

Search by Electronic Device or Company

The following links exit the site Exit

http://www.epa.gov/recycle/electronics-donation-and-recycling

 

 

 

 

How to reduce food waste this holiday season

 

 

• Date: December 15, 2015
• Author: Pete Pearson

 

Pete Pearson works on food waste prevention and the intersection of agriculture and wildlife. Follow him on Twitter @petedpearson.

The holiday season is upon us, which means spending time with friends and family. And it almost certainly means enjoying holiday parties where food is front and center during the celebration. As the “food waste guy” at WWF, I always attract comments at the buffet line. Without doubt, I will hear calls to “clean my plate” and “we’d better not waste food with Pete around.”

While the attention can be repetitive, we might all need a “food waste guy” around to remind us how our attitude about food needs to change.

• Agriculture accounts for 70% of the fresh water used by people and nearly 30% of global greenhouse gas emissions.
• About 29% of global fish stocks are over-exploited and 61% are fully-exploited.
• Agriculture is the largest driver of tropical deforestation.
• The EPA estimates that during the holidays our household waste increases by about 25%.

My job at WWF was created to promote a more efficient food system that reduces waste. When we throw away food, we’re also throwing away the land, water, and energy used to produce that food.

“When we throw away food, we’re also throwing away the land, water, and energy used to produce that food. ”  -- Pete Pearson Director of Food Waste, WWF 

Agriculture is vital for human survival, but its expansion is the leading cause of stress on the last remaining biodiverse regions around the globe—this at a time when we grow enough food to feed everyone and between 30-40% of what we grow never makes it to a dinner plate.

If we can make more food available from what’s already produced—by minimizing waste—we might slow deforestation in the Amazon or preserve the grasslands in the Northern Great Plains.

If you’re passionate about conservation, consider this: preventing and reducing food waste is one of the best things you can do to conserve natural resources and wildlife.

This holiday season, avoid tossing food in the trash by taking these steps:

• Try not to over prepare food; instead try to prepare “just enough.”
• Encourage friends and family to take leftovers home.
• Store leftovers in the freezer to enjoy after you’ve had a break from them for a little while.
• Search “holiday leftover recipes” online for new ideas.

The key is to get creative and prevent waste from even occurring. Make preventing food waste your personal act of conservation.

http://www.worldwildlife.org/stories/how-to-reduce-food-waste-this-holiday-season?utm_campaign=food&utm_medium=email&utm_source=enews-wwf&utm_content=1512c-ed

 

 

An Eco-White Holiday

An Eco-White Holiday

posted by Ronnie Citron-Fink Dec 7, 2008

Has global warming put the kibosh on the predictability of a blanket of white fluff where you live? It’s easy to bring home that snowy feeling this holiday. Start a new tradition and design an enchanted winter white eco-holiday theme this year.
I get nostalgic each year when I unpack the boxes of holiday decorations and linens. It’s kind of like flipping through scrapbooks of my family. There’s the old ornaments from my husband’s Christmases past that have been passed down from generation to generation. There are all the new traditions we created together as a family, like the homemade candles my children made and decorated when they were young. Even pets long gone are represented in photos and ornaments. Each year we add to these rich traditions.
This year I’m pulling out of the boxes everything white. Why white? Beyond the snowy obvious, white decorating is an eco-alternative color to all that red and green. Buying or creating white decorations are cheaper because of the generic qualities of being able to use and reuse the decorations throughout the winter. Organic undyed table linens tend to be less toxic and less processed because the organic fibers are free of chemical dyes and pesticides, making them a much healthier alternative.
In my home, I tend to keep the overload of holiday decorating to a minimum, but I love a festive table that uses sustainable products without sacrificing style. I approach interior design projects like home fashion. You “dress up” for holiday parties and you “dress up” your home to in a similar festive manner.
Consider giving red and green a rest this year. Here’s some ideas to play “dress up” with and create a rustic, eco-chic white holiday table:
1. Try a white organic hemp tablecloth, napkins, placemats or table runner.
2. With a table full of kids (or children at heart), you might want to ditch the fancy white linen and cover your table with white recyclable craft paper. Let your artists decorate a winter white theme with beeswax crayons.
3. I like to use real silverware, but bamboo flatware is renewable, reusable and it has a nice natural look.
4. White LED tealights in white glass candle holders, flameless candles and solar lights illuminate a holiday table nicely, as do white beeswax candles.
5. Organic white flowers are beautiful. The even greener alternative would be to get paperwhite narcissus bulbs and plant them if the ground isn’t frozen.
6. The greenest of all decorations, and the perfect holiday table accents can come from nature. Embellish fallen branches by decorating them with glistening glass droplets rescued from old chandeliers found in second-hand stores. This adds elegance to a rustic look table.
7. Recycled glass icicle ornaments hung from your dining room light bring winter to your table.
8. Try natural balsam garlands draped with tiny LED white lights or solar Christmas tree lights.
9. Shopping for a new table and recycling the old one? Going all out eco-white? Here’s a white contemporary dining table constructed of renewable and sustainable grass and wheat boards made with non-toxic adhesives and wood finishes.
10. The holidays are about peace on Earth. Pure white origami peace doves make beautiful table decorations and are easy to create. You can find Peace dove ornaments from fair trade sources.
The holidays! They’re here! I’m dreaming of a white …
http://www.care2.com/greenliving/an-eco-white-holiday.html

