These accessories take recycling to a whole new level. Check out these super cute bags and picture frames -- they're made from Capri Sun pouches and old billboards! Sporting one of these unique bags to school this year will show everyone you care about the environment -- and you'll look stylish too. We having one of each of these products to give away to four lucky winners. All you have to do to win is comment on this post! Be sure to sign in with a valid email address, so we can notify you. If you don't win, you can buy one at TerraCycle.net
As I was reading Success Magazine one day, I came across a great article on Tom Szaky and Terracycle <http://www.terracycle.net/> . It was such a fun experience to interview Tom. Be sure to check out their recycling program to see all the cool things they make out of garbage you send them!
We all shop for groceries, sometimes two or three times a week –- or more. Now turn those shopping trips into easy cash for your school, and encourage friends to do the same! Just look for the Box Tops logo on hundreds of products like Cheerios®, Hamburger Helper® and Kleenex®, in almost every aisle of the store. All you need to do is clip and send them to your school’s Box Tops coordinator —- each one is worth 10¢ for your school.
Another Recycling day is planned by Girl Scout Troop 3263 for September 11 at Market Square in South Hill. New items have been added to the recycling collection and the Recycle campaign will include collecting several different items (all trash) to help raise money and awareness for recycling and they have found a company that will pay us for our trash or you can drop it off at Airtec in South Hill. Some of the young ladies are earning awards with this project. Several of the items that we will be collecting are: Ink jet and toner cartridges, Newspapers, Magazines, And paper, Used drink pouches (ex Capri Sun), candy wrappers, chip bags, cookie wrapper, Gum Packages, Cell Phones, Scott Toilet Paper wrappers, Kashi Packages, Used Neosporin tubes, Huggies Diaper wrappers, Malt-o-Meal cereal packages, Used Colgate Toothpaste tubes and boxes, Stonyfield Yogurt, Elmer’s Glue, Scotch Tape, and Phone Books. If you would like additional information please go to http://www.terracycle.net If you would like to register please make sure you list Girl Scout Troop #3263 as the charity. You do not have to register to participate in this event. You only need to register if you wish to mail the trash to the company directly, however, the troop is currently registered and the above trash is what we are in need of to help this troop start saving the planet.
TerraCycle Denim LapTop Case
Price: $23.99
Why we love it: It's like designer jeans for your laptop.
Where to buy it: Dwell Smart
Made from pieces of scrap denim that would otherwise end up in a landfill, this eco-friendly case offers stylish protection for your laptop. Foam-padded interior, spacious front pocket and a luggage strap for easy traveling
Y’all have no doubt seen the posts by Mandy @ Harper’s Happenings <http://www.harpershappenings.com/2010/07/02/awareness-giveaway-terracycle/> , Suzanne @ Bebehblog <http://bebehblog.com/terracycle-giveaway/> and Allsion @ O My Family <http://omyfamilyblog.com/2010/07/o-my-birthday-bash-terracycle/> about the awesome thing that TerraCycle <http://www.terracycle.net/> is doing. Normally I would politely decline to do a giveaway of a product if several other prominent bloggers had just done one, but this is different. This isn’t about the giveaway. This is about sharing knowledge about this program that everyone should participate in. The free stuff is just icing on the cake.
Of course, recycling and being eco-friendly extends to arts and crafts as well. A group called TerraCycle uses what might be considered trash to re-purpose into a variety of new products. On their website <http://www.terracycle.net/> they have tote bags made of Capri Sun pouches, for example, as well as a multitude of other products for home, garden, school, and gifts.
TerraCycle contracts with schools and non-profits to collect their materials. You can join a Brigade and earn money for your non-profit organization by signing up here <http://www.terracycle.net/signup> . Portland, being the green city it is, has collected nearly 70,000 pieces of otherwise-trash, and made about $1,500 for schools and other organizations in Portland through TerraCycle. To date, Menlo Park Elementary School has the top spot in number of items collected, keeping almost 6,000 pieces of trash out of Oregon landfills.
The TerraCycle folks are sharing a DIY craft idea, designed by Tiffany Threadgould, TerraCycle's Chief Designer. Here are the plans for a toothbrush caddy, or maybe you want to use yours as a pencil holder. Either way it's a cute idea for re-purposing used toothpaste tubes. The directions call for Colgate, but presumably any brand would work.
While many companies boast of using 100% recycled materials for their paper or cardboard products, there are not many companies who take the extra step in saving the earth by "upcycling" previously non reusable products. TerraCyle is one company that is seeking to change that. TerraCycle's slogan is "outsmart waste" and this is exactly that this company has been doing since its inception nine years ago. Founded by a 19 year old Princeton student <http://www.terracycle.net/about_us> , TerraCycle has been focused on finding ways to upcycle everything from Capri Sun packages to Frito Lay chip bags. Because TerraCycle is an upcycling company, and not a recycling <http://www.associatedcontent.com/theme/607/recycling.html> plant, the company does not turn juice packages into more juice packages. Instead, old "trash" finds a new life as it is changed into fashion bags, backpacks, fences, and more for a total of 186 upcycled products to date <http://www.terracycle.net/products> . Many of these products can be found for sale in stores such as Wal-Mart, Target, The Home Depot, Office Max, Petco, and Whole Foods Market. The purpose of upcycling, overall, is to reduce landfill waste by producing products that are even better than the original item; in fact, most of the items used in TerraCycle's upcycling program would normally be considered non-recyclable.
