TerraCycle, http://www.terracycle.net/en-US/, uses recycled plastics to make this attractive plant caddy. I asked the company to send me one so I could take a look at it and try it out. I love the concrete look. And, I especially love the fact that it is as light as a feather and as strong as steel! It measures 1-foot-square (12" by 12"), and holds as much 200-pounds of wet dirt and flower pot.

Green Kids: This is the first in an ongoing series about efforts by area students to live greener lives. Some environmentally savvy students in Memphis-area public and private schools are happily helping to turn their trash into treasure. Their efforts at recycling are in conjunction with a company that makes plastic household products for sale. The students are participating in a "drink-pouch brigade" recycling effort through TerraCycle (terracycle.net). The students collect the pouches and send them to TerraCycle, which converts them into usable materials. "(Recycling) is part of their culture now," said principal Bridget Martin of Sacred Heart School in Southaven, one of the participating schools. "Our seventh- and eighth-graders recently had a guest speaker for theology who brought them snacks and soft drinks, and at the end they asked me where the bins for the trash were. They knew not to throw it in the regular trash." The 360 students of Sacred Heart, which belongs to the Catholic Diocese of Jackson, Miss., have been involved with TerraCycle since February 2011, when parent Michelle Stamm and others signed the school up.

Green Kids: This is the first in an ongoing series about efforts by area students to live greener lives. Some environmentally savvy students in Memphis-area public and private schools are happily helping to turn their trash into treasure. Their efforts at recycling are in conjunction with a company that makes plastic household products for sale. The students are participating in a "drink-pouch brigade" recycling effort through TerraCycle (terracycle.net). The students collect the pouches and send them to TerraCycle, which converts them into usable materials. "(Recycling) is part of their culture now," said principal Bridget Martin of Sacred Heart School in Southaven, one of the participating schools.

O projeto "Brigada Coppertone Protetores do Planeta" continua a todo vapor durante o ano e contará com a ajuda de todos nesse desafio de cuidar do meio ambiente. O programa, que tem parceria da TerreCycle, coletará embalagens de protetor solar vazias (independente do tamanho e da marca) e transformará em matéria-prima novamente, substituindo material virgem e evitando que mais recursos naturais sejam extraídos.

Greening the Great White Way began in earnest in 2008, when a few dedicated theatre professionals saw ways in which Broadway could set the stage for more sustainable productions, without losing any razzle-dazzle. TheBroadway Green Alliance has created a wide array of eco-initiatives, motivating professionals and audience members alike to adopt a greener ethos. The storied lights of Broadway are beautiful, but the environmental impact of incandescent bulbs was anything but. The BGA accomplished the Herculean feat of bringing theatre owners to the same page and making all marquee lights energy-efficient LED bulbs – all 100,000+ of them, saving over 700 tons of carbon a year. The shows are still hot, the planet a bit less so. When it was observed that the binders used for scripts and light cues were thrown out after every show, the BGA created the Binder Initiative, offering a place where binders could be donated after use and recycled into another show. The initiative is an incredible success, saving mountains of binders from landfill. The BGA is working to bring Off-Broadway and other local theatres, for whom costs are an even bigger concern, into the program. Soon, there will be binders that have been in more shows than some of the busiest actors in town. Those busy actors often wear body mics, and the need for fully-charged batteries is mandatory. The BGA has convinced most of the productions to opt for rechargeable batteries, thus keeping thousands of tons of toxic waste out of the system and saving money for more important investments. One of the BGA’s greatest successes has been in tapping individuals’ green passions, whether they are ardent environmentalists or just want to lessen waste. Many shows now have a “Green Captain” – one person, whether in cast or crew – who acts as advisor, point person, and liaison, helping to green the shows and the people who make them happen. At that great green musical Wicked, the Green Captain is actress Nova Bergeron. On the road, Nova discovered many theatres had no recycling facilities, so she gathered cans & bottles and recycled them herself. Since she joined the Broadway company, just a few of her accomplishments include: switching everyone to recycled-paper tissues, swapping paper for fabric towels, gathering #5 plastics to recycle at Whole Foods, and collecting corks and makeup containers to recycle at TerraCycle (with her help, the BGA has kept over 18,000 corks out of landfills!). ‘Wicked’ also green-lit welcome tote bags with stainless steel water bottles for all new company members, which Nova presents. She is currently creating a labeling and storage system for reusable flatware so that the company can stop buying – and throwing out – plastic utensils. Over at the new play Peter and the Starcatcher, currently up for 9 Tony Awards, co-star Adam Chanler-Berat assumes Green Captain duties. Busy as he is, he felt this was too important a responsibility to pass up and hopes to inspire others as well. Already, he’s got many cast and crew members to use reusable water bottles and they fill from the tap, as opposed to plastic jugs. Next, he plans to install recycling bins in every dressing room, put up signs reminding everyone to turn off lights, and join Nova in the cork collection. It’s easy to be environmentally inspired at Peter, because innovative set designer Donyale Werle made much of the set from reused materials or items she found dumpster-diving. The Tony-nominated set is one of the most exciting in town, proving that you don’t need to make an impact on the earth when you are making one on stage. The BGA is constantly developing new projects and greater outreach. Everyone is welcome to join and help Broadway scale higher, greener heights.

