But, really what WOW’d me were the TerraCycle <http://www.terracycle.net/>  goodies. Have you heard about Terracycle? What you do is collect drink pouches, ziploc bags, cookie wrappers, candy wrappers (see the whole collectable list <http://www.terracycle.net/brigades?show_all=true>  here) . For every approved wrapper you get .02 cents donated to a charitable organization. And the items you send get turned into fences, coolers, totes, binders, backpacks and more. And you can BUY these cool goodies online or at retail stores, like the Home Depot or Wal-Mart.

I have a favor to ask of each of you.  Our Girl Scout Troop is participating in a fundraiser through TerraCycle <http://www.terracycle.net/> . We ship (free of charge, I must add) our recyclables in bulk to this company in exchange for money to go towards our Troop activities.

Here is something totally cool I just found out about!  TerraCycle <http://www.terracycle.net>  is the world’s leader in the collection and reuse of non-recyclable post-consumer waste. TerraCycle works with over thirty major brands in the U.S. and in a growing number of other countries to collect used packaging and products (chip bags, candy wrappers, juice pouches, pens, toothbrushes, etc.) that would otherwise be destined for landfills.

Students at Liberty Elementary School are receiving classroom instruction at all levels, including art, which are based on the United States Environmental Protection Agency's guidelines to Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. In fact, the top three Recycle ART projects will be presented at the Los Angeles County Museum of Artr in Spring. Every Friday, between 8 a.m. and 8:35 a.m.., studens, parents, staff and community members bring their recyclable items to teh school. Students are learning to recycle  beyond the usual plastic bottle or can. They bring in all plastics, metals, cardboard, newspaper, and more.

RUMSON, NJ - New Jersey based TerraCycle manufactures more than fifty products made from non-recyclable waste materials. Affordable, eco-friendly items such as shower curtains, purses and kites made from juice drink pouches and bulletin boards made from wine corks are sold in major retailers such as Walmart, Target, Home Depot, Office Max, Petco and Whole Foods Markets. The company has been featured on a National Geographic television program, (Garbage Moguls) won national awards and obtained high praise for its environmentally friendly products and for keeping hundreds of tons of garbage out of landfills. But, how do they amass the huge amount of materials needed to make their products? This is where the TerraCycle Brigades come in. The Brigades are part of a national program that pays school groups and non-profits to collect the items needed by TerraCycle to make its products.

Where: Ziploc and TerraCylce’s “Make-A-Difference Mom” <http://www.terracycle.net/> What: The official title of “Make-A-Difference Mom,” a Ziploc and TerraCycle Prize Pack, $1,500 to reward herself or her community and a video camera. How To Enter: See contest/giveaway page for details Deadline: December 15, 2010

TerraCycle, the popular upcycling manufacturer, has teamed with Ziploc to create the Make-A-Difference-Mom Contest.  The contest which began on October 24, 2010 will run through December 15, 2010. To enter, consumers can visit the TerraCycle website where they can explain how a mom they know embodies the “Make-A-Difference-Mom” ideal–a mom who makes a conscious effort to deliver a positive impact on the environment and the community in her daily life. In January, four finalists will be picked from these submissions and will be highlighted on the TerraCycle Facebook page where fans can vote for their top pick. The grand prize winner will receive $1,500 to reward herself or the community, and a video camera to document her experience.

Saintly Recyclers mail in their trash. Terracycle.net will recycle (usually postage is free) and donate to charity your candy wrappers, yogurt cups, drink pouches, cookie wrappers, Flavia Freshpacks, Frito-Lay chip bags, energy and granola bar wrappers, Bear Naked wrappers, Kashi packages, cell phones, Huggies and Scott tissue wrappers, Aveno tubes, Scotch tape dispensers, corks, cereal bags, Sharpies and Papermate writing instruments, Neosporin tubes, coffee bags, lunch kits (like Lunchables), Colgate tubes and packaging, Ziploc bags and containers, Inkjet cartridges, and Sprout and Revolutions food containers. Preserveproducts.com recycles your No. 5 plastics (same company that has the receptacles at Whole Foods) and water filters into toothbrushes and razors.

With kindergarten teacher Karen Dunlap as their leader, the Norristown school collects drink pouches, chip bags and cookie wrappers — hard-to-recycle waste — and sends them away to be upcycled into eco-friendly products. Upcycling is the process of converting waste materials into new materials, and it’s what the Trenton, N.J.-based company TerraCycle does with candy wrappers, energy bar wrappers and other consumer products, while at the same time paying the schools and charitable organizations that collect the used packaging.

With kindergarten teacher Karen Dunlap as their leader, the Norristown school collects drink pouches, chip bags and cookie wrappers — hard-to-recycle waste — and sends them away to be upcycled into eco-friendly products. Upcycling is the process of converting waste materials into new materials, and it’s what the Trenton, N.J.-based company TerraCycle does with candy wrappers, energy bar wrappers and other consumer products, while at the same time paying the schools and charitable organizations that collect the used packaging.