If you’re like me, you’ve been pacing back and forth in your bedroom for the past few weeks unsure of what the world will look like.   It’s been helpful for me to think in terms of what I can control—my health, my productivity, but perhaps most importantly, my skincare. Spring has started to sprinkle in through our collective windows, and the time for some well-needed cleaning is upon us. This weekend, I began with my beauty products – tossing expired items, opening others – and it’s kept my mind busy and my cabinets looking a bit more tidy. Below, are some tips I have for some best organizing hacks. The act of organizing has in turn, helped declutter my own mind and it’s helped lots with my own mental well-being. Hope it helps you, too.     Take Inventory   Gather up all your beauty-related belongings and spread them out so you can see the scope of what you’re working with. For a beauty hoarder, this may mean you’re being exposed. But that’s okay! It’s good to take out everything you have and put it in front of you.   This helps for a multitude of reasons. For one, if you’ve been committed to a specific routine for a while, seeing everything you own can help inspire you to finally try a product that’s been sitting in the back rows of your cabinet. It can also push you to replace items you just don’t use. You can note this for the future and know that it’s not worth buying again. Instead, you can research and find better alternatives. A good site for discovering newness is Mira Beauty. The site is user-based and is organized by product category.   Finally, I like to group all products based on function to see what I have in excess or what I may be running low on. Now is a perfect time to get going on your spring skincare reset – and quarantining is a perfect excuse to do so.   Does this spark…joy?   Here comes the tough part. Like Marie Kondo before me, it’s time to ask ourselves which products are sparking *JOY* and which are simply filling the void. It’s important to do this for a few reasons. It sounds silly, but especially in trying times like these, but skincare is SELFcare, so take the time to really treat yourself with products you look forward to using. This doesn’t have to stop and end with how efficacious it is. You can use it simply because of the sensorial experiences: how it makes you feel, how it smells, or simply that it’s nice and comforting.   If you’re using products that don’t excite you, don’t use them! Another important reason to take inventory of your routine is that products have a shelf life and, if they’ve been sitting around for a while, they may not be as effective as they once were. Most products have an expiration date on them. Check the little jar icon (towards the bottom of most products) and it will tell you how many months the product is good for once opened. If not, check out Check Cosmetics here, and input each product.   Note that humidity does products no good and can lead to quicker product degradation.  If you think you’ve had the product opened for longer than the expiration date, it’s not the end of the world, but the product is likely not going to be as effective. Better to toss it than treat your skin with skincare leftovers.         How to organize – simplified   Now that you’ve thought about what products really get you excited to wash that beautiful face of yours, it’s time to figure out where to put everything to make it as easy as possible to use. This will be different for everyone, but look at what is necessary to keep in the bathroom and what can be kept elsewhere. Obviously, put products in places that make sense, that are easily accessible depending on when you use them.   If you use a cleanser in the shower, keep it in there. If you always find yourself slapping on a face mask before a bath, keep it in your bathroom cabinet. If you like applying a body lotion before bed, tuck it on your bedside table for easy access. Generally, the more you can keep products in cool, dark, dry places, the better they are for the product’s integrity. However, if you’re consistent in using that face oil after a bath, you’ll use it all before it degrades from any environmental exposure. Just don’t leave it there for two years and expect it to work the same.   Saying goodbye!   Hopefully you’re able to de-clutter your beauty routine a bit—finding what works, organizing it to fit your habits—and now you’ve got some products to get rid of. You could throw them in the trash, but it’s 2020 and Mother Earth does not deserve that ignorance. Although beauty products are notoriously hard to dispose of, as they’re usually made of mixed materials which cannot be traditionally recycled, there are ways to properly dispose of products without clogging nature’s arteries.   Organizations like Terracycle are out there to make recycling as efficient as possible, so gather your beauty products to recycle, find your local Terracycle drop-off (check online for specific locations), or check them out directly to see how to get them your junk. I like to keep a bag underneath my sink and throw empty, expired, or unloved products in as I come across them. Once it’s filled to the brim, I’ll take it to my local drop-off and may just reward myself with some more skincare. So long, fare thee well, goodbye!

PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A New Jersey company which has been recycling for almost two decades is looking at how COVID-19 is affecting that practice, and they say it’s not all good for the environment.   Tom Szaky founded TerraCycle in Trenton in 2001, and the company recycles everything from fluorescent light bulbs to Capri Sun juice pouches.   Szaky says there is an upside to the global shutdown caused by the pandemic.   “Maybe one positive lesson we can get from COVID is that as we’ve been slowing down our economy, the world, the planet has become better. Climate change has gone in the right direction, nitrogen levels in cities are decreased,” he said.   He says we are all consuming less, which is good because consumption leads to many environmental problems like deforestation and the waste crisis.   But Szaky adds recycling on many fronts has stopped because products can’t be sterilized, and we are relying more heavily on disposable packaging.   Szaky urges people to continue reducing and reusing as the pandemic rolls on.  

The way we do things is changing so quickly in this crazy world in which we live. As we navigate the ins and outs of our new normal, I want everyone to remember to keep recycling. To do our part in making the world a better place to live, Nyquist Elementary School is part of the TerraCycle, Plant Green and ColorCycle programs. We are trying to save the planet one brigade at a time. We are slowly getting people to recycle the unique items that can be reused and kept out of the landfills.   TerraCycle is a program that not only recycles those hard to recycle items but also offers fundraising opportunities. While the school has bins in place at their facility, Emily Miller felt a need to make them more accessible to the community to help raise awareness on the importance of recycling. You will find bins for Eos products at Spire Credit Union, Colgate oral care (accepting all brands of toothpaste tubes, floss containers and packaging) at the Isle Dentist office, personal care beauty products (accepting lipstick tubes, mascara tubes, pump tops from lotion bottles, shampoo bottles, etc.) at JJ’s Shear Beauty. Isle Hardware Hank has a bin for Febreze products such as air freshener cartridges, plugins, packaging, and Febreze one trigger spray bottles. On your next stop to Thompson’s Lake Country Drug, be sure to bring your disposable razors to be recycled. They will accept all brands, packaging and disposable razor heads. The following items can be recycled at the school. GoGo Squeez pouches and caps, Contacts blister packs and contacts, Arm & Hammer and Oxiclean Laundry soap pouches, L.O.L. Surprize Packaging, accessories and products, #6 Rigid plastic cups (Solo) and not Solo, Popsockets, Swiffer refills, and Bunch O Balloons packaging, balloons, stem, etc.   The ColorCycle program accepts all brands, sizes and types of markers. You may drop your old, dried up markers in the bin at City Hall.   Plant Green offers recycling for ink cartridges. Those items may be dropped off at First National Bank.   For more information on what products can be recycled, please visit the bin locations. Each bin contains an information sheet on what they accept. I will also add information to my webpage on the district website. I want to thank Emily Miller and the area businesses for partnering with Nyquist Elementary on this project and helping to keep our Earth clean and beautiful. I encourage you to start collecting these highly used items and drop them off on your next trip to town. As one person, you may feel that you cannot make an impact, but as a community, we can start to change the world. Now, imagine if everyone in every community participated. Imagine the impact that would make on our environment. I hope you will get out and help save our planet. Afterall, Earth is for everyone.   Guest columnist Melisa Maxwell is the dean of students at Isle Public Schools.

