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One mission, many ways: 7 earth-forward companies we know and love

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Impossible Foods was founded with an ambitious mission: to restore biodiversity and reduce the impact of climate change by replacing the use of animals as a food production technology. This commitment is at the core of everything we do. It’s the driving force that motivates us. And we know we aren’t the only ones.

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In honor of Earth Day this year, we took a look at other companies who share our mission to save the planet by empowering consumers to make good choices in everyday life. There are many more, but here are a few we know and love:

ACTIVATE: Patagonia

“We’re in business to save our home planet.”

Like many other planet-forward companies, Patagonia uses all resources at their disposal to make an impact. Patagonia’s founder, Yvon Chouinard, was key to the establishment of “benefit corporations” — expanding the boundaries of traditional corporate models to include creation of environmental and social good. Famously known as “The Activist Company,” Patagonia doesn’t limit their work to the products they make: they use their corporate platform to champion important environmental issues, including the preservation of Bears Ears National Park, the Green New Deal, and more. Learn more about Patagonia’s mission on their website.

DRIVE: Tesla

“Tesla’s mission is to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy.”

Founded on the belief that sustainability doesn’t have to come at the cost of quality, Tesla has helped universalize the concept of electric personal transit. With their vehicles alone, they have prevented over 4 million tonnes of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere — not to mention the tangential impact of other car companies following their lead. In the spirit of moving toward a zero-emission future, Tesla has now expanded their efforts to create a sustainable energy ecosystem — releasing products like Powerwall, Powerpack and Solar Roof. Learn more about Tesla’s mission on their website.

SHOP: thredUP

“thredUP is on a mission to inspire a new generation of shoppers to think secondhand, first.”

The fashion industry is notoriously harmful to the environment. Every year, new clothing production contributes billions of pounds of waste to our landfills — in addition to using precious natural resources and polluting our atmosphere. thredUP encourages more people to give clothes a second life before buying something new. Their ultimate goal is to change the way new generations think about used clothing and in doing so, inspire a movement around sustainable fashion. They’ve crunched the numbers and again, the small actions add up: if everyone chose used over new just once a year, almost 6 billion pounds of emissions, 25 billion gallons of water, and 449 million pounds of waste would be saved. Learn more about thredUP’s mission on their website.

EAT: Beyond Meat

“At Beyond Meat, we believe there is a better way to feed the planet.”

Beyond Meat is one of our many allies in the fight for a more sustainable global food system. Like us, they believe that plant-based protein is the future — one that will improve human health, alleviate climate change, reduce global resource constraints and improve animal welfare. They focus on using familiar vegetable proteins, such as pea-protein and beet juice, to recreate the experience of eating meat. Beyond Meat first launched in Whole Foods, and now has multiple products across retail and foodservice that all have a significantly lower impact on the environment than animal-based protein. Learn more about Beyond Meat’s mission on their website.

DRINK: S’well

“S’well’s ongoing mission is to create products that are both beautiful and eco-friendly, that infuse innovation with inspiration, and that continue to give back to communities in need.”

Sometimes, something as simple as purchasing a reusable water bottle can have a monumental impact. Disposable water bottles are one of the biggest contributors to single-use plastic consumption. Globally, 1,000,000 plastic bottles are purchased every minute, and most of these plastics end up in landfills or waterways. S’well is dedicated to reducing that consumption by providing an alternative that people are excited to use: fashionable, functional, and better for the planet. Learn more about S’well’s mission on their website.

CLEAN: The Seventh Generation

“We’re inspiring a consumer revolution that nurtures the health of the next seven generations.”

For the past thirty years, Seventh Generation has been looking out for the planet and the people on it. Founded on the belief that a company’s values are as important as the products they put out into the world, Seventh Generation has set a gold standard for corporate social responsibility. Their products do more than clean your home — by using plant-based ingredients and recycled packaging, they also safeguard the environment. And they haven’t stopped there: their Social Mission Board continues to raise the bar for sustainable practices to ensure a continued dedication to people and planet. Learn more about Seventh Generation’s mission on their website.