 

 

 

 
 

 

U.S. to Cut Food Waste in Half by 2030

By Dawn Undurraga, Nutritionist

 

Thursday, September 17, 2015

 

Nearly 40 percent of the food the U.S. produces ends up in the trashcan. From there, it rots in a landfill and pollutes our atmosphere with greenhouse gases. Producing that food takes 300 million barrels of oil a year and 25 percent of our freshwater supply.

 

Yes, you heard that right—in fact, edible food makes up the largest component of our landfills. 

 

That’s the bad news.

 

Here’s the good news: the Department of Agriculture and the Environmental Protection Agency have teamed up and set a goal of reducing food waste by half in the next 15 years.

Who’s responsible for this waste? You might think it’s the grocery stores or restaurants. But they only account for about 10 percent of food waste.

The truth is that people —like you and me— are responsible for nearly 40 percent of the food thrown away. The average American trashes 250 pounds of food a year. But that means this is one instance where our choices can solve the problem.

 

Here are some tips for reducing food waste in your home.

 

• Plan your meals. By spending just 10 minutes a week, you can save more than $2,000 a year. Make it a family affair. It can be fun, too—really!  Sit down and discuss: what are we going to eat this week?  Here’s a link to EWG’s Meal Planner.

• Buy what you can eat—no more. Using a shopping list will help and cut down on impulse buys at the grocery store.  The faster you shop, the less you spend. Here’s a link to EWG’s Shopping List.
   
• Read sell-by and use-by labels, and know what they mean. Many people think they indicate when food is no longer safe to eat, but they don’t. One-fifth of the food thrown away unnecessarily is because of confusion over dates on the label.
   
• Preserve produce in the freezer before it goes bad.  Those beet greens you were planning to toss into a salad but never got around to? The strawberries and bananas that are just a bit mushy and overripe? Wash, chop and lay flat on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper and stick it in the freezer.  Once it’s frozen, transfer it to a container for storage.

• Admit it—you’re tired of those leftovers. You’ve served chicken noodle soup three days straight and your family is rebelling. Don’t fret about leftovers; just move them to the freezer. They’ll make a quick meal next week. Freeze, heat and enjoy. 

 

Reduce waste, save money and save the environment. It’s a win-win-win.

 

http://www.ewg.org/enviroblog/2015/09/us-cut-food-waste-half-2030

 

 

 

 

 

Plastic Microbeads: Ban The Bead!

Photo: Sash Photography

 

Plastic Microbeads 101

 

What are plastic microbeads? 
Microbeads are really tiny plastic particles usually smaller than two millimeters.  The composition of microbeads can vary and often include polyethylene (PE) or polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polymethlyl methacrylate (PMMA) or nylon. Bottom line, it’s all plastic!

 

What products contain plastic microbeads? 
Plastic microbeads are in face soaps, body washes, and even toothpastes. They are sometimes included in “age-defying” makeup (yes, filling in wrinkles with plastic dust!), as well as lip gloss and nail polish. Most wastewater treatment doesn’t filter out microbeads, and they get discharged into waterways.[1]  As a result, micro-plastic particles are found in bays, gulfs and seas worldwide, as well as inland waterways.[2]

 

Does microbead pollution impact us? 
Could the plastic you’re washing your face with end up in your sushi? Crazy, but yes. Fish species that humans harvest for food have been known to eat micro-plastic particles at an alarming rate and the toxins absorbed in those plastics transfer to the fish tissue.[3]

Plastic microbeads absorb persistent organic pollutants (long-lasting toxic chemicals like pesticides, flame retardants, motor oil and more) and other industrial chemicals that move up the food chain when the toxic-coated beads are consumed by fish and other marine organisms. A single microbead can be up to a million times more toxic than the water around it![4]

 

How do I know if I’m washing my face or brushing my teeth with plastic?
Most people have no idea that those little beads are actually bits of plastic! In the United States, The Food And Drug Administration (FDA) requires that if a product contains microbeads the company has to list the ingredients. Not all countries require this, but many producers list their ingredients anyway. If you see any of the following ingredients: polyethylene, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate or polymethyl methacrylate you’re cleaning up with plastic and being duped into contributing to plastic pollution in the environment—yikes!

