MIUFI, a Detroit nonprofit that creates urban farms and "sells" produce for suggested donations was named as one of five finalists in the country to win a community garden from Garnier Green Garden Project. Detroit News Final

Salon owners and employees regularly transform clients, but now they can transform the salon itself to become a zero waste establishment. By joining the Zero Waste program from recycling pioneer TerraCycle, salon owners can collect and recycle everything from empty product tubes and bottles, old brushes and combs, latex gloves and even human hair. TerraCycle offers a several Zero Waste Boxes that can help salons reduce their environmental impact. These include:

• Personal Care Accessories Box, which hold brushes, combs, pics, clips, bobby pins, hair ties, empty shampoo and conditioner bottles and caps, gel packaging, non-pressurized hair spray bottles, wax jars, pomade tins, hair dye packaging, blow-dryer attachments like combs and diffusers, and pedicure kits.
• Nitrile and Latex Gloves Box, which holds gloves used for hair color application or pedicures
• Human Hair Box, which holds clippings, extensions or wigs made of human hair

Zero Waste Boxes can be purchased at http://zerowasteboxes.terracycle.com for $27.70 to $103.95, depending on the size.  Once salon owners receive a box for the waste stream of their choosing, they can start collecting. Once the box is full, it is shipped to TerraCycle for processing. The shipping cost is included in the price. According to Tamara Jercha, Sustainability Consultant and Founder of the National Association of Eco-Friendly Salons and Spas, “There was a time when eco-friendly salons and spas were considered innovators. But when market demand leads CEOs of large corporations to go beyond compliance and leave the earth a better place, the professional salon industry cannot lag behind. It is time for this billion dollar industry, capable of influencing all others by the shear multitude of people it comes in contact with daily, to lead by example, create and implement sustainable business practices.” For more information, please visit www.terracycle.com

May 31--PANAMA CITY BEACH -- After joining a worldwide movement to "outsmart waste" last fall, Pier Park is expanding its efforts this summer by launching an area-wide initiative to keep waste out of landfills. Through a partnership with worldwide recycling pioneer TerraCycle, the shopping center signed on to participate in a Cigarette Waste Brigade last year, in which cigarette butts are collected and recycled into plastic pellets for industrial use. Since the brigade's inception, TerraCycle has collected more than 13.5 million units of cigarette butts from 4,801 collection locations. The effort was so successful at Pier Park that officials have decided to expand to recycling other products through TerraCycle's various brigade programs. "As part of Simon Property Group, Pier Park is proud to expand its recycling efforts aligned with TerraCycle's innovative Waste Brigade programs," said Pier Park General Manager Brent Gardner. "Pier Park is committed to doing its part to create a more sustainable environment for generations to come, and this expanded effort will positively reduce landfill waste, which is a primary environmental goal." Starting in June, area residents and visitors are encouraged to bring recyclables to Pier Park on the first Saturday of every month between 9 a.m. and noon. Pier Park will be collecting items for 21 different TerraCycle brigades, which will then be packaged and sent to the organization to be recycled. Categories include: iPod and MP3 players; laptop, tablets and E-readers; Brita filter products; cellphones; cheese packaging; cigarette butts; cleaner packaging; Colgate products packaging; dairy tubs; diaper packaging; drink pouches; Elmer's glue sticks, bottles and caps; energy bar wrappers; Glad food storage products; inkjet and toner cartridges; lunch kit packaging (Lunchables); pairs of shoes; personal care and beauty products; Scotch tape; snack bags; and writing instruments. Founded in 2001, TerraCycle works with hundreds of major brands in the U.S. and in dozens of other countries to collect and repurpose materials that would otherwise end up in landfills. For more information on TerraCycle, visit www.terracycle.com. For more information on recycling programs at Pier Park visit www.simon.com/mall/pier-park or call (850) 236-9979.