The way we do things is changing so quickly in this crazy world in which we live. As we navigate the ins and outs of our new normal, I want everyone to remember to keep recycling. To do our part in making the world a better place to live, Nyquist Elementary School is part of the TerraCycle, Plant Green and ColorCycle programs. We are trying to save the planet one brigade at a time. We are slowly getting people to recycle the unique items that can be reused and kept out of the landfills.   TerraCycle is a program that not only recycles those hard to recycle items but also offers fundraising opportunities. While the school has bins in place at their facility, Emily Miller felt a need to make them more accessible to the community to help raise awareness on the importance of recycling. You will find bins for Eos products at Spire Credit Union, Colgate oral care (accepting all brands of toothpaste tubes, floss containers and packaging) at the Isle Dentist office, personal care beauty products (accepting lipstick tubes, mascara tubes, pump tops from lotion bottles, shampoo bottles, etc.) at JJ’s Shear Beauty. Isle Hardware Hank has a bin for Febreze products such as air freshener cartridges, plugins, packaging, and Febreze one trigger spray bottles. On your next stop to Thompson’s Lake Country Drug, be sure to bring your disposable razors to be recycled. They will accept all brands, packaging and disposable razor heads. The following items can be recycled at the school. GoGo Squeez pouches and caps, Contacts blister packs and contacts, Arm & Hammer and Oxiclean Laundry soap pouches, L.O.L. Surprize Packaging, accessories and products, #6 Rigid plastic cups (Solo) and not Solo, Popsockets, Swiffer refills, and Bunch O Balloons packaging, balloons, stem, etc.   The ColorCycle program accepts all brands, sizes and types of markers. You may drop your old, dried up markers in the bin at City Hall.   Plant Green offers recycling for ink cartridges. Those items may be dropped off at First National Bank.   For more information on what products can be recycled, please visit the bin locations. Each bin contains an information sheet on what they accept. I will also add information to my webpage on the district website. I want to thank Emily Miller and the area businesses for partnering with Nyquist Elementary on this project and helping to keep our Earth clean and beautiful. I encourage you to start collecting these highly used items and drop them off on your next trip to town. As one person, you may feel that you cannot make an impact, but as a community, we can start to change the world. Now, imagine if everyone in every community participated. Imagine the impact that would make on our environment. I hope you will get out and help save our planet. Afterall, Earth is for everyone.   Guest columnist Melisa Maxwell is the dean of students at Isle Public Schools.

While you are stuck in the house whether it be from coronavirus or spring weather, there are some great toys available to check out from ZURU toys. There are toys too perfect for backyard fun or to add to an Easter basket whether you have girls or boys there is something for everyone. I admit too I love all of these products and have played with all of them with my kids.   New for Spring from ZURU toys:     The original and best-selling water balloons let’s one fill and tie 100 balloons in 60 seconds now come with a spark of color! Each Bunch O Balloons stem will come with a completely new mix of multi-colored balloons. PS, In addition, all ZURU Bunch O Balloons products in the USA are fully recyclable through ZURU’s TerraCycle Recycling program. Ages 3+; SRP $6.99       At nearly six-inches long, the newly-sized MICRO revolver-style water blaster can be refilled with one hand in just one second! Simply pull the hammer down, dunk, fill and blast. It is the perfect back-up blaster in water fights anywhere. Ages 3+, SRP $10.99     At nearly 21-inches long, the newly sized Epic Fast-Fill is the must-have water blaster for any kind of water fight, anywhere. Holding up to 1250 ml – more than 5 cups of water! – the Epic also fills in one-second and comes with a robust pump-action feature that enables kids to blast up to nearly 34 feet. In addition, four different nozzles allow one to blast four different ways. Ages 3+, SRP $19.99   Looking for some little gift options or something instead of candy-filled eggs?       Smash open the NEW Smash Egg to find what’s crawling inside with over 100+ dinosaur characters to collect! Smash your dino smashers on the ground, to the wall or anywhere you can think and start building your Smashers collection today! The smashing will never end! Ages 4+, SRP $9.99. Available at Amazon and Walmart .       Unwrap the shrink-wrap and smash open the giant egg! Use the scratch n’ reveal map to start your journey and discover clues to find the fossils inside! Includes: Epic dino egg, dino scratch map, dino yolk egg bag, 5 compounds, digging tool, exclusive smash-o-saur, 6x smash eggs and smash egg rebuilder for tons more dino fun! Ages 4+, SRP: $24.99. Available at Amazon , Walmart and Target.         Here are some oldie but goodie fun toys from ZURU toys:             Cotton Candy Cuties look so real and smell so good! This latest innovative fun, fluffy slime is the new must have compound! This scented, squishy fun foam comes in four awesome colors. Cotton Candy Cuties items each contain a surprise Cutie inside! Combining two things girls absolutely love – fluffy, sweet smelling compounds and cute, collectible slow rise squishy toys. OOSH Cotton Candy SRP $5.99, OOSH Cotton Candy Cuties SRP $9.99 on Amazon and Walmart.        