RECYCLE: TerraCycle

“TerraCycle is Eliminating the Idea of Waste® by recycling the ‘non-recyclable.’”

Though the definition of what is “recyclable” has become increasingly limited, TerraCycle is out to prove that anything can have a second life. Through partnerships with companies, manufacturers, municipalities and more, they’ve implemented a number of solutions to make recycling more feasible for both businesses and consumers. These solutions include free recycling programs, Zero-Waste Boxes (allowing people to send in everything from action figures to flip flops), and a host of educational resources. So far, they’ve successfully diverted millions of pounds of waste from landfills and incinerators — preventing them from polluting our oceans, terra forms, and atmosphere. Learn more about TerraCycle’s mission on their website.

In order to protect the best-known planet in the universe, we’ll need to work together.

We applaud companies with this mindset, and encourage our friends and fans to explore the different ways they can make a positive impact.

Earth Day is an opportunity for us to reflect on the issue at hand and remember why we’re fighting for this great planet. This is why we’re supporting our friends at The North Face (Read about their environmental efforts on their website) to petition to make Earth Day a national holiday — so we can all take time to appreciate this place we call home.

Sign the petition here.

Then, grab a burger, order some groceries, and start your spring cleaning.

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10 Small Beauty Tweaks That Will Help Save The Planet