Tom's of Maine has launched Toddler Training Toothpaste. The product has a mild fruit flavor, without artificial flavors, sweeteners, preservatives or dyes, to help start good brushing habits early. Since the toothpaste’s ingredients are derived solely from plants and minerals, the product is safe if swallowed and fluoride-free. It also doesn’t contain any gluten, propylene glycol, or sodium lauryl sulfate. And the packaging is good for the planet. The toothpaste tube is recyclable through the Tom's of Maine TerraCycle collection Program, which gathers toothpaste tubes as well as a wide array of personal care product packaging and recycles them into useful products like picnic tables and park benches to prevent waste from reaching landfills. Lindsey Seavey, brand manager at Tom's of Maine, commented: "As a new parent, the amount of choices you need to make about what goes in or on your baby's body can be overwhelming…but it's also a time filled with possibility where even the smallest of decisions can make a difference, especially in the early years when you want to give your child the best start. We believe a natural toothpaste can be one step towards creating a healthy daily routine."

PANAMA CITY BEACH — After joining a worldwide movement to “outsmart waste” last fall, Pier Park is expanding its efforts this summer by launching an area-wide initiative to keep waste out of landfills. Through a partnership with worldwide recycling pioneer TerraCycle, the shopping center signed on to participate in a Cigarette Waste Brigade last year, in which cigarette butts are collected and recycled into plastic pellets for industrial use. Since the brigade’s inception, TerraCycle has collected more than 13.5 million units of cigarette butts from 4,801 collection locations. The effort was so successful at Pier Park that officials have decided to expand to recycling other products through TerraCycle’s various brigade programs. “As part of Simon Property Group, Pier Park is proud to expand its recycling efforts aligned with TerraCycle’s innovative Waste Brigade programs,” said Pier Park General Manager Brent Gardner. “ PierPark is committed to doing its part to create a more sustainable environment for generations to come, and this expanded effort will positively reduce landfill waste, which is a primary environmental goal.” Starting in June, area residents and visitors are encouraged to bring recyclables to Pier Park on the first Saturday of every month between 9 a.m. and noon. Pier Park will be collecting items for 21 different TerraCycle brigades, which will then be packaged and sent to the organization to be recycled. Categories include: iPod and MP3 players; laptop, tablets and E-readers; Brita filter products; cellphones; cheese packaging; cigarette butts; cleaner packaging; Colgate products packaging; dairy tubs; diaper packaging; drink pouches; Elmer’s glue sticks, bottles and caps; energy bar wrappers; Glad food storage products; inkjet and toner cartridges; lunch kit packaging (Lunchables); pairs of shoes; personal care and beauty products; Scotch tape; snack bags; and writing instruments.

L’Oréal’s corporate sustainability commitment, Sharing Beauty with All, is focused on innovating, producing, living and developing sustainably.  One part of that program is Garnier’s Personal Care and Beauty Brigade. The brand formed a partnership with TerraCycle, a specialist in making consumer products from post-consumer materials. Last year, Garnier and TerraCycle transformed over 1,500 pounds of recycled personal care waste into a one-of-a-kind Garnier Green Garden in New York City.  This year, the program is going national in an effort to create gardens for deserving communities. Each Garnier Green Garden will be made from 100% completely recycled materials. According to Lauren Taylor, US director of public relations for TerraCycle, the unique challenge that Garnier’s program presented was developing a solution for the entire personal care and beauty product category’s waste stream, not just waste from Garnier-branded products. TerraCycle had to create a recycling process that was not only robust enough to handle all sorts of personal care and beauty product residue, but also versatile enough to accept the packaging from hundreds of different products—all while keeping it economically feasible for TerraCycle and Garnier. “Luckily, the ‘easy’ to recycle components of the program are indeed the most common,” she said. About 70% of the products collected in this waste stream are either #1 (PET) or #2 (PE, HDPE) plastic. This category contains primarily the personal care portion of the program—bottles and jars for shampoos, conditioners, lotions, body washes, and miscellaneous hair and skin products. It’s the beauty portion of the program that makes the program more difficult. This category contains either #5 (PP) plastics, or “other,” which includes cardboard/paper, #6 or #7 plastics, cosmetic residue, cosmetic brushes and applicators, and other miscellaneous cosmetic products. This portion is most difficult because it requires additional separation, cleaning and processing steps in the recycling process, which is why this category is not accepted by municipal recycling systems, according to Taylor. The Green Garden project isn’t Garnier’s sole answer to reducing packaging waste. It uses 30-50% PCR PET in all of its bottles. - See more at: http://www.happi.com/issues/2014-05-02/view_features/winning-packagingmore-or-less/#sthash.0tAb7CNG.dpuf