Arbonne celebrates their 40th year in 2020. Recently, I reached out to CEO Jean-David Schwartz to get his thoughts and impressions of his first two years at Arbonne.   How would you sum up your first two years as CEO?   My first two years at Arbonne have been inspiring. Our community is so passionate and dedicated to our brand, and to meaningfully impact the lives of others in a very positive way. Their welcoming response to me came as a delightful surprise—it’s been a pleasure being on this journey with them.   How has your company vision evolved from Day 1 on the job to today?   The Arbonne DNA is steeped in the desire to create better options for people and the planet. This legacy is something that drives the Arbonne business forward and that has guided my vision from day one. Our journey to becoming a B Corporation brought about a change of mindset—one that will inform all our business practices moving forward—from the guiding principle of living wages, to the way we select vendor partners. We know it will effect change not only internally, but externally too.   What does success look like for you as CEO?   Success to me is marked by a flourishing community. Our mission is to empower people to flourish with sustainable healthy living. If we can do that through our offering and community then that would be success. Of course, results are important too and I’m happy to report that we’ve grown nearly 20 percent two years in a row. This growth has helped move our mission forward.   How are you delivering on your goal of working to evolve and expand the Arbonne brand?   We believe in a holistic approach to beauty, health and well-being, focusing on the whole person to help them flourish inside and out. As such, we are working on innovations and services that expand our current offering.      

When it comes to the company what are you most proud of?

I’m proud of so many things at Arbonne, chief among them would be our community. We have a passionate and inspiring community—our Independent Consultants, employees and expert partners that we work closely with—make me proud every day.  

What are you planning to do in 2020 to celebrate your 40-year anniversary?

We kicked off our 40th anniversary with our B Corporation certification announcement. This has been a journey for us and an achievement that we know we must work at every day to do better. We will continue the celebration throughout the year with activations, events and limited edition product.  

What are you doing to strengthen the customer and representative experience?

We are working on a new digital ecosystem that will be unveiled later this year. It’s a massive undertaking and something our team is working hard on in order to deliver a better experience to our Consultants, Preferred Clients and Clients. Better tools to help our Independent Consultants drive their business and make their communications more seamless is another area we are focused on.  

Please share with us your sustainability efforts that are making a difference.

As I mentioned, we recently became a B Corporation which is something that now informs all our business practices. We continually work to reduce our carbon footprint and earlier this year, we launched a recycling program in the U.S. called ArbonneCycle. Developed in partnership with TerraCycle to ensure that hard-to-recycle products are re-purposed into something brand new.  

Can you share how your brand focus ties into the mind, body and skin?

Our philosophy embraces the connection between a healthier mind, stronger body, and more beautiful skin. We are currently innovating more products and services that align with this focus.  

What are you doing from a training and onboarding perspective?

Our Independent Consultants are our lifeline and as such, we listen to their needs and continue to work on how we onboard, train and supply them with the tools needed to be successful. In order to maintain a consistent message across all Consultants we provide our field with resources and material which enable them to thrive in their business. We ensure that all our content is localized for each country’s needs to ensure each nation’s voice is authentic while monitoring the integrity of our brand.  

What are you laser focused on this year?

We have three key focuses this year—product, technology, and sustainability. First, we will continue to innovate—bringing to life products that are formulated with plant-based ingredients, grounded in science and clinical research with high standards of safety. From a technology standpoint, we are in the process of revamping our website for a better user experience. Lastly, we will continue to build upon our sustainability efforts—becoming more purposeful in everything we do, including championing integrity and transparency in order to become a more sustainable business.  

What are we doing well as a channel, and where do we need to improve from a customer acquisition standpoint?