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We really do wish we could be the type of citizen who lives a zero-waste lifestyle. You know those people who hold the contents of their lives in a Mason jar? We want to be them, we really do. Until we think of our dry shampoo habit, how alive we feel with a little blush, all the SPF and nail polish options we need... and, well, so long, tiny living. But just because we won’t cut down on our fragrance collection doesn't mean that there aren’t other things we can do to help cut down on waste and lighten our environmental footprint. A lot of times, tiny shifts in action can stack up — and making those changes to our beauty regimen is a great place to start. For example, if you religiously buy the same damned shampoo over and over again, then consider purchasing a jumbo-size bottle to cut down on plastic waste. Even better, if your shampoo is sold in bulk at your local purveyor of healthy-chic things, you can often bring your bottle back for in-store refills. Another idea: Since research shows that oxybenzone, a popular active in physical sunscreens, wreaks havoc on coral reefs and the organisms that live within them, try using one with zinc oxide and or titanium dioxide instead. And that’s just the tip of the ever-melting iceberg. Ahead, check out ten little changes you can make to your beauty routine in efforts to help spare the air, water, soil, animals, and yes, humankind. You’ll be shocked by how easy they are to make — no major downsizing required. At Refinery29, we’re here to help you navigate this overwhelming world of stuff. All of our market picks are independently selected and curated by the editorial team. If you buy something we link to on our site, Refinery29 may earn commission. Stop Wasting Your Wipes Just like body wipes, traditional makeup and cleansing wipes are known to pile up in landfills and ultimately harm the planet if they aren't sustainable or biodegradable. To combat that waste, multiple companies have started offering makeup towels. Think of them like a washcloth, but better and more eco-friendly. All you have to do is wet them, scrub them around your face, and they can do everything from cleansing to exfoliating to removing all your makeup. Then, after multiple uses, you can throw it in your laundry bag, wash, and repeat. Take A Waterless Shower Thanks to the miracle that is dry shampoo, many of us don’t have to lather up (our heads, at least) more than twice a week — something that saves 10 gallons of water per shower, presuming it takes about five minutes to wash and condition hair per session. If you want to up the ante and cut out an entire shower’s worth of water waste — about 17 gallons for an eight-minute rubdown — without smelling like a barnyard, ditch the water altogether by using a rinseless cleansing foam on your body. This one, and its wipe form, doesn’t leave skin feeling sticky or dry. Need your shower for shaving? Consider going the laser route, or try these simplified wax strips that — finally — don't require you to chafe your hands warming them up. Yuni Flash Bath No-Rinse Body Cleansing Foam, $22, available at Sephora
Swap Out Aerosol Sprays After researchers found that chlorofluorocarbons were hacking away at the ozone layer, legislators required that product manufacturers remove the dangerous chemicals from hairsprays, deodorants, room fresheners, and more. That was more than 30 years ago. But taking CFCs out of aerosols didn’t exactly make them environmentally friendly, because our dry shampoos and canned volumizers still need compressed gases or hydrocarbons to do their thing. And once these elements are released in the air, our collective carbon footprint gets bigger. There’s even more not to love about aerosols: They emit volatile organic compounds (or VOCs), chemicals that contain carbon and vaporize in the air, and then we breathe them in. These chemicals, along with nitrogen oxides, are responsible for ground-level smog on hot, sunny days, smog which research shows may be linked to asthma. The effects of aerosols also affects our water supply: Studies also show that aerosols make for more pollution-rich clouds, which shrinks the size of rain droplets that form. To spare the air, waterworks and possibly, your lungs, consider dry shampoo in a powder form. Or try swapping out aerosol-based texture sprays for those housed in pump-fueled containers. This one creates volume sans can and uses niacinamide and pea proteins to boost hair health. Honest Beauty Honestly Uplifted Volumizing Spray, $24, available at Honest Beauty
Switch Your Sunscreen To Save Coral Ask any derm, cosmetic chemist, or skin-care brand: Sunscreen is one of the trickiest items to make and get right. First, there’s the FDA to contend with. And unlike many other skin-care products, we can almost instantly tell whether it works or not — and it has to work. It must also apply smoothly, not leave a chalky residue, emit no funny scent, and, for some, have good-for-you ingredients. Now, there’s another vital characteristic a sunscreen must have to pass muster for anyone that gives a shit about the oceans: It must be oxybenzone-free. Because according to a 2015 study, the chemical active in some sunscreens (which washes off of our bodies and into the water) is also responsible for killing coral and accelerating DNA damage in the organisms that live inside it. This formula, which was developed for sensitive, post-procedure skin, uses mineral actives only, quickly absorbs without a trace, and doesn’t leave skin feeling greasy. And look how fun and happy the bottle is! Dermaflage Scar Screen Broad Spectrum SPF 30, $30, available at DermStore
Edit Your Eyeshadow Collection Packaging and containers, including those holding beauty products, make up for 30% of junk in our landfills, according to the EPA. We can do better, right? For one, think about swapping big-ass (and plastic or glossy-coated cardboard) palettes for precise, singular products. By paring down to only the colors you'll ever actually use, you’ll not only cut waste, but save money and precious space in your makeup bag. This eyeshadow can be purchased with or without a compact, which means you can pop pans in and out to suit your needs (and buy refills for a heck of a lot less). And Alima Pure isn’t the only brand kicking down customizable makeup options — check here for a whole lot more. Alima Pure Pressed Eyeshadow Refill, $18, available at Alima Pure