 

What’s happening to put a stop to plastic microbeads?
Right now, about 18 states in the US, Canada, Australia, and several countries in Europe are considering bans of products that contain plastic microbeads. This is great!

Unfortunately, many of these bans on microbeads don’t go far enough to protect our health and our shared waters. The industry that is pushing these plastic-filled products has written a bill that leaves loopholes for the microbeads to be replaced with other kinds of plastics and circulated it around the world.  The Story of Stuff Project is leading a coalition of over 100 groups to get these tiny plastic beads out of commerce.

 

Why can’t you just replace the microbeads with bio-degradable plastic?
Biodegradable plastics require an industrial scale composting facility to get the plastic really hot so it can degrade as intended. Since plastic microbeads are designed to wash down the drain, they simply won’t break down (not the mention the myriad other issues with bioplastics).

 

 

Why won’t the personal care products industry swap the plastic out for natural substitute?  
This question is kind of hard to answer because (surprise!) industry isn’t being real forthcoming about why they want to substitute one kind of plastic for another. What we’ve gathered here at Story of Stuff HQ from talking to these sneaks, is that companies want to keep the plastic in their products because it’s cheap and easy to source. But more importantly, plastic microbeads are smoother than natural alternatives like apricot shells, jojoba beans, and pumice. Why is smoother “better”? Smoother means these cleansers will be less effective at exfoliating, which means you can use them everyday, which means they want you to buy more of their Stuff!

 

http://storyofstuff.org/plastic-microbeads-ban-the-bead/

 

 

 

 

 

Why living small means living happily ever after

Here are just 4 simple reasons you should consider downsizing.

 

By: yerdle

February 22, 2013

 

Other countries have embraced small house living. Why can't we? (Photo: St. Nick/Shutterstock)

 

Living small is a creative lifestyle that can work anywhere. It's about finding what makes you happy, and focusing on that without the distractions of too much stuff and too much room. You don't have to build your own quirky tiny house or buy expensive multipurpose furniture to live happy in little spaces either!

Newly built apartments are getting smaller; the U.S. national average is now 982 square feet (a kingdom in Manhattan!), down from more than 1,000 square feet a decade ago. This is thanks in part to the micro-unit trend — apartments 300 square feet or even smaller — that has popped up in some cities in response to urgent housing needs. 

If you're still not convinced, here are four more reasons to live small in this big world.

1. Location, location, location

Rent is going up across the U.S., and housing prices are slowly creeping up from their lows after the financial crisis. But why sweat it? Swapping extra room for the perfect neighborhood, close to everything you want, is easier on your wallet and might encourage you to get outside and enjoy your community more often. If you love where you live, your community becomes your living room.

2. Small living, smaller footprint

About 20 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. are caused by home energy use. Then there's all the stuff to fill every room with furniture, closets to fill with new clothes, big fridges to fill with food, half of which goes bad before you get to it ... The more you have, the more you throw in the landfill. Living small helps you buy only the stuff you really need or just have to have, but it's not about depriving yourself, it's about saving money and loving what you've got. 

3. It's all the rage in Europe

Newly built homes in the U.S. are more than two and a half times bigger than U.K. homes on average, and more than 500 square feet bigger than any other European country's average. So they also use less energy, buy less, and according to the Happy Planet Index, enjoy life more while using less of the Earth's resources than Americans. Luckily, you don't have to be Roman to do as the Romans do.

4. Have not, clean not

It might seem trivial, but add up all the hours you spend cleaning your house, and then cut them in half. Feel better? According to the American Time Use Survey (2011), the average person spent more than four hours just cleaning house every week, not counting cooking, pets, garden work, the week's shopping or repairs around the house. Suddenly, sacrificing a few square feet doesn't feel like you're giving much up but wasted time and money.

