Each morning is the beginning of a new day and another chance to make the world a better place. Think your actions don't make a difference? Think again! Taking small, mindful actions for positive improvement can have a great impact on your community and inspire others to do the same. There are so many opportunities to do good for the planet, and many of them are right under your nose. Here are three ways you can do your part to make the world a better place...all before 10 a.m. * Concentrate on your morning routine. So much of what we do in the morning can be condensed to consume less and do much more. Try to reduce your water usage by shortening your shower time and don't let it run while you brush your teeth. Make your own coffee and lunch to cut down on food packaging waste. Carpool to put fewer vehicles on the road and get to know your co-workers. * Engage in "mindful" acts of kindness. Make it a point to hold the door open for a stranger, compliment your co-worker's outfit or new hairstyle, or buy a snack for the person behind you in line. To be kind is an act of solidarity, and doing good for others will inspire members of your community to do the same. Kindness is the currency of change: spend wisely and often. * Learn about new ways to recycle. Did you know that Malt-O-Meal cereal bags can be recycled through a free program in partnership with TerraCycle, a New Jersey-based recycling company? To begin with, Malt-O-Meal bagged cereal creates 75 percent less packaging waste than boxed cereal with a bag inside. Through the MOM Brands Cereal Bag Recycling Program, you can ensure that none of it ends up in the landfill and raise money for charity at the same time! For more information, please visit www.terracycle.com.

An initiative involving a recycling company and some local Target stores will give a new purpose for discarded, outdated car seats. From Sept. 1-11, the stores and some others throughout Texas will partner with TerraCycle Inc. to collect used and expired car seats. Target customers who bring in a used car seat will receive a 20 percent coupon toward the purchase of a new one. By donating the seats, residents can eliminate clutter and get rid of an item that is normally difficult to donate for recycling because it requires a specified process. According to a 2013 report in “Consumer Reports,” most car-seat manufacturers put an expiration date on their product, primarily because of anticipated wear and tear on the plastic. But finding where to dispose of them can be tricky. “Car seats cannot be recycled through current infrastructure because they are made of metal and plastic textiles of various components that need to be separated in order to be recycled,” said Veronica Rajadnya of TerraCycle Inc.she said New Jersey-based TerraCycle transforms consumer product waste into repurposed consumer items (upcycling). This is the second pilot run for the recycling program, which could become year-round, Rajadnya said. “We would take (a car seat) apart and the component parts would be sold to people that want to buy that kind of raw material,” she said. “Their usefulness comes from the various components.” Because car seats are made of very hard plastic, disposal is a timeconsuming and costly process, according to Lisa Doughty with Waste Management of Texas and Oklahoma, which has offices in Houston. The harder the plastic, the more difficult it is to recycle, Daughty said. “If a material-recovery facility were to receive a car seat of that sort, because of the materials and the make-up of it, it would be very difficult to process,” she said. “It would be labor-intensive.” Doughty compares it to a multicomponent computer. “When a computer is processed, there are so many parts when you break it down that it has to be done manually,” she said. “Think of an aluminum can, a plastic water bottle, a detergent bottle, a milk jug - those are very different plastics versus the type of plastic that would be in a car seat.” Companies like TerraCycle, founded by CEO Tom Szaky in 2001 with an eco-capitalist mission, provide an essential service, according to Sarah Mason, division manager for recycling for the city of Houston. TerraCycle has initiated similar projects with other retailers and companies: three-ring binders with Office Depot and used toothbrushes with Colgate. Another project collects and recycles discarded cigarette butts. While there are no landfill bans on car seats in Texas, Mason said, they are not accepted in prevalent recycling programs or by processors. “TerraCycle is in the business of taking these more difficult-to-recycle products, and they are able to do things with them,” she said. “Whatever their process is for handling these materials and re-manufacturing them into new product - that’s their niche. They go after items that would not be acceptable into more traditional recycling programs.” The car-seat collection program began Sept. 1 and ends Sept. 11; all car seats recovered will be processed through the TerraCycle system and repurposed. The following Target stores throughout Pasadena and the Bay Area will participate in the program: at 5757 Fairmont Parkway in Pasadena, 255 Marina Bay Drive in Clear Lake Shores and at 1801 West Bay Area Blvd., Webster. For more information on TerraCycle, go to www.terracycle.com

The Bloomington Target store is accepting car seats for recycling. Car seats may be placed in a recycle box at the front of the Bloomington store, 2555 W. 79th St., Sept. 1-11. The Bloomington store is one of 56 Minnesota stores participating in the program. Car seats collected through the program will be recycled by TerraCycle, a recycling company. TerraCycle will separate the components of the car seats and process them for use in other products. Participants will receive a coupon for 20 percent off the purchase of a new car seat.

