NEW YORK—Bust out those reusable bags and ditch the plastic straws because tomorrow is Earth Day. This year’s theme is all about plastics (FYI they weren’t just the ruthless posse in “Mean Girls”). Plastic pollution poses a major threat to the well-being of the planet and everything on it. With tomorrow marking the 48th annual celebration of Earth Day, the theme is centered on ending plastic pollution.

One of the great things about living in the mountains are the refreshing waterfalls, lakes, and streams we have surrounding us.  While it’s super fun for my boys to splish and splash and cool off under the summer sun, the importance of our water sources is something we as parents try to educate them on at an early age. We are blessed to have such a lush and wonderful environment with clean water for our boys to play with as well as to drink, cook, and bathe in! We have to remember that steps need to be made to keep it that way and little choices that we make every day can be beneficial. Even small children can play their part to make a difference in our world.

The Port of San Diego has started a unique project, as it will recycle a type of waste that is often left behind as litter - cigarette butts. This project aims to

 

The Port installed 31 cigarette butt receptacles that it purchased from TerraCycle around San Diego Bay, in Port parks and in other Port areas with heavy pedestrian traffic. The receptacles provide an easy option for smokers to dispose of their used cigarettes. Port’s General Services Department staff will empty the receptacles and ship the used cigarette butts to TerraCycle. TerraCycle will then process the used butts, separating the tobacco from the paper. Those elements will be then composted and the cigarette’s filter will be recycled into plastic pellets.

 

The Port installed 31 cigarette butt receptacles that it purchased from TerraCycle around San Diego Bay, in Port parks and in other Port areas with heavy pedestrian traffic. The receptacles provide an easy option for smokers to dispose of their used cigarettes.

My apartment is rife with black holes. There’s the space between my hamper and dresser, where garments that need mending go — never to re-emerge. There’s the smallest drawer in my kitchen, jam-packed with plastic utensils and forgotten coupons. And then, of course, there’s the second drawer down in my desk: the tech drawer. My tech drawer is a repository for all the tech accessories I’ve ever acquired in my adult life. It’s full of things I don’t have any use for, but have never bothered to get rid of. That’s because it’s easier to stick obsolete wires and digital cameras in object purgatory than it is to figure out how to get rid of them.

What is required to get a sustainable business model in the circular economy started? While there is now widespread support for ideas related to the circular economy, business experience in the trenches quickly makes clear how difficult it is to kick-start the much vaunted potential multi-trillion-dollar industry. More often than not, entrepreneurs learn the hard way that stakeholders - especially consumers - are just paying lip-service to the narrative of the circular economy.

Welcome to Planet for All—a series that will empower you to change our world. This week, we’re teaming up with sustainable thought leaders to unpack five of the biggest threats to our environment and pinpoint accessible, meaningful, and heart-driven action that we can all take to make a huge difference. Today, we’re exploring the massive plastic waste problem with tell-it-like-it-is trailblazer Tom Szaky.

The Port of San Diego has embarked on a unique project to recycle a type of waste that is often left behind as litter – cigarette butts. The Port is working with TerraCycle, a recycling company that has become a global leader in recycling items such as used cigarette butts, coffee capsules and ocean plastic.

The Port of San Diego has embarked on a unique project to recycle a type of waste that is often left behind as litter – cigarette butts. The Port is working with TerraCycle, an innovative recycling company that has become a global leader in recycling items such as used cigarette butts, coffee capsules and ocean plastic.

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. Playback is the world’s first instrument string recycling program, launched through a partnership between D’Addario and international recycling company TerraCycle.