Have you noticed people bending down at crosswalks and in parking lots to pick up throwaways and then place them in plastic bags? They are not throwing that aluminum tab or can away! And that was actually a cigarette butt you saw being rescued! Perhaps you have spotted the 4-foot-tall bags of cheese packaging hefted into Coyote Howling, or the arm loads of trash bags and boxes of used items being carried into the gift shop. Or have you wondered why the shop is a hive of activity with boxes being carried to and fro every Tuesday morning? You might even be one of the lucky members of the community who has discovered the trash bins are not as full as they once were in your neighborhood! Confused? Don't be! Call a TerraCycler, or visit the TerraCycle Depot: Coyote Howling Shop for a Cause—especially on Tuesday mornings! Or, visit one of the following churches, organizations, or businesses and ask them how they have gotten involved with taking trash back from the dumpsters and landfills to be re-purposed with zero waste. Christ Community Fellowship, Capitan Church of the Nazarene, Angus Foot of the Cross Christian Ministries, Ruidoso Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church, Ruidoso Trinity Southern Baptist Church, Capitan Chamber of Commerce Greeters of Ruidoso Valley; Chef Shawn's Eatery; Compass Bank Sudderth Employees; Gabe Gilmore Construction Company; Hot Hair by Crystal Rose; Fort Bliss IDES, East Fort Bliss, Texas (Angela S., coordinate.); L&L Cards, El Paso, Texas; McGee Construction Company; Nails by Sonia, Head 2 Toe Salon; Optimist Club of Ruidoso; Pizza Hut; Postal Annex; Ruidoso Animal Clinic; Schlotzsky's; Sweet Charity; and Taco Bell. And, as with all TerraCycle re-used, recycled and up-cycled items, rebates are paid directly to the designated not-for-profit: Feed My Starving Children. Other ways to help provide FMSC meals for children are to (1) participate in our on-line auctions,www.32auctions.com/FMSC_NM4 through May 31; (2) purchase with purpose at Coyote Howling Shop for a Cause where a percentage of every purchase goes to FMSC every day of the year; and/or (3) join our TerraCycling campaign. Posters and details for TerraCycle Brigades can be printed fromwww.CoyoteHowlingShopForaCause.com. Tonya Huber, PhD, is founder and owner of Coyote Howling Shop for a Cause. Contact her atCoyoteHowlingNM@gmail.com, (575) 808-8320.

Even though the only things I throw away at work are the stickers from my fruit, I say my lunch is almost waste free because what I put into my containers isn’t completely waste free, yet. I make a lot of foods from scratch (my favorites are homemade granola and energy bars, yum!), and what I have to buy (flour, grains, pasta, etc.) I try to buy in bulk bins. For what I can’t get in bulk, I look for recyclable or compostable containers. I am also able to recycle most of my plastic bags through TerraCycle, like the bags from my oats.