The three Rs of sustainability are reduce, reuse and recycle. So once you’ve reduced your consumption by using up everything, reused the products you can repurpose, and ended up with empty bottles and make-up cases, it’s time to recycle — and that’s easier than ever. A number of beauty brands have partnered with TerraCycle, which recycles the unrecyclable. For makeup empties, find a Maybelline recycling point at maybelline.co.uk/store-locator, while Kiehl’s, Deciem and L’Occitane help recycle other empties — and all will collect empties from any brand. Go to terracycle.com/en-UK/brigades to find out more.

LANCASTER – A dream 30 years in the making is coming to fruition for author J. Anthony Garreffi.   The proceeds from the sale of his “I Caught Santa” children’s book series, which focuses on good deeds Santa Claus is caught doing, are helping to raise money for various local charities and organizations.   Garreffi, who grew up in Clinton and has lived in Lancaster since 2003 with his wife and their teenage son, was inspired to write “A Christmax Carol” nearly three decades ago after being struck with a thought.   “When you are a kid you think, what does Santa Claus do during the year?” he said. “Helping people and making the world a better place.”   In the book, Santa is caught red-handed taking presents from a home to give to children in need, all while disguised as a homeless person. Three years ago, Garreffi decided it was finally time to publish the book and donate the proceeds to charity.   “I reached out to a local organization, WHEAT in Clinton, which provides services to community members in need,” he said. “I knew they would be a great partner.”   Garreffi pitched the idea to WHEAT Community Connections Director Jodi Breidel and told her that all of the proceeds from the sale of the book would go towards WHEAT’s mission.   “She was so excited and of course said yes,” Garreffi said.   He has since written two more “I Caught Santa” books, each with their own charitable cause recipient that Garreffi has partnered with that matches “the mission” of each book.   “Each book has a built-in cause with Santa doing something wonderful,” he said. “The books have a way to make a difference and raise money and awareness.”   The second book, “Respect Your Toys,” focuses on the issue of toy waste.   “This is a tough one, a terrible problem,” Garreffi said. “I thought, how can I do this so kids can get involved?”   In the book, Santa and his elves have a large scale recycling program at the North Pole. Some characters from book one become animated and show up in book two to help Santa – Paws the cat, and Stix the monkey doll.   “Even they can’t keep up with toys coming back to recycle,” Garreffi said.   Garreffi reached out to TerraCycle to be the business partner for the book, a company that runs a volunteer-based recycling platform to collect non-recyclable pre-consumer and post-consumer waste, and then partners with corporate donors or municipalities to turn it into raw material to be used in new products – including toys.   “They will recycle 100% of any broken toys,” Garreffi said.   Last year Garreffi held a broken toy drive, which he said required “some explaining” for parents, but that in the end they gathered up a lot of toys to send to TerraCycle.   “People were happy to go into their kids’ rooms and gather up broken toys,” he said.   Garreffi will be hosting another broken toy drive at the reading he will be doing at the Festival of Trees at Leominster City Hall on Dec. 10, from 4 to 6 p.m., part of his 2020 ‘3rd Times A Charm’ book tour.     The third book, “My Own Sweet Home,” focuses on adoption of both humans and pets. The subject is close to Garreffi’s heart – he and his wife’s 17-year-old son is adopted.   “He is the inspiration for the third book,” Garreffi said of his son. “He is such a good kid; we are fortunate and blessed.”   Garreffi partnered with Neady Cats in Sterling for ‘My Own Sweet Home’, a no-kill shelter that has placed over 3,000 cats to forever homes since 2015.   Each of the books has its own companion song that Garreffi wrote and recorded that reflect the theme of the book, with him singing and playing acoustic guitar.   Garreffi has recruited local businesses to sponsor the books, which is a win win – the business gets marketing and publicity and the charities benefit.   “The model seems to resonate well with the public,” he said. “Especially this year, businesses have really stepped up. We gave them a great product to share with the community and went on tour and spoke about the mission.”   Avidia Bank and Macaroni Kid Leominster are two of the business sponsors, the latter of which is sponsoring the readings at the Festival of Trees. Garreffi publishes the books under his own independent media publishing company, Ever Learn Media.   The pandemic set the effort back a bit this year. Last year Garreffi held 22 events at libraries, recreation centers, schools and more across the region; this year there were eight events.   “COVID has changed our approach this year,” he said.   Yet Garreffi is not letting that dampen his spirit.   “We’ve got three books, three missions, and three ways to make a positive difference in our communities,” Garreffi said. “If we all do a little extra, we can accomplish so much more. Especially this year we need that spirit to rise.”   The books are sold at events for $5 each and can also be purchased on Amazon.   For more information including upcoming events visit icaughtsanta.org and follow I Caught Santa on Facebook.