Target stores across Minnesota, including in Otsego and Rogers, are accepting car seats for recycling through Sept. 11. The car seat collection program is intended to help residents reduce clutter without sending waste to landfills. All car seats collected will be recycled through TerraCycle. Residents should bring their car seats to Target and look for the car seat collection box in the front of the store or in the baby and kids floor pad section. When a consumer turns in a used car seat, he or she will receive a coupon for 20 percent off the purchase of a new one. After the recycling program ends, TerraCycle will separate the different components of the car seats (cloth elements, plastics, metals and so forth) and process them for use in other products.

From Sept. 1-11, Humble-area residents can recycle used car seats. Targets across Texas are hosting a car seat collection program to help residents reduce household clutter without sending waste to landfills. All car seats collected through this program will be recycled through TerraCycle so that each component will see a second life. Residents should bring their car seats to 20777 Hwy. 59 North or 6931 FM 1960 Road East, and look for Target’s car seat collection box in the front of the store or in the baby/kids floor pad section. Turn in a used car seat and receive a coupon for 20 percent off the purchase of a new one. TerraCycle will then separate the different components of the car seats (cloth elements, plastics, metals, etc.) and process for use in other products. For information, visit www.terracycle.com.

Between Sept. 1 and 11, Fridley residents can recycle used car seats. Target stores across Minnesota are hosting a car seat collection program to help residents reduce household clutter without sending waste to landfills. All car seats collected through this program will be recycled through TerraCycle so that each component will see a second life. Residents should bring their car seats to the Target store at 755 53rd Ave NE in Fridley and look for Target’s car seat collection box in the front of the store or in the baby/kids floor pad section. When a consumer turns in a used car seat, he or she will receive a coupon for 20% off the purchase of a new one. After the recycling program ends, TerraCycle will separate the different components of the car seats and process them for use in other products.

Between now and Sunday, Sept. 11, residents can recycle used car seats at Targets across Minnesota.  The child-restraint seats collected will be recycled through TerraCycle, which will separate the different components of the car seats and process them for use in other products. When consumers drop off a used car seat at participating Targets, they will receive a discount coupon for the purchase of a new one. Local Targets participating in the baby/child car seat recycling project are West St. Paul Target, 1740 S. Robert St., and the Inver Grove Heights store, 7841 Amana Trail.

Stream: Gentrification, Dramatized The rising tide of high-quality television doesn’t lift all boats. Participant Media recently announced it would shut down its three-year-old cable channel, Pivot, one of the multitude of outlets scrambling to build a reputation for original programming. Pivot made quirky, interesting choices: the unsettling Arctic murder mystery “Fortitude”; the Australian coming-out comedy “Please Like Me”; and “Human Resources,” an “Office”-like documentary series about an actual New Jersey recycling company.

Have an old car seat you're looking to ditch? Drop it off at Target and get a 20 percent discount on a new car seat.

Bring your old car seat to a participating Target store and receive a 20 percent discount on a new car seat in return. TerraCycle and Target have partnered to collect car seats from Sept. 1-11 at 56 Minnesota stores. All car seats collected through this program will be recycled through TerraCycle. Car seats will be broken down into different materials (plastic, metal, cloth, etc.) and made into new products, according to a news release. Drop-off your car seat (all brands accepted) at a collection box in the front of the store or in the baby/kids floor section. Participating Dakota County stores: 15150 Cedar Ave., Apple Valley 1750 S. Robert St., West St. Paul 7841 Amana Trail, Inver Grove Heights 2000 Cliff Lake Rd., Eagan 810 County Road 42 W., Burnsville 15560 Pilot Knob Road, Apple Valley 875 General Sieben Dr., Hastings

From Sept. 1-11, community members can recycle used car seats at Target. A total of 56 Target stores across Minnesota will host a car seat collection program to help residents reduce household clutter without sending waste to landfills. All car seats collected through the program will be recycled through TerraCycle. Crystal’s Target, 5537 W. Broadway, is a car seat collection location. Interested residents can look for Target’s car seat collection box in the front of the store or in the baby/kids section. When a consumer turns in a used car seat, they will receive a coupon for 20 percent off the purchase of a new seat. Target locations in Bloomington, Brooklyn Park, Eden Prairie, Edina, Fridley, Minnetonka, Plymouth and St. Louis Park are participating in this recycling effort.