Clayton Snyder, who graduated in June from Lock Haven University, participated in a study abroad program, spending February to June in South Korea.   Snyder, a senior recreation management major with a concentration in environmental/international studies, had received a $4,000 Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship to study in South Korea. The son of Bob and Kim Snyder of Lebanon, Snyder is a 2008 graduate of Cedar Crest High School.   In South Korea, he attended Chungnam National University in Daejon, where he studied the Korean language and culture.   The Gilman International Scholarship Program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and is administered by the Institute of International Education. Recipients are chosen by a competitive selection process.

With a business plan that began by selling an organic fertilizer made from worm poop, or vermicompost, in empty carbonated soft drink bottles, Trenton, N.J.-based TerraCycle Inc. is a green company that has been linked to the beverage industry since its impetus in 2003. Albe Zakes, global vice president of media relations, explains that the company’s fertilizer was one of the first non-uniform packaged products sold at nationwide chains such as The Home Depot, Walmart and Target. In 2007, TerraCycle shifted its main business model to its Brigade model, which offers free sign-up and shipping for individuals, families or organizations that collect a variety of approved used goods and return them to TerraCycle to be upcycled, or repurposed, into new things, Zakes says. In return for the collection, TerraCycle donates around $0.02 for each unit of waste, such as a drink pouch, potato chip bag or highlighter, to a school, nonprofit organization or charity. The Brigade program began with a partnership with Bethesda, Md.-based Honest Tea to collect the flexible pouches used for its Honest Kids line of beverages. The program grew from 100 schools in the first 48 hours to 500 schools in its first four months, Zakes says. The following year, Northfield, Ill.-based Kraft Foods Inc. brand Capri Sun joined as a co-sponsor of the drink pouch program, which was integral to the re-use of the brand’s pouches and the expansion of the program, Zakes says.

On Sept. 20, Tom Szaky, founder and CEO of Trenton, N.J.-based TerraCycle Inc., one of the leaders in eco-capitalism and "upcycling," will return to address Expo East attendees at 9 a.m. His talk, "Turning Your Waste into Massive Equity," will center on the most effective waste-reduction tips and marketing opportunities in today's environment. Szaky, named the No. 1 CEO in America Under 30 by Inc Magazine in 2006, will tell attendees how to discover and capitalize on hidden assets – such as packaging or used products – and grow a business in a constrained economy.

Buy recycled As much as you may be fantastic at reusing last year’s supplies, you will need to buy some new things for the upcoming school year. The best way to maintain your green credentials is to buy upcycled products. For example, rather than purchasing a regular backpack you can check out Terracycle’s backpack made from upcycled drink pouches (saved from ending up in dumpsters and landfills across America) or TreeSmart’s recycled newspaper pencils. To start the new year off with some new threads, shop for hip and gently used clothes at fashion forward thrift stores like Buffalo Exchange.

You'll Need:

• 1 cherry tomato plant (find an organic variety at a farmer's market or nursery)
• 1 tomato cage, the largest size your retailer carries
• 1 20-quart bag of organic potting mix; we like Organic Mechanics
• 1 bottle or bag of organic tomato food; try Terracycle's Tomato Plant Food (a general-purpose organic will do if you can't find tomato food)
• 1 5-gallon plastic food bucket

WASHINGTON (WUSA) -- We all know that recycling our paper, plastic, and glass is important for the enviornment. But what if I told you that you that recycling certain items could earn you some cold hard cash? Investopedia gives us three things that you can recycle for cash back or a tax deduction: 1. Gift Cards.  We all have received that gift card for a holiday gift or birthday present that we feel like we will never use. If you have one of these lying around the house, Gift Card Rescue is a service that will take your unused gift card and send you a check for it. If you have a gift card that you have used up or it's outdated gift card, Gift Card Recycler will take those and give you points for the number of cards you send in. 2. Cooking Oil.  It may seem odd, but there are several recycling centers, bio-diesel firms, and individuals that will pay you for your used cooking oil. Prices range from 33 cents to 66 cents a gallon. 3. Trash. TerraCycle is a company that will pay you for your garbage. A program that works best with schools of non-profit organizations, TerraCycle will donate money to your cause for every piece of trash you send the organization, and they will even pay for shipping. We're talking candy wrappers, juice boxes, ink jet containers, old cameras -- that kind of thing.

I don’t believe in formal performance reviews. I think they create an environment where employers risk not confronting unsatisfactory performance when it happens — or acknowledging great work when it is delivered.     At TerraCycle, our approach has been to build a culture where feedback is given often and evenly to all 110 employees. We do this through a weekly reporting process (a topic I blogged about a few months ago) that requires every department to submit a detailed biweekly report to the whole company (every employee). In other words, everyone in the company sees the same reports that I do. Then, as chief executive, I write detailed responses to the reports that are also sent to all employees. This process allows everyone to be evaluated, frequently and without prejudice, in full view of their co-workers. I greatly prefer this approach to a more formal, once-a-year sit-down. Someone who isn’t performing well needs to know about it in real time, and someone who is doing great deserves immediate recognition.

TerraCycle creates national recycling systems for previously non-recyclable or hard-to-recycle waste. Anyone can sign up for these programs, called the Brigades, and send them waste. Then, the collected waste is turned into different products and materials available at major retailers. Terracycle encourages teams from the 21 countries where their Brigades operate in to beat their personal and national records during the 2012 Summer Olympic Games. For every country which accomplishes the goal, all the participants who sent waste during the games will receive TerraCycle points. Also, all the shipments will be counted towards the global goal of collecting 4 million pieces of waste. For more information about Terracycle and the Recycling Games, please visit http://www.terracycle.com