Read more: http://www.mnn.com/lifestyle/responsible-living/stories/why-living-small-means-living-happily-ever-after#ixzz3kUQGEngN

 

 

 

Five Ways of Making Your Lawn Better

8/31/2015 // By David Mizejewski

 

Fall is a great time to get your yard ready for the next growing season. The cooling temperatures often make working outside less taxing, and some of the late-blooming plants in your yard provide a great opportunity to get a close look at many birds and butterflies.

This fun video from John Green, the popular novelist and co-creator of vlogbrothers, points out several compelling reasons why we should move away from the American obsession with the conventional lawn:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=-enGOMQgdvg

 

The video advocates for converting some of our lawns into productive vegetable gardens that would help produce local food to feed us. We at National Wildlife Federation think that’s a great idea, and we’d add that it would be amazing if more people also incorporated native plants that provide habitat for wildlife into their landscapes too.

Lawns don’t provide habitat for wildlife. Native plants are a much better choice. Photo by F_A via Flickr Creative Commons.

With that in mind, here are five tips for converting your lawn into a landscape that is better for wildlife and the ecosystems upon which we all rely:

1. Add one new garden bed each season.

The idea of replacing your lawn can be intimidating, especially if you’ve got a large one. Rome wasn’t conquered in a day, and it’s ok if your lawn isn’t either. A good way to break up the work is to make it a goal to add one new garden bed each season. Remove the grass and add ornamental native plants, and soon your yard will be a gorgeous oasis teeming with life.

Start small. Add one new garden bed each season. Photo by scottie32 via Flickr Creative Commons.

2. Focus on blooming wildflowers and shrubs.

One of the biggest arguments made in favor of lawns is that they present a clean, tidy look in our front yards. Many worry that getting rid of their lawns will reduce property values or trigger the ire of neighbors. To avoid both situations, focus on replacing lawn with native wildflowers and shrubs that have gorgeous blooms and colorful berries. You’ll not only support birds, butterflies and other wildlife, but you’ll also make your yard look like something out of Better Homes and Gardens.

Replace lawn with beautiful, blooming native plants. Photo by JKehoe_Photos via Flickr Creative Commons.

3. Let your lawn be diverse.

“Weed” is a subjective term that really only means a plant growing where we humans don’t want it. The original lawns of Europe were filled with a diversity of plants (and mown by sheep and other grazing animals to boot). Here in America, we’ve developed a militant aesthetic, largely fueled by the lawn chemical industry, for lawns that are total and uncompromising monoculture. Letting so-called “weeds” such as clover or–yes–dandelions co-exist with grass will add diversity, wildlife habitat and even help fertilize the soil. You’ll also spend less time and money spreading dangerous herbicides.

Let clover and other plants co-exist with you turf grass. Photo by Rob via Flickr Creative Commons.

4. Stop using chemicals.

One of the things that makes lawns ecological dead spaces is that we dump tons of chemicals on them each year. Whether it’s chemical fertilizers, insecticides or herbicides, these poisons reduce the local biodiversity and toxify the soil. If over-applied they can run off into local waterways. Use organic products if you must use something, but focus on reducing the size of your lawn and adding more natives plants, and you’ll have less need for chemicals.

Pesticides are bad for wildlife. Photo by Michelle Tribe via Flickr Creative Commons.

5. Upgrade your mowing practices.

Gasoline-powered lawn mowers are noisy, smelly and polluting. Switch to an electric mower and one that finely chops clippings and returns them to the ground, where they compost and add nutrients back into the soil. Even better, use a push mower powered by you, not by fossil fuels (pushing a mower is great exercise too). Allow your grass to grow a little longer, which will result in stronger root systems that are less susceptible to drought and require less watering. Research has shown that even just mowing your lawn every other week instead of every week can have significant impacts for local wildlife.

A push mower is a better choice for mowing your lawn. Photo by Brian Boucheron via Flickr Creative Commons.

Visit National Wildlife Federation’s Garden for Wildlife site to learn more about sustainable and wildlife-friendly gardening practices and certify your green space today!

 

 

http://blog.nwf.org/2015/08/five-ways-of-making-your-lawn-better/

 

 

 

Gardening for Wildlife: Corralling the Rain

Rain gardens offer a natural solution to runoff pollution

07-27-2015 // Mark Wexler

 

 

FOR DECADES, PEOPLE LIVING ALONG 8TH AVE NW in Puyallup, Washington, watched helplessly as their yards and street flooded during heavy rainstorms. With each flood, rivers of runoff tainted with lawn chemicals, car oil, animal waste and other pollutants poured into sewers and area waterways. But a few years ago, residents found a cost-effective solution to their problem: gardens designed to manage the rain.