A baby's first smile is a moment to treasure. Keeping that grin healthy makes parents smile, too. Tom's of Maine, the leading natural oral care brand, is offering parents a new natural Toddler Training Toothpaste to help start good brushing habits with no artificial flavors, sweeteners, preservatives or dyes. Tom's of Maine Toddler Training Toothpaste gently and effectively cleans tiny teeth and gums with ingredients derived solely from plants and minerals.  Safe if swallowed and fluoride-free, the formula also contains no gluten, propylene glycol, sodium lauryl sulfate. The Tom's of Maine Toddler Training Toothpaste tube is recyclable through the Tom's of Maine TerraCycle collection Program, which gathers toothpaste tubes as well as a wide array of personal care product packaging and recycles them into useful products like picnic tables and park benches to prevent waste from reaching landfills. The company gives 10% of profits back to helping communities across the country and supports access to oral care for children across the nation.

Tom's of Maine Toddler Training Toothpaste gently and effectively cleans small teeth and gums with ingredients derived solely from plants and minerals. Safe if swallowed and fluoride-free, the formula also contains no gluten, propylene glycol or sodium lauryl sulfate. "As a new parent, the amount of choices you need to make about what goes in or on your baby's body can be overwhelming," said Lindsey Seavey, brand manager at Tom's of Maine. "But it's also a time filled with possibility where even the smallest of decisions can make a difference, especially in the early years when you want to give your child the best start. We believe a natural toothpaste can be one step towards creating a healthy daily routine." The Tom's of Maine Toddler Training Toothpaste tube is recyclable through the Tom's of Maine TerraCycle Collection Program, which gathers toothpaste tubes as well as a wide array of personal care product packaging and recycles them into useful products like picnic tables and park benches to prevent waste from reaching landfills. Additionally, Tom's of Maine gives 10% of profits back to helping communities across the country and supports access to oral care for children across the nation. More information is available at http://www.tomsofmaine.com/or http://www.facebook.com/TomsofMaine, or by calling 1-800-985-1188. 

TV clip on student who handles recycling at her school.

(NAPSI)—People around the U.S. are increasingly bringing the “green” back to their neighborhoods. In addition to initiatives like Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) and environmental education through the schools, residents are starting to focus much of their attention on building long-lasting landmarks such as community gardens. The American Community Gardening Association estimates that there are already 18,000 community gardens throughout the country, and for good reason. According to Minnesota nonprofit Green Matters, community gardens decrease crime in urban areas with little vegetation, increase the value of properties in the surrounding area and can help locals save money on food through garden-generated produce. Instead of driving to a distant supermarket for produce or a faraway park for some green space, it’s just a matter of walking over to the nearby garden. The health benefits associated with these gardens show how important open garden spaces can be to otherwise “greenless” urban environments. In 2013, University of Utah researchers found that residents who get involved with community garden projects have recognizably lower body mass indexes than nongardeners, with less chance of being overweight. Not only that, fresh produce from community gardens is less likely to be contaminated with pesticides than other kinds and can be used to teach kids about better nutrition. Organizations such as GrowNYC try to make neighborhood gardens more prevalent. It has already helped establish more than 70 community gardens in New York City, one made with recycled beauty waste with the help of Garnier and recycling company TerraCycle. Initiatives like these not only help establish community gardens in areas with otherwise sparse vegetation, but get the public involved, increase environmental awareness, and educate the community at the same time. Assistant Director Lenny Librizzi shared these tips for getting involved in a community garden. • Look Online—Well-organized community gardens usually have websites or Facebook groups. • Visit—Take a walk through nearby gardens to see which one you’re most drawn to. • Get Your Hands Dirty—Being a member of a community garden is about more than just growing vegetables. All members should expect to help with common areas, composting, watering, or volunteering time.Ê • If At First You Don’t Succeed—Each garden has different rules and management systems. If you don’t feel like you’re gelling with the group, try out another one or consider starting your own. Organizations such as the National Recreation and Park Association and the U.S. Department of Agriculture offer grant programs to communities to help fund garden projects. Some companies are also helping. For example, TerraCycle and Garnier will bring another Garnier Green Garden made out of recycled beauty waste to one of five urban areas in the U.S. in a contest decided by a public vote. To vote and learn more, visit www.green.garnierusa.com.