Support A Low-Waste Salon The last thing we think about after stepping foot into a salon is if and how the joint recycles. (What can we say, we’re blinded by the new-hair feels.) But between foils, color by-product, plastics, paper, and metal, salons go through quite a bit of materials in the process of making our hair look dope. It’s one of those no-duh realizations that kind of hits you on the head — and immediately begs the question: “But does my salon recycle?” It’s more than worth an ask. You might find out that, like Ion Studio NYC, it does. The conscientious salon also only uses green and renewable energy and is stocked with Davines hair-care products (which are amazing, BTW). The products themselves are made of environmentally-friendly packaging, including conditioner tubs that use a minimal amount of plastic, are 100% carbon-neutral, sourced from the food industry, and designed to be repurposed into little planters or a catch-all for hair ties and bobby pins. Or you may find out that your salon isn’t quite there yet. But either way, the inquiry may lead to greener practices by your favorite chop shop. “If a patron tells a salon that she chose it because the salon recycles, that will encourage the salon to continue,” says Lauren Taylor, a spokesperson for TerraCycle, a company that provides recycling services to salons. “Consequently, if a patron tells a salon that she chose another salon because it recycles, that may inspire others to start recycling. When consumers use their wallets to make statements, it affects change.” Davines NouNou Conditioner, $30, available at Davines
Opt For A Waterless Mani & 10-Free Polish Because the earth has a limited amount of natural resources, we tend to be motivated by scary depletion statistics — as we should. But another motivator can be found in how much we’ve achieved. Take water conservation: According to the most recent information available from the US Geological Survey, Americans withdrew 13% less water for use in 2010 than in 2005. Every little bit is making a difference. Which is why electing for a waterless manicure, like the kind that LA’s Nails by Colvon and NYC's Van Court Studioprovide, makes more and more sense. (Not only do soak-free manis conserve water, they are thought to contribute to longer polish wear and more hydrated nails and skin.) Want to up the ante even further? Opt for a nail polish with fewer chemicals. The trend may have started with three-free formulas, but brands like Côte now offer 10-free formulas (in more than 100 chic shades, no less). On the out list? Formaldehyde, dibutyl phthalate (DBP), toluene, camphor, formaldehyde resin, TPHP, xylene, ethyl tosylamide, parabens, and gluten — some of which are known carcinogens and may negatively affect the hormone systems in animals. Côte Nail Polish in No. 45, $18, available at côte
Bulk Up For many of us, living in tiny apartments means buying in bulk is out. But Aveda offers a compelling reason to rethink that strategy, in the bathroom at least. The company notes that buying one of its liter-sized hair-care products — instead of five standard-size bottles — means consuming 40% less plastic (and a 25 cents/oz savings). As for the other 60% of that plastic consumed, the brand makes other moves to recoup waste. It uses post-consumer recycled material as much as it can and tries to package products in containers that can be recycled from home. If any brand product can’t be picked up curbside (like makeup brushes), bring it into an Aveda store and pop it in its recycling bin. Aveda Shampure Shampoo in 1 Liter Size, $40, available at Aveda
Don’t Just Insta Your #Empties, Recycle Them Recycling beauty products isn’t as easy as you’d think. Lots of packaging contains thick plastic (to protect formulas from degradation), mixed metals, and springs all in one shot. Since different materials need to be separated and sorted, the mixed-media nature of cosmetics, skin-care, and hair-care packaging makes recycling these suckers a logistical nightmare. Thankfully, a few forward-thinking companies have programs in place to assist. Since 2009, Kiehl's has offered its Recycle and Be Rewarded program in its retail stores, which encourages customers to return ten empty bottles, tubes, and jars in exchange for a new product. Empties can be dropped off anytime — the store will track your exchanges as you go. Beauty giant MAC offers a similar program via its Back to MAC program. After returning six of the brand’s containers, either online or to a MAC counter, the brand hands over a free lipstick of your choice. The program also features digital tracking, which means you can recycle items as you finish them, instead of having to hoard empties to participate. Finally, Garnier also takes back empties of its Fructis products for recycling via TerraCycle. Any Garnier product with the TerraCycle logo can be sent into the company for recycling. Once received, the hair-care brand recycles the container and donates two cents to the charity of your choice. The extra step may sound like a pain in the ass, until you account for this fact: According to Garnier, personal care and beauty products account for 1/3 of all landfill waste. Yikes! To help raise its recycling numbers, the brand is partnering with DoSomething.org on its Rinse, Recycle, Repeat campaign, aimed at educating consumers about recycling beauty product empties, with a goal of diverting a total of 1 million bottles from landfills in 2018. Kiehl's Calendula & Aloe Soothing Hydration Mask, $45, available at Kiehl's
Go For Single-Blade Razors Most of us still use plastic disposable razors. They're cheap and accessible — it doesn't matter if you leave yours behind in a hotel room. At least, that's what we think. But having to toss your razor at least once a month (depending on how often you actually shave) can add up in both expenses and physical waste. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, in just one year, the U.S. manages to toss almost 2 billion disposable razors and blades into landfills. Gross, right? To break the chain, consider investing in a single-blade razor. Not only does it save you money in the long run — and offer the softest, burn-free shave of your life — but it doesn't contribute to the mass amounts of plastic waste in the world.
 