Working with local authorities and landscape designers, residents installed bioretention cells, or rain gardens, in their yards and along the two-block-long avenue. “We haven’t had flooding problems since,” says homeowner Steve Hollis, “and the rain garden in our front yard has improved both the appearance and value of our property.”

 

Using Nature as a Sponge

The 8th Avenue project is part of a campaign—initiated by Washington State University Extension and the nonprofit Stewardship Partners in Seattle—to build 12,000 rain gardens on private property in the Puget Sound area by the end of 2016. Washington State scientists say at least 14 million pounds of toxic contaminants flow annually into the sound, much of it coming from urban communities. “The majority of our area’s water pollution is caused by rainwater runoff from our streets, driveways, lawns and rooftops,” says Stewardship Partners Program Manager Aaron Clark.

Across the country, hundreds of other municipalities are also supporting “green infrastructure” projects that utilize rain gardens and other natural processes. “Traditionally, cities have built huge, expensive concrete structures to control runoff,” says U.S. Geological Survey hydrologist Roger Bannerman, an expert on bioretention systems. “But the paradigm slowly is changing, and more and more communities are turning to natural solutions.”

Designed to capture and absorb rainfall where it lands, rain gardens are cultivated, bowl-shaped depressions, about 3 to 7 inches deep, strategically located near patios, roofs, lawns and other runoff sources. Their soils—sometimes augmented with compost or sand to improve permeability—work like sponges to absorb and filter the water, allowing it to percolate slowly into the ground. Researchers have found that such gardens collect about 30 percent more water than conventional lawns. When filled with native plants, they can also act as magnets for birds, butterflies and bees.

 

 

Ideal Form and Function

Most rain gardens will help reduce flooding, but ideally they should be big enough to hold all runoff from sources such as downspouts. Bannerman says a downspout rain garden should be 15 to 20 percent of the size of the roof area for homeowners who have sandy soil, 25 to 35 percent for those with soil containing some clay and 30 to 40 percent for homes with less-porous, all-clay soil. Such gardens should be about twice as long (perpendicular to the runoff source) as they are wide.

“Plant selection is very important,” says Jan Satterthwaite, a Seattle landscape architect and team leader of a local NWF Community Wildlife Habitat^® project. She primarily uses plants native to the region that will thrive in wet and dry conditions and attract wildlife. Plants with deep fibrous roots provide the most cleaning and filtration benefits. Satterthwaite uses a mix of grasses and sedges, herbaceous flowering plants and native shrubs.

She has been designing projects for RainWise, a Seattle public utilities program that offers rebates averaging $4,000 to homeowners who install rain gardens and cisterns in areas where sewers overflow. Client Christina Burtner had sewer backups and flooding in her basement during storms. Satterthwaite put a 26-square-foot rain garden in Burtner’s yard using low-maintenance plants. “Not only has it solved our basement dampness and side-sewer woes,” says Burtner, “it also has added beauty to our property.”

 

 

Rain-Garden Tips

The following pointers can help you choose the best location and plants for your rain garden:

• For easier installation, look for flat areas and avoid steep slopes.

• Extend your downspouts or add rock-filled channels to direct roof runoff toward your garden.

• Construct the garden at least 10 feet away from your foundation to keep water from seeping into your basement.

• Don’t build directly over a septic system or utility lines.

• Avoid using an existing depression in your yard that constantly is damp or where water regularly pools, two indications that soil drainage at that spot is poor.

• Select a site that receives full or partial sun.

• For effective results, landscaping professionals suggest incorporating a mixture of deep-rooted native sedges, rushes and grasses with your flowering species (forbs).

• Select plants that bloom or produce berries at different times to provide continual habitat for wildlife. For names of appropriate native species, check with your local agricultural extension service or local native plant society.

For more natural gardening tips, visit www.nwf.org/nwfgarden.

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Mark Wexler is editor-at-large of National Wildlife magazine.

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Become an NWF Wildlife Gardener and sign up for our Garden for Wildlife™ newsletter. It's free and you will receive great gardening tips and learn how to certify your yard as a Certified Wildlife Habitat^® site or your community as part of NWF's Community Wildlife Habitat^® program.

 

http://www.nwf.org/News-and-Magazines/National-Wildlife/Gardening/Archives/2015/Rain-Gardens.aspx