Here at UC Davis we recycle bottles and cans, cardboard and Styrofoam, CDs and DVDs, fluorescent bulbs and sticky notes, toner and inkjet cartridges, batteries and electronics, and even wine corks. And paper, of course.   But what about our pens? Starting today (Sept. 14), we can recycle those, too, and other, selected writing implements — adding more “cool” to UC Davis’recent ranking as the nation’s “Coolest School” in Sierra magazine’s evaluation of sustainability in higher education.   Materiel Management, a longtime champion of campus sustainability efforts, is spearheading our newest recycling opportunity, by joining up with theTerraCycle Writing Instruments Brigade.   “Writing instruments?” Why not just call them “pens?”   Because TerraCycle Inc. takes any type of plastic-encased device: pens, mechanical pencils, markers and highlighters (the caps too!). And those correction tape dispensers that we sometimes use to erase what we wrote! But nothing encased in wood or metal. TerraCycle wants only the plastic for reuse in the company’s line of consumer products — storage bins, for example.

Last week I was on my way into the Phillies game… and RIGHT before they searched my bag, I blew out my flip flop… just like Jimmy Buffet once did. After mourning my beloved Havvies (and darting to the Clubhouse store to purchase a pair of Phillies Flippy Floppies), my next dilemma was where to recycle my flip flops.   Good news… Terracycle has partnered with Old Navy for a Flip Flop Brigade recycling program. For every 25 pairs of flip flops sent, you’ll receive coupons for Old Navy. It’s as easy as downloading a prepaid shipping label from Terracycle and dropping off at a UPS location. Don’t have 25 flip flops? There’s a guide to holding a successful drive on Terracycle’s website. Or, you can recycle other types of shoes like boots, sneakers, pumps and more in thePaired Shoe Brigade program. (Good news for me – I just did some fall cleaning and have quite a few pairs for Terracycle!)

Kids are heading back to school. The amount of daylight is diminishing each evening. Labor Day barbecues are creeping closer -- the (unofficial) end of summer must be near.   Rather than tossing tired flip-flops in a couple of weeks, consider recycling them. Trenton, N.J.-based TerraCycle, which specializes in handling typically tough-to-recycle items, welcomes pairs of the seasonal sandals as part of its Flip-Flop Brigade before they end up in a Dumpster or in the back of the closet. It will retire the worn-out shoes in an environmentally friendly fashion, and those who send in 25 pairs (or 50 individual shoes) will receive an Old Navy coupon.   It's free to participate. For flip-flop recycle instructions go to www.terracycle.com/en-US/oldnavy.   To receive Old Navy coupons, you must ship at least 18 pounds of flip-flops (all brands are accepted). Download a pre-paid shipping label from terracycle.com. You can print it out yourself or request a label from TerraCycle. Ship the box to TerraCycle by affixing the pre-paid postage label and dropping it off at a UPS location.

If you know a lot of people or are a member of an organization (PTO, mom’s group, Girl Scouts, anything) you can also participate in the Flip-Flop Brigade ® to recycle old flip flops for exclusive Old Navy coupons through Terracycle. It is FREE, you just need to collect 18 lbs which is about 25 pairs of rubber flip flops (any brand).

TerraCycle and Old Navy are encouraging us to ditch our old flip flops and donate them to their new recycling program. To be a part of this great green initiative, become part of the Old Navy Flip-Flop Brigade and start scouring for old flip flops. The companies encourage participants to send 50 pairs of rubber flip flops of any brand in a bundle. To show their appreciation for your efforts, they'll send you some Old Navy coupons, which you can distribute amongst your friends who've given up their old flip flops for the cause. It could get pricy to send such a massive parcel, but the Flip-Flop Brigade will cover all costs. You just need to download a pre-paid shipping label from the TerraCycle website and drop off your flip-flops to any UPS location. Those Old Navy vouchers are pretty alluring, but so's the fuzzy feeling that comes from doing good. The flip-flops are saved from a life in landfill and destined to become something more, like playground equipment or a park bench. Fifty flip flops sounds like a lot to collect, but if you start polling your friends and family I’m sure you'll be surprised by how many ratty rubber beach shoes they have hiding at the back of their closets!