Teachers and administrators at Collinsville School are taking advantage of grant opportunities, and students there are seeing the benefits. Three recent grants have allowed students to further a recycling program, get a pet in the classroom and give other students the chance to learn hands-on Alabama history. Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation recently awarded a $4,000 Toolbox for Education grant to Collinsville School to build an enclosed pavilion to house the Collinsville School Terracycle recycling area. Collinsville is one of more than 585 schools or parent organizations to be awarded a Lowe’s Toolbox for Education grant for parent-initiated school improvement projects benefiting K-12 public education across the U.S. during the 2010-11 school year. The Collinsville Terracycle Project needed a weather-resistant structure to house collected items for recycling. Currently, recycling bins are located outside in the open. Rainwater often fills the bins during stormy weather. Wind creates a problem when it blows the lids off the bins and the contents are spread throughout the campus. The pavilion will provide a cleaner more sanitary environment for collecting recyclable products. The project is scheduled to be completed this summer. “Lowe’s is committed to recognizing and supporting efforts that enrich the lives of our neighbors and customers,” said Marshall Croom, chairman of Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation. “By supporting schools like Collinsville, we know we are contributing to a cause that’s important to our customers and employees and helping build stronger communities.” Another grant received recently at Collinsville School was from the Pets in the Classroom program. Collinsville fourth-grade teacher Lorilyn Owen received the $150 grant to buy a leopard gecko for her classroom. “This addition has allowed us to learn about desert environments and reptiles,” Owen said. “We also discussed voting and utilized tally marks when choosing the name. We calculated how long it would take Rio to eat 500 mealworms. We are learning new things every day. Owen said the Collinsville fourth-grade classes also visited Sequoyah Caverns on Thursday thanks to a Target Field Trip Grant. Owen said the three classes received $700 from Target Stores to fund the trip, along with lunch at Stevi B’s in Fort Payne. “The staff at Stevi B’s greeted all 66 students with a smile and were outstanding with our group,” Owen said. Owen said the trip to Sequoyah Caverns near Sylvania follows the fourth-grade Alabama history course of study requirements.

La Oficina Ambiental Univerde, del Consorcio de la Ciudad Universitaria, apoya el proyecto Reciclaje de material de escritura utilizado en los centros (facultades, escuelas e institutos universitarios, servicios centrales, etc.) de la Ciudad Universitaria, pertenecientes a la Universidad Complutense y a la Universidad Politécnica de Madrid. Para la difusión de este proyecto se han puesto en contacto con la Biblioteca de la UCM con el fin de que en todas las bibliotecas de los centros se haga la difusión del proyecto, ya que las bibliotecas son puntos importantes de generación de residuos de material de escritura.