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Did You Know You Can Recycle Your Empty eos Products? Here's How!

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As someone who receives and purchases a ton of beauty products, I’ve always wished there was a way to be less wasteful when I finish them. That’s why I was so stoked to find out that when it comes to eos products, you actually can be more eco-friendly!   Here’s the scoop: you can ship empty eos packaging TerraCycle and earn 100 TerraCycle points for every pound of products that you send. What to do with those points? Use them to redeems gifts or donate them to your favorite school or nonprofit!   If you’re wondering what happens to those empty eos containers, get this: they can be recycled and reused to make things like park benches or bike racks. Cool, huh?
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7 Influential People on Environmental Advocacy in the Beauty Industry

TerraCycle Include USA ZWB Bausch + Lomb Loop

Our environmental crises might conjure the seventh circle of hell, but a group of trailblazers may just help lead us (and, yes, our beauty routines) to eco-redemption.

The Visionary

Rhandi Goodman, TerraCycle Because everything can be recycled. You can’t commit to loving the climate without three crucial words: mixed-material objects. We’re talking about things like lotion pumps made of both plastic and metal coils. Collecting and sorting these materials costs more than the items themselves. So TerraCycle takes objects that cannot be categorized into a standard sorting bin (toothbrushes) or even things normally tossed in the garbage (cigarette butts, candy wrappers) and makes it happen. “When we think about recycling,” says Rhandi Goodman, the global vice president of Zero Waste at TerraCycle in Trenton, New Jersey, “most people just think of what they collect curbside. In reality, everything can be recycled; it’s just a matter of being able to sort and separate. At TerraCycle, we have a team of scientists to develop the recycling process for these items.” Step one: providing packaging recycling for companies (some of them beauty brands) that use mixed materials. Two: showing them how to use sustainable materials in their products. Three: achieving zero waste through a new program called Loop that refills existing durable packaging. For instance, TerraCycle worked with Bausch + Lomb to implement a recycling program for its contact lenses and blister packs. Admittedly, this process is expensive. But companies who have joined TerraCycle (40,000 and growing) have worked not just to make their own products recyclable but also to fund their categories. “Our national free recycling program is funded by major brands and allows consumers to collect and send their waste to TerraCycle for recycling at no cost to the consumer,” says Goodman.  
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Living green: what it takes to be a master recycler

TerraCycle Include USA Personal Care and Beauty Recycling Program
 
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Aubrei Krummert, owner of Real World Organizing, is seen sorting items into various boxes in her garage, which she will then recycle or distribute for sustainability purposes. Messenger photo by Heather Willar
Note: This story appears in the Sunday, April 21 newspaper on Page A1.
Do you ever feel like you have too much stuff?
That is a common feeling. Another is the dread of cleaning out the items, and for those with an environmentally-conscious mindset, figuring out where those items are going can be just as stressful.
Aubrei Krummert, owner of the Athens business Real World Organizing, has made her job one where she can be as environmentally conscious and “green” as possible. Krummert is a professional organizer, in the same vein as pop-culture icon Marie Kondo, but Krummert’s philosophy is less focused on minimalism and more geared toward functionality. One of the defining parts of her business is how concerned she remains about the future of the items she removes from clients’ homes.
Because of that, Krummert has become an expert on local ways to recycle or donate almost anything a home would have, and has found numerous ways to divert even the smallest items from landfills. A stray screw? She’ll hold onto that for ReUse Industries. Fraying T-shirts? She’ll drop a bunch off at Goodwill, which recycles fabrics. Even old beauty products are gathered in a big box and shipped off to TerraCycle, a company that offers recycling solutions for almost anything.
In Krummert’s world, everything has a meaningful purpose that allows it to be changed into something new and useful.
Krummert first was introduced to professional organizing seven years ago, and immediately took an interest. Sometimes, she said, her work is just about the material items. Usually, though, the removal of items and organizing of clients’ homes resonates with something deeper than that. Krummert says she starts her consultations by asking about the mindset and emotional status of her clients.
“Because if someone is totally preoccupied with something else in their head, be it major or minor, then I’d rather know that so I know how to deal with their stuff and them, because it’s very personal,” she explained. “It has everything to do with peoples’ lifestyle habits and routines.”
Once she knows what items are leaving and what are staying, that’s when her work as a “master recycler” begins. She works with the Athens-Hocking Recycling Centers, ReStore, Athens MakerSpace and many other organizations (on a local and national level) to ensure that she is discarding items as responsibly as possible. She says the educational component of recycling is one of the reasons why it can seem so prohibitive to begin.
“People want to be green — they do. But the education component of being green is highly misleading. The education component nationwide is something the recycling industries has not done well at,” she said. “As a business owner, I feel the responsibility to take advantage of it, and I see the opportunity and feel the need for it.”
Krummert’s house, where she bases Real World Organizing, reflects that undertaking. In her garage, one wall is dedicated to the sorting of various items that will later be transported for recycling, reuse and more. Of course, she’s not perfect and some items do go to the landfill, but as Krummert said, “once you know, you can’t un-know.”
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Recycling, native plantings help the planet

