January may mark the first month of the Western calendar, but for many (including myself), the August and September months truly punctuate the New Year.
Students, parents of students, and anyone who was ever either or both of these can relate: Back-to-school season is a time for new beginnings, and this too often means new "stuff." Now is a prime time to reevaluate your habits, schedule, and routine as they relate to your mission to live your best life with minimal impact on the environment.
A more sustainable routine is something to strive for year-round, but in the spirit of fresh starts, here are four simple ways parents and students alike can go green for back to school:
Tom Szaky has a motto: “Garbage is my passion.” The Princeton dropout with the mad-scientist mien wandered into the headlines in 2001 when he announced his intention to create a business empire selling worm-poop fertilizer. The company he launched to build it,
TerraCycle, now generates annual revenues in the tens of millions (not from worm poop, but through recycled cigarette butts, coffee pods and more). It’s even been the subject of a TV docu-comedy,
Human Resources, about its team of quirky-cool staffers and their mission to repurpose stuff like rolled-up toothpaste tubes.
Now TerraCycle is making news with a project Szaky, 35, of Titusville, is especially proud of: turning plastics chucked into the world’s oceans into shampoo bottles.
“People always ask me, ‘What are you doing about ocean plastics?’ And frankly, I’ve never had a good answer for them,” says Szaky. Now TerraCycle has linked with Proctor & Gamble to make Head & Shoulders bottles out of water bottles, sand shovels and other sun-scorched debris.
Aluminum beverage cans are top of mind as far as recyclable items go, and in the swell of the summer, we go through a lot of them. At the center of tailgates with friends, backyard barbecues with family and low key afternoon hangs, empty beverage cans multiply almost as fast as cases get off the truck. In some circles, “Where’s your recycling?” is a common phrase heard, and it does show; the recycling rate for aluminum beer and soda cans holds a bit higher than items such as plastic bottles and jars.
Glass is another widely recyclable beverage packaging material for beer and soda products. Unlike can pull-tabs, glass bottles open by pulling off a bottle cap, typically colorfully decorated with the logo of the brand of beverage. We’ll play games with them, mindlessly pocket them, and some people even collect them.
In today’s fast-paced culture, our health and well-being often fall by the wayside. Carving out time to exercise, shop for whole foods, and cook healthy, nutritious meals can be a challenge. It all comes down to planning, and we don’t always have the time or head space to spare.
This has led to more and more healthy, nutritious foods carrying over to the "convenience" market. Long synonymous with processed foods lacking nutrients and brimming with chemicals, convenience food today can deliver premium ingredients with the accessibility, portability, and ease of use that the modern consumer demands.
There’s no better evidence that your friends and community value you than having them help replace the tools of your trade, in this case sound equipment — the life blood of Ahmad Shakir’s career as a DJ and sound designer.
Last year Shakir, perhaps known better as DJ It’sJustAhmad, was distressed when much of his collection of professional sound equipment was essentially ruined when an outdoor event came to an abrupt close due to a nasty summer storm.
Fortunately, Shakir wasn’t injured, just heartbroken. Even more fortunately, his friends came to the rescue.
Toy libraries provide children with a place to play and learn and families and individuals with a place to donate gently used toys so they don't end up in landfill.
Toys that once captured childrens’ attentions are now sitting at the bottom of toy bins across the globe, waiting to be sent to landfill. But luckily for those old, unwanted toys, toy libraries are here to give them a second chance.
The annual summertime Jersey Fresh Jam’s status as Trenton and New Jersey’s leading hip-hop festival gets a boost from the involvement of Masta Ace.
As the British website Jazz Cafe says, “Brooklyn’s Masta Ace is an iconic figure within the East Coast hip-hop scene. His flows have influenced the likes of Eminem, Rakim, and Big Daddy Kane to name few, in a career that has spanned over two and a half decades.”
The Trenton event held since 2005 on the grounds and walls of the Trenton company TerraCycle is set for Saturday, August 12, from noon to dusk.
As part of the program, Lotus employees are utilizing TerraCycle’s All-In-One Zero Waste Boxes.
Lotus Pictures, a New York-based production company, has launched a zero waste program in an effort to divert more of its waste from landfill.
“Lotus Pictures wants to reduce our footprint and adopt environmentally friendly measures wherever possible,” said D. Michael Aspite, partner and executive producer of Lotus Pictures, in a statement. “Right now, we’re a small company, but we believe small steps can make a significant impact.”
One issue plaguing recycling efforts is the fact that only certain waste is accepted for recycling while the rest has to be thrown away. Lotus Pictures, a New York-based production company, is offering its employees a way to recycle their traditionally non-recyclable waste easily and sustainably with TerraCycle’s All-In-One Zero Waste Boxes.
According to senior management, Lotus Pictures started using Zero Waste Boxes in an attempt to do their part to combat waste since modern living generates massive amounts of garbage that goes to landfill and can be very environmentally harmful.
Corporate Responsibility Magazine has announced the finalists for the 10th annual
Responsible CEO of Year Award, and for the seventh annual
Lifetime Achievement Award. These prestigious awards are presented by previous winners to those leaders practising positive corporate social responsibility (CSR). The awards ceremony will be held at the
CR Magazine Commit!Forum at the MGM National Harbor in Maryland on October 11 and 12, 2017. A two-day roundtable will feature speakers and interviewers, such as
Triple Pundit’s Nick Aster (“people, planet, profit”) and Joe Johns of CNN, discussing CSR trends and issues.
