Did you know you could be raking in the pennies while doing something that’s good for the environment:  recycling?   It all started when I bought five packages of Capri Suns at Kroger to fulfill part of a rebate I was working on. On the back of the package was information about Terracycle, a company that has kept over 1.2 billion pieces of trash out of landfills while fashioning super cool backpacks, pencil cases, tote bags, trash cans, even cork boards! Even more amazing to me was that they would donate $ .02 per pouch collected, to the school or charity of my choice!

The parents of one of my daughter’s classmates are taking recycling to a new level. Inspired by TerraCycle’s Drink Pouch Brigade, they’ve been collecting used CapriSun drink pouches and turning them into cool lunch bags. Last Sunday, they hosted a work party at their home, and kids helped create and decorate one-of-a-kind artsy bags using a sewing machine. When the school holds its annual Art Walk fundraiser a few weeks from now, these bags will be part of the items on display. Isn’t that cool?

TRENTON, N.J., March 7, 2013 – GoGo squeeZ, the popular healthy snack brand, has been working with TerraCycle to solve the issue of snack pouch waste through a recycling collection program called The GoGo squeeZ Brigade.  For each pouch collected and sent in to TerraCycle, the collector earns points toward charity gifts or donations.  More than 220,000 pouches have been collected since the Brigade launched two years ago, and more than half of the pouches were collected within the past six months. Due to the success of The GoGo squeeZ Brigade, additional spots are being opened for Earth Month, which will allow thousands of additional people to participate. GoGo squeeZ has exciting opportunities coming up for its collectors during Earth Month 2013. In order to reward Brigade participants for recycling their products, GoGo squeeZ is:

Today is Earth Day. As you may have gleaned from reading my blogs over the last few years, I try to live every single day with a deep awareness of this planet, its environment, and how it all affects our health.

Recycling is an easy way to pitch in and save the planet.  There’s the usual paper, plastic bag, cans and bottles that go in the big, blue recycle bin in your backyard. In addition to those, think twice before throwing these items into the trash bin: 4.       Potato chip wrappers TerraCycle takes potato chip wrappers, foil wrappers from candy bars and other junk food, as well as department store plastic bags, and uses these materials to create a variety of items from messenger bags to office supplies.  To find out more about their products and how you can contribute to this fun creative recycling process, go to www.terracycle.net.

Did you get the memo? Earth Month is about celebrating efforts, sharing best practices and getting inspired. Your office likely already has the bin in the kitchen for cans and glass and near the photocopier and fax machine for recycling paper. That’s a great start…but it’s only the beginning of what’s possible. What does your office do with plastics, food waste and technotrash like CDs, PCs and cell phones?