MEXICO CITY, Aug 2, 2010 (IPS) - Women's laughter fills the rectangular room on the ground floor of a building that houses a school for 250 local children, on the southern edge of Mexico City's sprawling metropolitan area.
The room seems too small to contain the two dozen women busy cutting and folding strips of plastic laminated paper recovered from discarded food wrappers. The strips will later be plaited using a traditional palm-leaf weaving technique passed down by the Nahua people.
The women run a craft centre that is part of the local cooperative "Mitz" (a Nahuatl word that means "For you"), where they use recycled material to make bags, coin purses, date books, picture frames, Christmas decorations and accessories, having achieved a monthly production of about 3,000 craft items.
Recycle and Earn
Did you know billions of drink pouches are thrown out each year? TerraCycle collects these discarded pouches and turns them into cool products. Sponsored by the drink pouch makers themselves (CapriSun and Kool-Aid) these groovy pencil case holders will be the talk at the lunch table. You can get your school involved too. Collect drink pouches, turn them in and collect cash for your school. Go to www.terracycle.net and find out more. Pencil cases starting at $2. (TerraCycle makes lunch boxes too. See page XXX)
Jodi says, "As a pay-it-forward(er) I try and buy items I know I can give back with. For example Box Top all you do is clip the top and turn it in. Your school gets $.10 back for each one. You can also turn in your Sunny Delight Labels to earn points towards free books. There is also a program called Terracycle that donates to your school. Capri sun is one of the products."
I love school supplies! But before my mom and I go shopping for them, we think of the environment, and I hope you will too. First, check your school supply list carefully: You’ll find that you have lots of things already in your house from last year, like crayons, scissors, or leftover glue sticks.
Then plan for the new stuff! This year, let’s all try to buy at least one eco-friendly school supply. You can find them at most of the big stores like Target and Wal-Mart and also online at
theultimategreenstore.com.
What’s the one green thing you bought or are planning to buy for this school year?
Let me know and you’ll be entered to win one of two eco-friendly school supply kits from our friends at
TerraCycle!
I
t’s back-to-school time and it’s
easy to feel overwhelmed by all
the shopping you have to do,
especially if you want to be eco-
friendly.
you needn’t worry. Companies like
TerraCycle are making back-to-school
shopping and green living compatible and
easy.
Students from Scott Elementary School aren't only going green, they're getting green. As if the need to take care of the planet isn't enough, a New Jersey-based company is willing to pay cash for the kids' trash.
"So many recyclable and reusable products are sent to landfills, and we are running out of space for our garbage," said Teri Lodesky, teacher and coordinator of Scott Elementary School's environmental club. "A bonus of the program is that TerraCycle pays two cents for every item collected."
Founded in 2001, TerraCycle is one of the fastest-growing eco-friendly manufacturers in the world. Its free national collection program pays not-for-profit organizations and schools for their non-recyclable waste materials, like lunch staples Capri Sun drink pouches and Frito-Lay chip bags.
With its innovative Upcycle Program, TerraCycle encourages consumers to “be a part of their eco-revolution!” Started by a Princeton student in 2001, it is the company’s endeavor to minimize what most toss as trash. In order to reduce waste in landfills, TerraCycle establishes turn-key operations that make it easier for schools and non-profit organizations to save, collect and donate non-recyclables, and to earn cash from the donations for fund drives.
Through its partnerships with major CPG companies, TerraCycle runs national programs that pay non-profits and schools to collect used packaging such as drink pouches, energy bar wrappers, yogurt cups, cookie wrappers, chip bags and more. The collected materials are upcycled into affordable, high quality products ranging from tote bags and purses to shower curtains and kites. By making products from these various waste streams, TerraCycle prevents 1000’s of tons of waste from going to landfills.
This is like the ultimate way to be green… having NO trash. I like to think we’re pretty green – we recycle, we compost, we barely have any trash. But we do have trash. Look at this way: in nature, there is no trash. What is waste from one, becomes food or shelter for another. Everything is used. Why can’t we do that? That’s where TerraCycle comes in! They take what cannot be recycled and they “upcycle” it to make products you can use.
TerraCycle is fairly new, but is quickly spreading around the world. They pay schools, daycares, families, anybody! 2 cents to send in waste that would otherwise sit in a landfill. How do you get involved and help save the earth?