The Business Intelligence Group today announced the winners of the 2020 Public Relations and Marketing Excellence Awards which identified the leading agencies and corporate departments who delivered quantifiable business results for their respective clients. “Businesses are certainly in an unusual time, and many rely on public relations and marketing professionals to help ensure customer stability,” said Maria Jimenez, Chief Nominations Officer of the Business Intelligence Group. “Our winners have clearly shown us and our judges that they have the unique ability to solve critical business issues with knowledgeable and consistent communications and campaigns for their clients. Congratulations to you all!” 

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Timeless Skin Care, one of the industry's fastest growing skincare brands has partnered with Target.com, further expanding their retail presence in the US. Known for their expertise in skin serums focused on high concentrations of active ingredients, Timeless was one of the first brands to sell exclusively online. Within days of launching on Target.com, one of the world's most recognized retailers, Timeless sold out of its bestselling 20% Vitamin C + E Ferulic Acid Serum. Husband and wife duo, Alex and Veronica Pedersen founded Timeless Skin Care in 2009 when Alex formulated their first product, Hyaluronic Acid Serum. With clean, simple formulas, Timeless believes that products can be both affordable and effective in achieving healthy, glowing skin.

Two more Montreal-area communities are making it easier to recycle personal protective equipment. Authorities in the cities of Vaudreuil-Dorion and Pointe-Claire have set up boxes at various locations where people can drop off the items. Officials in both cities say it's about time. "I have noticed masks lying in the street and like the volume just went up, right," Judith Largy-Nadeau, Vaudreuil-Dorion's environmental advisor noted. "People using them and just disposing of them wherever they can. We thought this would be a good opportunity to send them somewhere else where they can be reused instead." In that city, only disposable masks are being collected for now whereas, in Pointe-Claire, residents can drop off masks, safety glasses and earplugs.

Pointe-Claire and Vaudreuil-Dorion are now offering bins in municipal buildings to collect used masks during the COVID-19 pandemic. Pointe-Claire has set up recycling bins for disposable personal safety equipment that would otherwise end up in household waste. Disposable masks, earplugs and protective eyewear can be dropped off in the designated bins placed inside city hall, the aquatic centre and Bob-Birnie Arena, which are located between St-Jean Blvd. and Maywood Ave., corner of Douglas-Shand Ave. Vaudreuil-Dorion announced it is collecting single-use masks in bins placed at city hall (2555 Dutrisac St.), the municipal library (51 Jeannotte St.) and the Centre Multisports (3093 Boulevard de la Gare).The city said this initiative aims to prevent disposable masks from being tossed in the environment and from being sent to landfills. The materials are being recovered by TerraCycle, a company that transforms them into raw materials that can then used to make new products.

Two more Montreal-area communities are making it easier to recycle personal protective equipment. Authorities in the cities of Vaudreuil-Dorion and Pointe-Claire have set up boxes at various locations where people can drop off the items. Officials in both cities say it’s about time. “I have noticed masks lying in the street and like the volume just went up, right,” Judith Largy-Nadeau, Vaudreuil-Dorion’s environmental advisor noted. “People using them and just disposing of them wherever they can. We thought this would be a good opportunity to send them somewhere else where they can be reused instead.”

Key Companies Covered in the Eyewear Market Research Report Are Fielmann AG, Johnson & Johnson Services, Inc., Alcon (Part of Novartis AG), Safilo Group S.p.A, Bausch Health Companies Inc., EssilorLuxottica, Carl Zeiss, CooperVision and other key market players. Pune, India, Nov. 19, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The eyewear market size is predicted to be worth USD 178.95 billion by the end of 2026 from USD 115.90 billion in 2018. The forecast period is set from 2019 to 2026 and the market is expected to exhibit a CAGR of 5.7%. With respect to product type, the market will be dominated by the spectacles segment owing to the rising prevalence of eye disorders such as hypermetropia and myopia. In 2018, North America generated an eyewear market revenue of USD 35.60 billion and dominated the market. This domination is attributable to factors such as a rise in awareness about ocular disorders, and preference for premium eye care products.

Eva NYC, a Brooklyn-based cruelty free haircare label that offers clean products that are made with powerful ingredients to support healthy hair, has announced that it is partnering with TerraCycle to make its packaging more sustainable. Through the partnership, Eva NYC will enable its consumers to recycle the aluminum bottles after they've used the product inside. Brand Vice President Jane Morgan spoke to Eva NYC's partnership with TerraCycle, stating “Our goal is to create hair products that are just as down to earth as we are, which is why we’re cruelty-free, completely free from parabens and phthalates, and now 100% recyclable through TerraCycle. This will ensure our customers can trust they'll always be making the right choice for their hair, and can now feel confident it's the right choice for the environment too."