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Karen Neder, of Moline, is passionate about recycling, going so far as to find places to send toothpaste tubes, coffee bags and blue jeans.
Tara Witherow, of Davenport, plants native coreopsis and purple coneflowers in her front yard, saying a green lawn is "just a waste" because it provides nothing for birds or insects.
Rod Saelens, of Fyre Lake, Illinois, gives money to Planned Parenthood because he considers overpopulation as the globe's biggest challenge.
Sandy Stanely, of Muscatine, is board president of Clean Air Muscatine, a nonprofit group organized in 2011 to prod Grain Processing Co. to stop polluting the city's air with particulate matter and sulfur dioxide.
These are the stories of four of the 20-25 Quad-City area residents who showed up March 25 at a gathering of environmentally minded people at a Davenport restaurant.
The event was organized by members of Progressive Action for the Common Good, a nonprofit that aims to educate, engage and empower for the common good. But the goal was to launch a different, informal group called Green Drinks.
The aim of Green Drinks is to bring together like-minded people to share interests and socialize. It is targeted at people who work in environmental fields, but anyone interested is welcome. The first group was organized in London in 1989.
Climate change was high on the minds of everyone at the Davenport meeting, but participants also had personal stories — things they're worried about, things they're doing in their own lives.
In celebration of the 49th observance of Earth Day, here are their stories.

Karen Neder, passionate recycler

Neder got started on her recycling path in 2007 when she joined an Earth Keepers group at Trinity Lutheran Church, Moline. The group was to figure out ways the congregation could be more environmentally responsible.
Going online, Neder located TerraCycle, a private U.S. recycling business headquartered in Trenton, New Jersey. According to its website, it collects what is essentially non-recyclable waste and partners with corporate donors to turn it into raw material to be used in new products.
There's even a rebate program in which recycling can be a fundraiser.
One of the items Neder recycles is chip bags, the foil-lined containers in which Fritos or similar snacks are packaged. Forty pounds is the minimum amount accepted for credit; the last time Neder sent in a shipment, she had 54 pounds.
"That is a lot of snack bags," she said. "And you have to have a gigantic box. I went to Menards and got a refrigerator box." For her efforts, she received two cents per bag, or $84.
Neder has her pastor's enthusiastic blessing, and he has given her a room in the church complex in which to collect, sort and box her recyclables. (She previously did everything at home.) The church has sorting parties once a month.
By now Neder has expanded her reach beyond TerraCycle, thanks to ferreting out programs on the internet for glue sticks, crayons, blue jeans, floppy discs, old sports trophies ... all sorts of things.
She speaks to various groups to spread the word and is heartened by the support she is getting.
"Over the last year, this program has taken off like you wouldn't believe," she said.
Ultimately, though, society's goal should be to slash its dependence on plastic, which is infecting every place on earth, including the human body.
"Plastic never ever goes away," Neder said. "Every single bit that has ever been made is still on the planet. You can't recycle it, you can only downcycle... I think of our oceans, the garbage in our oceans, whales filled with garbage."
To reduce her own use of plastic, she has adopted a habit that she recommends to others of always carrying with her a reusable straw, at least two reusable bags and a reusable drinking container.
That way, one can turn down single-use plastic straws and bags and when buying a beverage, can ask to have it poured into your own reusable container rather than a single-use cup.
Neder also keeps a container in her car trunk to take with her into restaurants in case she has leftover food.
"The hardest part is remembering," she said.
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Beacock’s Music Restring Event

