We’ve all heard it on the radio or seen it on TV: “Sell your gold for cash, fast!” This phrase makes people leery of the gold buying industry and reinforces the misconception that the gold buying interest is simply the pursuit of profit and ripping people off. But with the environmental consequences of mining virgin gold and other precious metals, a closer look shows that the gold buying industry is not entirely built upon profit and actually provides an eco-alternative to mining. Mining Pollution When you sell back your gold, you are essentially selling it back to be reused or recycled. With the gold that you sell back, the gold industry now has gold to work with and can skip the harmful step of mining from the Earth and disrupting ecosystems and natural habitats. The mining industry does have sustainability standards that evaluate the availability of resources, pollution, and effect on community, but the fact is that regardless of standards set in place, any time the Earth is mined for its good it is harmful to both the planet and the air.

Se vocês estão em Salvador podem nos dar um retorno sobre uma ação programada pela Suzano Papel e Celulose em parceria com a TerraCycle, especializada na coleta de resíduos e na criação de produtos verdes, para fortalecer o conceito de sustentabilidade no Carnaval 2012.

Both Chemung and Tioga counties recycle much material, including plastic grocery bags in Tioga. There are some things, however, neither county takes, such as plastic bowls or tubs for yogurt, margarine, Cool Whip, deli foods and the like. I always cringe when I throw those items away. If you'd like to reduce the quantity of waste going into the landfill and at the same time do something for the planet by donating items that will be refashioned into something else, it's now easy in Spencer-Van Etten. Following is a list of many items that you can recycle locally, as long as they are clean and free of food bits: juice pouches, empty chip bags (all sizes), candy bar wrappers from Mars/Wrigley or Cadbury, Lunchables lunch kits (all parts), plastic wrappers from Scott brand paper products, all Kraft cheese bags and cream cheese tubs, Scotch tape rolls and dispensers, shampoo and conditioner bottles, energy and granola bar wrappers, cookie bags and wrappers with the plastic trays, Colgate toothpaste tubes, toothbrushes and cardboard packaging, plastic butter tubs, plastic Solo cups, Elmer's glue sticks and bottles, yogurt cups, cell phones, MP3 players, ink jet printer cartridges, laptop computers, computer keyboards, computer mice and digital cameras.

TerraCycle, the Newark, N.J. based brand has evolved into a $20 million-a-year operation, since it was founded in 2001 by Princeton University dropout Tom Szaky. In a few short years, the company has pivoted but not abandoned its original focus on "worm poop" fertilizer -- the innovative organic plant food, packed in recycled bottle, that was brewed from worm-rich compost piles -- towards a broader focus on packaging reduction and reuse. Partnering with schools and numerous major consumer packaged good companies, TerraCycle is capturing both pre- and post-consumer packaging waste to upcycle it: such as converting Capri sun bags into satchels, pencil cases, and other merchandise.

Help score some extra points this playoff season for the Almost Home Animal Shelter by saving all those empty chip bags from your sports parties and get-togethers and send them in to Haddon Township’s Green Team. TerraCycle will upcycle these bags into new products and donate 2 cents to the shelter for every bag. Collection locations include the Haddon Township Municipal Building, Public Works facility and at Scissors & Suds in Collingswood! To date, the Team has recycled over 60,000 items of trash which would have been landfilled! For details contact bprince@haddontwp.com or call 856-854-1825. The Chip Bag Blitz runs from January 1st, 2012 and end on February 28th, 2012 .

The Girl Scouts of the USA will turn 100 years old on March 12, and are celebrating Green Forever. The Girl Scouts Tioga Service Unit has teamed with terracycle.com to minimize the waste stream to earn its Celebrating 100 Forever Green Patch. Members will collect personal and beauty products such as shampoo bottles and makeup cases to be recycled on March 17 from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the United Methodist Church, 899 Yosemite Parkway.

Two of the reasons for the superior taste in their cereal is they use all natural ingredients as well as packaging every cereal in a “freshness saver” bag. There are no artificial preservatives, colors or flavors and no hydrogenated oils or high fructose corn syrup. With their clever “freshness saver” bags the cereal’s quality is kept intact and there is no need for a box. This less packaging saves natural resources. Here are some stats from their packaging:

Nous essayons de proposer des filières de recyclage pour ces choses qui ne se recyclent pas etc. Ainsi les stylos, feutres et autres instruments d’écriture. Terracycle nous offre une solution. Le but de TerraCycle? Eliminer la notion de déchet!

Garfield Elementary School students learn about recycling

CEDAR RAPIDS — A new “Star Wars” lunchbox is in 6-year-old John Maloy’s future, but the space enthusiast’s lunchtime excitement Monday centered around a closer-to-home initiative to benefit planet Earth. “Reduce, reuse, recycle,” the Garfield Elementary School kindergartner recited after dropping his milk carton and plastics in recycling bins in the school cafeteria. “It usually goes in the trash,” he said about the materials being recycled with the help of Green Iowa AmeriCorps. Monday was a test project of AmeriCorps’ Garbage Gabbers program at Garfield, 1201 Maplewood Dr. NE. Seven members of Green Iowa AmeriCorps, who promote energy savings through weatherization and environmental education, directed students on where to properly place their recyclables during the school’s lunch hour.

Both Chemung and Tioga counties recycle much material, including plastic grocery bags in Tioga. There are some things, however, neither county takes, such as plastic bowls or tubs for yogurt, margarine, Cool Whip, deli foods and the like. I always cringe when I throw those items away. If you'd like to reduce the quantity of waste going into the landfill and at the same time do something for the planet by donating items that will be refashioned into something else, it's now easy in Spencer-Van Etten. Following is a list of many items that you can recycle locally, as long as they are clean and free of food bits: juice pouches, empty chip bags (all sizes), candy bar wrappers from Mars/Wrigley or Cadbury, Lunchables lunch kits (all parts), plastic wrappers from Scott brand paper products, all Kraft cheese bags and cream cheese tubs, Scotch tape rolls and dispensers, shampoo and conditioner bottles, energy and granola bar wrappers, cookie bags and wrappers with the plastic trays, Colgate toothpaste tubes, toothbrushes and cardboard packaging, plastic butter tubs, plastic Solo cups, Elmer's glue sticks and bottles, yogurt cups, cell phones, MP3 players, ink jet printer cartridges, laptop computers, computer keyboards, computer mice and digital cameras.