On April 22, shop green. Maybe this Earth Day you’re volunteering to clean your local park, or perhaps you’ll write your representatives about environmental protection. If your Earth Day activities include looking for ways to lessen your carbon footprint, consider the products you buy for swim, bike, and run. Thanks to these environmentally-friendly companies, there are plenty of options for gear you’ll feel good about.

I walked into the ShurFine recently and was surprised (and pleased) to see a new box labeled TerraCycle sitting on the end of the first checkout counter.

I walked into the ShurFine recently and was surprised (and pleased) to see a new box labeled TerraCycle sitting on the end of the first checkout counter.

The future is uncertain. As the global population is projected to hit 9 billion by 2050, tensions over resources like food, water and energy are likely to swell along with it. Meanwhile, earth has reached what scientists deem the climate tipping point — and evidence suggests the carbon concentrations in our atmosphere may be permanent. As these chilling realities set in, thought leaders the world over begin to examine new economic models that can offer solutions. One such model, known as the circular economy, is particularly promising. For business, the circular economy is a system in which there is no waste — only promise. Waste generated during manufacturing and at end of useful life is recaptured and made into new products. Those products can then be recycled again, keeping the circle in motion and eliminating the need for virgin feedstocks. A true circular economy is still a long way off. But forward-thinking companies are inching closer to making it a reality. Read on for seven case studies that are sure to inspire. 7. TerraCycle   Almost everyone knows they should recycle that plastic bottle or aluminum can rather than toss it in the trash. But some materials are tougher to recycle, meaning their recovery rates remain abysmally low. One company, TerraCycle, is out to change that by making it easier for people and businesses to recapture hard-to-recycle material and put it to good use. Through its brigade programs, TerraCycle collects hard-to-recycle waste ranging from office staples like energy bar wrappers and snack food bags to niche items like juice pouches and instrument strings. It even has a brigade for cigarette butts, which remain America’s most littered item and have few recycling options. The company partners with other conscious firms, such as Clif Bar and Colgate, to make the programs free for the user. Folks who recycle through TerraCycle can even earn rewards, which translate into money for their school or a favorite nonprofit. The company also offers paid bulk recycling solutions for businesses that recapture “almost every form of waste.”

April 22 is Earth Day, a great opportunity for you to think about reducing your carbon footprint. One easy way to give back is by supporting brands that are environmentally friendly, and recycling or composting packaging whenever possible instead of simply throwing it in the garbage. Below, I've compiled a few of my favorite brands--each of which makes quite a few gluten-free options--that I feel do a great job giving back to the planet. Keep reading to learn which of their products are the most delicious and how you can enjoy them in environmentally responsible ways!

TerraCycle Finally, for both recycled gift ideas and for recycling waste that you can’t avoid over the holidays, consider People & Planet winner TerraCycle. TerraCycle develops and runs innovative, free consumer recycling programs for hard-to-recycle waste like baby-food pouches, CLIF Bar wrappers, toothbrushes, make-up containers, e-waste, and more. Under the “Send Your Waste” tab on the TerraCycle website, visitors can order a “Zero Waste Box” that will facilitate the recycling all categories of waste, including any holiday garbage like wrapping paper.

Students at the University of Virginia are making a difference on their campus by educating fellow students on the importance of recycling. The TerraCycle program was also featured in their campus recycling outreach.

Start by keeping track of your waste and then over time minimizing your waste output. This year join one of TerraCycle's Brigade's, which includes an Energy Bar Wrapper Brigade, Cork Brigade, Yogurt Brigade, and Bear Naked Granola Brigades.

TERRACYCLE has been reusing waste for over a decade, giving it back to the consumer in the form of backpacks, non biohazardous cleaning products, scrapbooks, enviornmentally friendly fertilizers, and more. Check out this IPAD case made from what TERRACYCLE terms “upcycled” materials (think potato chip bags, and cliff bar wrappers). Triple nice!

Students at Oakmont Regional High have raised money selling craft items like bracelets made from soda can tabs. They also have an account with TerraCycle and collect 2 cents for every snack wrapper they turn in. "That's our cash cow," said Archangelo. She said the school has embraced the program and every classroom has a box to collect wrappers for chips, granola bars, yogurt, along with glue sticks and tape dispensers. Club members spend a lot of hours sorting, folding and stacking the empty plastic wrappers.