Bring your old rubber flip-flops to the Maher Garden Center for recycling your name will be entered into a recurring drawing to win Old Navy coupons. The James L. Maher Center is hosting a Flip-Flop Brigade Recycle Program through Wednesday September 30 at 5:00pm. Every time you bring your old rubber flip-flops to the Maher Garden Center at 906 Aquidneck Avenue, for recycling your name will be entered into a recurring drawing to win Old Navy coupons. Your old rubber flip-flops will be sent to Terracyle. They will be recycled into new products such as playground equipment, trash containers and other rubber household products. Old Navy has collaborated with Terracycle and is committed to reducing waste and thinking green. The James L. Maher Center is a Newport based not-for profit dedicated to providing services to nearly 300 individuals with developmental disabilities. Some of the 300 individuals participate in work programs; over 100 receive residential services; almost 90 children benefit from early intervention and literally thousands of people in the East Bay reach their destinations because of RIde transportation services.

Ever want to know what to do with an old mattress? How about used cooking oil? The Green Team at Albany United Methodist Church has a new pamphlet telling recyclers that and much more. The group, which started in 2010, released “Places to take Unusual Recyclables — the Albany-Corvallis Directory” in April. It also revised its first publication, “Albany Area ReUse Directory,” which was released in the spring of 2011. After the first pamphlet’s release, the group received inquiries about where to take unusual recyclables not listed in the guide. Members did the research and answered the questions as they came up, and after a while decided to put together the new pamphlet. “United Methodists feel they have social responsibilities in many areas including natural resources,” said Ann Bateman, one of the group members and a Master Recycler. “So this team’s commitment is very much in keeping with who the United Methodist Church is.” Soon the Green Team will add Philomath to its unusual recyclables directory and hopes to eventually have it be a directory for both Linn and Benton counties. The group has also made changes at the church building. There is now a bin to recycle bulletins and the preschool recycles paper as much as possible. “Paper can be used on both sides,” said Karla Long, another member of the Green Team. “We have also had classes to teach children and adults how to recycle.” The group has asked the church’s board of trustees to make a policy not allowing any styrofoam food containers in the building. “There is no place to recycle that stuff in the state of Oregon,” said member Melinda Sorte. All groups meeting at the church are asked to use mugs or paper products for food. “Everyone has been very agreeable to this,” Sorte said. “The bridge group that meets here even has their own place in our kitchen for their cups.” Reverend Rinya Frisbie has been at the church for about a year and wasn’t surprised to learn about the Green Team. At the last church she was at in Idaho, a man collected recyclables in the back of his truck every week to take to the recycling center. “It’s not unusual to have churches do environmentally friendly things,” she said. “It’s exciting to see people live out their faith in this kind of way.” Earlier this month, the group joined with TerraCycle to become an official collection site for shoes and flip-flops. The old shoes will be recycled and turned into new products. They will hold collection days for a back-to-school event from 3 to 7 p.m. Wednesdays, Aug. 22 and Aug. 29, in the church parking lot, 1115 28th Ave. S.W. “It will be drive-through and very easy,” Sorte said. “Let’s keep all those old shoes and flip-flops out of the landfill and have them turned into new products.” The new and updated pamphlets are available in print at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore and the Albany Public Library. They are available online at www.albanymethodist.org, www.corvallisfumc.org and at the Allied Waste website at www.sanitation.com.

Old Navy has once again teamed up to recycle old flip-flops with TerraCycle. This year you can sign-up to be part of the Flip-Flop Brigade and earn Old Navy coupons for yourself and those who help you collect. The program is free to join, and shipping charges will be covered by the program too. Every time you send your old flip-flops to TerraCycle, you’ve done a green deed for Mother Nature by diverting waste from our landfills. To show our gratitude, for every shipment of 25 pairs of flip-flops received (about 18 pounds), you will receive exclusive coupons from Old Navy to distribute to the participants who helped you collect. It’s totally free to participate in a TerraCycle Brigade. There are no signup or participation fees, and the shipping is covered by the program. For more details on the program, head over here to claim your spot.