TerraCycle

a plea to my friends and those who just sorta know me (aka: facebookistan),

i know i've mentioned it before, but i found this really cool company called terracycle that takes trash and either finds a way to re-use it or upcycles it into something else. they have regular people that form trash "brigades" to collect the refuse and mail it in a postage paid package back to the company. even better yet, a few cents for every item you collect is donated to a charity of your choice.

they have brigades that collect all kinds of stuff, from used cell phones to yogurt cups, to scotch tape dispensers. there are currently two open brigades that i want to sign up for; candy bar wrappers and chip bags. so here's what i need from you all; i need people willing to give me their trash and the trash of others. also, i need a good local charity (and their tax id) so that i can apply to be a brigade leader. any ideas? i was thinking of the kenton county animal shelter or the free store food bank. i can do a different charity for each brigade, i just need ideas.

this is not going to be one of those situations where i just throw an idea out there and wait for one or two people to say they might help. i'm gonna bug the crap out of my friends and family on this one! it's just too good of an idea! i mean, it keeps trash out of the land fills, prevents the use of virgin materials and the energy required for production, and it gives back to charity. who could possibly not like that. and, i'll do all the work... well, unless you really get into it and start collecting trash from people you know as well. in that case, you are awesome.

so, check out terracycle, send me some ideas for charities in the area to donate to, and join my brigade! these change every now and then, so i'll let you know when a new and interesting brigade comes available. thanks!

yours always,
brigadier mciver

I still love the earth, I promise.

holy crap! it's been over three months since my last eco-blog. i promise you i have not fallen off the wagon. i've just been conserving energy by not typing. ;-)

anyway, i was on the cincinnati zoo website the other day and found some awesome info about little things we can do to help make this world just a little better. so, i thought i'd share! so that i'm not just plagiarizing their info, i'll just give you the links. they are done in top ten format... and who doesn't like a top ten?

ten things you never knew you could recycle

ten ways to help local wildlife

ten ways to make your home a little greener

ten ways to save money while saving the earth

ten easy things kids can to to save the earth (big kids too)

when i have more time, i'd like to comment on some of the info and websites provided here (specifically terracycle.net).

but for now, i'd like to make an offer to any of you that know me. if you are interested in or have even thought about recycling, but do not currently have a recycling bin, let me know. i will be glad to find out how to get recycling in your area, find the closest recycling station, pay for a recycling bin if your locality requires it, or even pick up the recycling from you and take care of it myself. once you have a mindset to recycle, it really does become difficult to actually throw stuff away that still has a future.

that's all for now. i promise to try to post more often. merry christmas everyone!!!