We strongly believe in this business model. As people engage more and more on social media, we see the potential to share the business opportunity. We hope that by leading the way with integrity we can help cultivate excitement for the brand and how we operate. There has been a significant shift in our Consultant demographic as we see millennial Consultants enter the field due to the social selling format. We believe this new wave of Consultants will only strengthen our business as more and more people engage online.  

How do we continue to compete going forward against the likes of the gig economy and Amazon?

Our business model is unique in that we have a two-sided connection between the end consumer and the Consultant versus just the consumer and a corporation. This distinct factor of bringing a human connection to business is something that makes us different and what we want to build upon. Having an authentic relationship that goes both ways is special and fits into our purpose-driven point of view.   We will also continue to innovate and offer products and services that consider the whole person.  

What are you most excited about going forward?

  I’m most excited to see our brand continue to evolve with our newly updated mission. We believe that by filtering everything we do through the lens of our mission and values that we will change the way we are doing business and continue to innovate in order to make our mission of empowering people to flourish with sustainable healthy living truly a reality.  

What else would you like to share about Arbonne?

  In current uncertain times, where we are concerned about the planet’s future, a fragmented society, and the wellbeing of our families—Arbonne is a safe and welcoming community where people are prioritized.   As corporate companies, we all have a role that goes far beyond short term results. We have the responsibility to put people and the planet first, and to encourage our industry to do the same.  

Il y en a marre d’entendre qu’il y en a marre du plastique, sans pour autant ne rien voir venir de la part des pays, des gouvernements, des régions, des villes et diverses communes. Pourtant et heureusement, l’espoir existe L’espoir, c’est par exemple la société privée Terracycle qui vient des USA. Terracycle, c’est une initiative du secteur privé qui vient démontrer à tous qu’il est possible de recycler efficacement la plupart des produits, packagings, cosmétiques, tubes de dentifrices, .., que les villes sont pour l’instant incapables de recycler. Terracycle est aujourd’hui présente en France, au Royaume Uni et dans d’autres pays Européens, et réalise la collecte d’emballages que les localités refusent de collecter car elles sont techniquement incapables de les recycler.

Local musicians are invited to attend a free recycle and restring event at Dietze Music in Omaha on April 4th, 2020 from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. Sponsored by D’Addario® and international recycling company TerraCycle®, musicians can bring any old instrument strings for recycling and get their electric or acoustic guitars restrung with D’Addario NYXL or Nickel Bronze Acoustic strings. Old strings collected during the event will be recycled through Playback, D’Addario’s free, national recycling program.

It’s easy to toss plastic bottles and used paper into blue recycle bins, but when you want to step up your efforts, these school recycling programs are here for you! Whether you want to recycle bottle caps, juice pouches, or more, there’s an option below.   Many of these school recycling programs involve registering or signing up, which keeps you and your students accountable. And many of them reward you for your efforts—some even with cash or supplies! Some are contests that require creative thinking and teamwork. Whichever one you choose, everyone wins—especially the environment.  

1.  Help turn bottle caps into benches.

  Join Green Tree Plastics in their ABC Promise Partnership (a bench for caps). This exciting partnership requires registration where you pledge that children will be contributing and learning from this experience. Plus, set a goal weight for your students to work toward. For more insight into the program, take a peek at their Facebook page, Green Tree Plastics – ABC Partnership.  

2. Turn milk and juice cartons into garden structures.

  Register your school in the Carton 2 Garden Contest and commit to collecting at least 100 empty milk and juice cartons. Then get the creative juices flowing because the goal is to find a new use for the cartons by turning them into garden structures or other items. Document the entire process and submit your project—the grand prize winner receives a prize valued at $5,000! Receive lesson plans and tips when you complete registration.  

3. Make recycling fun with PepsiCo’s Recycle Rally.

  From engaging contests and rewards for schools to handy educational resources and fun ideas for recycling group activities, PepsiCo’s Recycle Rally has everything you need to take your recycling efforts up a notch. Free resources are available to all schools, but make the most of this school recycling program by enrolling as a Recycle Rally School. Once your school is up and running, track your recycling progress and earn points that can be redeemed for gift cards, supplies, and more.  

