Local TV brigade hit.

A local organization is mixing faith, and recycling. "Well we truly believe that God calls us to care for creation, and part of caring for creation is caring for the earth,” said Karen Neder with Earthkeepers. Karen helped found Earthkeepers back in 2007. It's a group open to any religion, but all with the same mission: to be more environmentally friendly. "As a way for churches in the Quad Cities area to get together and exchange ideas about greening their congregations,” said Karen. And Karen has gone above and beyond to make her church, Trinity Lutheran, a greenhouse of worship. She started by cultivating the crop of her fellow parishioners. Putting up a display teaching what can, and can't be recycled in the church's own recycling program. Karen said sometimes, it's been a challenge. "It's amazingly confusing for people,” she said. But then, just a couple of months ago, Karen took things to the next level. She discovered an online recycling program called Terracycle. “Terracycle is a program that I started here to encourage recycling of non–recyclables," said Karen. It's as easy as taking things that you didn't know you could recycle; makeup, Chapstick, a Brita filter, putting them into a box, and sending them off. "It's a website that you go to and you can join a specific brigade that's sponsored by a company,” said Karen. A brigade is a specific group of items you're recycling. For example, Kraft sponsors a cheese brigade, where you gather empty cheese wrappers. When enough are collected, Karen puts them in a box and ships them off to the company, where they're recycled. And you even get money for doing it. "Whatever you collect, when you send it into Terracycle, they will give you whatever you collect and the points can be turned into a small amount of money for a charity or a school,” said Karen. Karen chose Trinity Lutheran's preschool, Blessed Beginnings. "The response was so great from parents,” said Karen. A one woman show, Karen is merging faith and recycling into a perfect harmony for the future.

By collecting and sending in traditionally non-recyclable packaging that would otherwise be destined for a landfill, churches could earn points toward charity gifts or a cash donation through a new program from TerraCycle.  This free to join program is open to any individual or Christian school/church, and all shipping costs are pre-paid. Churches like St. Michael Lutheran Church in Greenville S.C., North Moreland Christian Baptist Church in Wheelersburg, Ohio, and St. Joseph Church in Dexter, Mich. collect a variety of items such as drink pouches, cereal bags, toothbrush tubes and toothbrushes, and cosmetic packaging.  These programs are made possible through TerraCycle’s partnerships with Capri Sun, Malt-O-Meal, Colgate and Garnier. Some religious organizations have enjoyed incredible fundraising success through TerraCycle’s Brigade program.  In just three years, St. Gregory the Great Episcopal Church in Athens, Georgia earned over $6,000 though the program.  Last summer, the Hickory Church of Christ in Hickory, North Carolina won the Kraft Cheese Barbecue Bash to earn prizes and a $2,500 donation – doubling the money they had already earned through the Brigade program. “The money we earn through the TerraCycle Brigade program goes to our food pantry,” said Tracie Perkins, the Brigade coordinator at Hickory Church of Christ.  “Our members collect wrappers at home and from coworkers, neighbors and even local businesses.” You can learn more about TerraCycle’s Brigade programs by visiting www.terracycle.com.

“Upcycling,” or the creation of new objects from old or used items, is the latest craze in sustainable living. Spurred by the continued growth of the blogosphere and new platforms that are ripe for inspirational visual content (think Instagram and Pinterest), upcycling is quickly becoming a cultural movement driven by digital content.   Per the Oxford Dictionary, the key attribute of an “upcycled” product is that the result is of higher quality or value than the original. In short, enthusiasts of the trend ascribe to a “higher order” of recycling in which reused items are reincarnated in a better state than they were in before. Upcycling represents the intersection of sustainability and art, and therefore plays well within digital platforms known for showcasing and inspiring via visual content. Digital agency 360i’s Insights group took a closer look at the growth of the upcycle movement, digging through the data to learn more about the trend and what opportunities exist for brands.   Research analysis around the “upcycling” trend provides some key takeaways for marketers interested in connecting their brands to this trend. In order to ensure this movement is the right opportunity, marketers will want to confirm that their audience would identify with upcycling and align their content strategy with the places and ways in which people are sharing. Marketers looking to incorporate upcycling into their digital strategies can capitalize on the trend by providing added value to the conversation and using relevant keywords in their content. For example, 360i client Kraft Cheese recently partnered with TerraCycle (an organization committed to recycling/upcycling) to recycle more than 1.2 million pieces of cheese packaging for Earth Day, andshared this map on Facebook highlighting the top donating states.

The Alpine Montessori School and Brewster County Twin Peaks 4-H Club are collecting items and sending them to TerraCycle to be repurposed into new products.

The Ruidoso News, through its offices at 104 Park Avenue, will provide collection receptacles to staff and clients. The list of products that can be put to good use through Coyote Howling's Terracycle program is large

The Ruidoso News is launching a company-wide recycle campaign. Even though the newspaper's parent has an existing corporate mandate that recycles all newsprint products, General Manager Marianne Mohr is initiating a broader initiative to support the TerraCycle "Brigades" sponsored by Coyote Howling

The Ruidoso News, through its offices at 104 Park Avenue, will provide collection receptacles to staff and clients. The list of products that can be put to good use through Coyote Howling's Terracycle program is large.

The South Brunswick Senior Center, 540 Ridge Road, Monmouth Junction, will collect dairy containers, chip wrappers, Kraft cheese products and electronics for a recycling fundraiser. Terra Cycle “upcycles” the goods into eco-friendly products,

This season, students can reduce waste by collecting one of the most ubiquitous tailgate accessories – red Solo cups – and sending them recycling pioneer TerraCycle.