TerraCycle Include USA D’Addario Earth Month
Local musicians are invited to attend a free recycle and restring event at Beacock Music, 1420 S.E. 163rd Ave., Vancouver, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. April 22. Sponsored by D’Addario® and international recycling company TerraCycle®, musicians can bring any old instrument strings for recycling and get their electric or acoustic guitars restrung with D’Addario NYXL or Nickel Bronze Acoustic strings. Old strings collected during the event will be recycled through Playback, D’Addario’s free, national recycling program.
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Community briefs

TerraCycle Include USA Colgate CVS Playground
RECYCLE, HELP WIN A PLAYGROUND TerraCycle, CVS, Colgate-Palmolive and the Starlight Children's Foundation are asking CVS customers to recycle their used toothbrushes, empty toothpaste tubes and floss containers to help win a playground for a children's hospital. Participants visit the CVS promotion website at cvs.com/shop/content/colgate-recycle and download a free shipping label to ship oral care waste to TerraCycle for easy recycling. The state that collects the most waste will win a new playground, made from the recycled materials, that will be awarded to a Starlight Children's Foundation member hospital. The program will accept post-consumer toothpaste tubes and caps, toothbrushes, toothpaste cartons, toothbrush outer packaging, floss containers and oral care products and packaging through June 22. The Colgate Oral Care Recycling Program is an ongoing activity, open to any individual, family, school or community group. To learn more about the program, visit terracycle.com.
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Living green: what it takes to be a master recycler

TerraCycle Include USA ZWB
Do you ever feel like you have too much stuff?
That is a common feeling. Another is the dread of cleaning out the items, and for those with an environmentally-conscious mindset, figuring out where those items are going can be just as stressful.
Aubrei Krummert, owner of the Athens business Real World Organizing, has made her job one where she can be as environmentally conscious and "green" as possible. Krummert is a professional organizer, in the same vein as pop-culture icon Marie Kondo, but Krummert's philosophy is less focused on minimalism and more geared toward functionality. One of the defining parts of her business is how concerned she remains about the future of the items she removes from clients' homes.
Because of that, Krummert has become an expert on local ways to recycle or donate almost anything a home would have, and has found numerous ways to divert even the smallest items from landfills. A stray screw? She'll hold onto that for ReUse Industries. Fraying T-shirts? She'll drop a bunch off at Goodwill, which recycles fabrics. Even old beauty products are gathered in a big box and shipped off to TerraCycle, a company that offers recycling solutions for almost anything.
In Krummert's world, everything has a meaningful purpose that allows it to be changed into something new and useful.
Krummert first was introduced to professional organizing seven years ago, and immediately took an interest. Sometimes, she said, her work is just about the material items. Usually, though, the removal of items and organizing of clients' homes resonates with something deeper than that. Krummert says she starts her consultations by asking about the mindset and emotional status of her clients.
"Because if someone is totally preoccupied with something else in their head, be it major or minor, then I'd rather know that so I know how to deal with their stuff and them, because it's very personal," she explained. "It has everything to do with peoples' lifestyle habits and routines."
Once she knows what items are leaving and what are staying, that's when her work as a "master recycler" begins. She works with the Athens-Hocking Recycling Centers, ReStore, Athens MakerSpace and many other organizations (on a local and national level) to ensure that she is discarding items as responsibly as possible. She says the educational component of recycling is one of the reasons why it can seem so prohibitive to begin.
"People want to be green — they do. But the education component of being green is highly misleading. The education component nationwide is something the recycling industries has not done well at," she said. "As a business owner, I feel the responsibility to take advantage of it, and I see the opportunity and feel the need for it."
Krummert's house, where she bases Real World Organizing, reflects that undertaking. In her garage, one wall is dedicated to the sorting of various items that will later be transported for recycling, reuse and more. Of course, she's not perfect and some items do go to the landfill, but as Krummert said, "once you know, you can't un-know."
Read More