4. Earn points from TerraCycle.

  From household cleaners and cosmetics to food wrappers and baby food packaging, the recycling options through TerraCycle are endless. Search their available programs (be sure to look at which ones are accepting new participants), and find one that will be most applicable to your school, classroom, and community. The recycling you gather can be turned in to TerraCycle for points, and once you earn enough points, they can be redeemed for cash payments for your school.  

5. Compete for grants through Grades of Green.

  Register your school with Grades of Green to access clever and educational activities related to air, earth, energy, and waste. Plus semester-long virtual programs take your involvement up a notch. For example, the spring 2020 campaign is about reducing plastic. Teams are paired with a mentor and tasked with creating a campaign to reduce plastic, including the creation of a pitch video. The winning teams receive grants to fund their campaigns.  

6. Take ink cartridges and electronics back to Staples for cash rewards.

  If you’re frequently buying ink cartridges or other school supplies in bulk, it’s worth it to join the Staples rewards program. You’ll get $2 for every ink cartridge that you bring or ship back to Staples for recycling. Members also earn up to 5% back on in-store purchases. Every little bit adds up to major savings! Plus, it’s hard to know what to do with old electronics, but another program at Staples makes it easy. You can take any of your old electronics to a local store, no matter what condition they are in, and they will recycle it for you. This would be a great initiative to do to recycle old equipment at your school. Or you could offer to be a collection site for your community.  

7. Pop the tabs off aluminum cans and donate them to Ronald McDonald House.

  One of the easiest ways to encourage charitable giving and recycling in schools is by getting kids involved in a pop-tab collection program that benefits Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC). Set out containers in your classroom or throughout your school—maybe even turn it into a recycling contest between classrooms—and encourage students to collect tabs from family and friends and bring them to school. Please connect with your local RMHC Chapter first to ensure they accept pop tab donations. This is a great opportunity to help raise money for RMHC and teach kids about recycling!  

8. Host a shoe drive.

  Get in touch with Funds2Orgs to learn all about their shoe drive fundraising program and get signed up—you’ll even get your own fundraising coach to help you plan and prepare. The gently worn, used and new shoes you collect go to micro-entrepreneurs in developing countries who sell them to support their family. In return for your fundraising efforts, your school or organization will receive a check!  

9. Donate your used or broken crayons.

  Crazy Crayons offers a national Crayon Recycle Program for individuals and schools. Just send your crayons into the address provided, and they will turn them into repurposed, adorable crayon sets. You do have to cover shipping, but that’s a small price to pay for knowing your crayons aren’t sitting in a landfill.   Learn more about the PepsiCo Recycling program, Recycle Rally right here. You can get free recycling printables, games, resources, and more. Plus, you could earn recycling bins for your school! 

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Earth Day—celebrated annually on April 22.   Does your business honor the environment? Your sustainable business practices can also be an excellent business platform.   In fact, according to a 2019 CGS Retail and Sustainability Survey, nearly 70% of respondents consider sustainability at least somewhat important when making a purchase. Nearly half (47%) would pay more for a sustainable product.   Luckily, the optical industry is serving up an ever-increasing assortment of products that aim to preserve and protect our planet—so you can highlight eco-friendly options daily in your own business.   One big example that has the industry seeing green in more ways than one: Mazzucchelli 1849 has announced an industry-first collaboration with specialty plastics provider Eastman to produce Eastman Acetate Renew, a cellulose diacetate made via Eastman’s carbon renewal technology that contains 60% bio-based and 40% certified recycled content.   “Using Acetate Renew requires no performance sacrifice, meaning we can use it in our full range of premium designs,” says Giovanni Orsi Mazzucchelli, president of Mazzucchelli. Learn more at mazzucchelli1849.it .   Inspired? Turn the page to reveal a dozen more spectacularly sustainable products and initiatives, as we celebrate Earth Month in this special issue. —KERRI ANN RAIMO