On June 14^th, Los Angeles expanded its recycling capability to include milk, juice, soup and wine cartons in efforts to reduce more than 400 tons of trash from landfills.

While Purina has yet to offer an organic line of dog or cat food, the company wants to remind consumers that aluminum pet food cans are an overlooked contributor to landfills.

Less than 20% of aluminum pet food cans are recycled each year, according to recycling industry sources (compared to 54% of aluminum beverage cans). A recent Purina survey confirms that only half of all cat owners recycle cans on a regular basis.

“As a company that produces over 3 billion cat food cans each year, we feel it is our responsibility to educate our consumers and encourage them to recycle,” says Mark Brodeur, Purina’s director of environmental sustainability.

Recycling one 3-oz. aluminum cat food can saves enough energy to power a 60-watt light bulb for more than 2 hours, while recycling a 5.5-oz. can saves enough energy to power a 30-inch (95w) TV for more than 2 hours. In addition, recycling aluminum cans saves 95% of the energy used to make cans from virgin materials.

“As a proud owner of four cats, I know just how many cat food cans one cat owner can go through each week!” says Kahi Lee, a designer on HGTV’s Design on a Dime. “I love my cats and want the best for them, but I also want what’s best for the environment.”

Pledge to Recycle

Sign the online pledge to recycle any brand of pet food cans, and Purina will donate $1 (up to $100,000) to Keep America Beautiful. The deadline for pledges is May 30.

Starbucks and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have partnered to reduce waste from single-use cups and other packaging.

Starbucks’ goal is to ensure 100% of its cups are reusable or recyclable by 2015.

Currently, the coffee chain considers its cups to be recyclable only in communities where they’re collected and accepted at commercial and residential recycling systems. One of the major challenges Starbucks faces is a variance in local recycling capabilities.

“We know we can’t solve this problem simply by purchasing cups that are labeled ‘recyclable’ or ‘compostable,’” says Jim Hanna, Starbucks’ director of environmental impact. “We have to ensure our customers actually have access to recycling services at their homes, at work and in our stores. We’ll only be successful if the various businesses and organizations that touch this issue are aligned and equally motivated to take action.”

Starbucks’ “holistic approach has the potential to make a significant impact on the entire food-service industry,” says Peter M. Senge, PhD, a senior lecturer at MIT’s Sloan School of Management.

In-Store Recycling

In the last year, Starbucks has introduced front-of-store recycling in Toronto, Canada, where its cups are recyclable, and in San Francisco, where its cups are both recyclable and compostable.

The company plans to introduce front-of-store recycling in Seattle this summer and is discussing testing and implementation plans with other communities, including Denver, Chicago and Boston.

“This collaborative, solution-oriented approach is good for business and good for our planet,” says Jim Hunt, Boston’s chief of environment and energy.

Reusable Cups Preferred

Starbucks also encourages its customers to help reduce cup waste by opting for reusable alternatives.

The company has launched a global marketing campaign to increase tumbler use. Last year, more than 26 million beverages were served in reusable cups in U.S., Canadian and UK stores—a behavioral shift that kept nearly 1.2 million pounds of paper from ending up in landfills.

For Your Organic Bookshelf: My Sister’s a Barista: How They Made Starbucks a Home Away from Home

Buy tickets for Disney’s Oceans, and you’ll see sobering footage of a shopping cart on the ocean floor—a sure sign of consumerism run amok.

This simple image conveys an incredibly important message: We’re destroying our environment. Climate change may garner more headlines, but ocean pollution remains a considerable concern. 

What can you do to reduce your impact? 

1. Don’t Litter. Litter is a huge contributor to ocean pollution because it ends up in storm drains that eventually empty into rivers and streams. Even if you live miles away from the ocean, your litter will likely contribute to water pollution.
2. Follow the Three R’s. How committed are you to the environmental mantra reduce, reuse, recycle? Your answer has a direct effect on the health of our oceans. Failure to embrace the three R’s leads to ocean pollution and mile-high landfills.
3. Increase Your Sewage Awareness. Anything that goes down your dishwasher, washing machine, toilet and sink drains will eventually make its way into the ocean. This often leads to oxygen depletion that harms marine life, as well as nutrient loading, which occurs when excessive nitrogen and phosphorous are deposited into the ocean’s ecosystem. Sewage also increases ocean bacteria and parasites, creating a ripple effect that endangers the fishing and tourism industries.
4. Understand the Dangers of Toxic Pollutants. Arguably, nothing is more detrimental to the world’s oceans than toxic pollutants, which have been linked to birth defects in wildlife and may contribute to cancer in humans. Lead and mercury collect in marine animals’ tissues, causing reproductive problems and nerve damage. World Wildlife Federation researchers have found that other wildlife, including polar bears and frogs, have experienced decreased fertility, thyroid dysfunction and demasculinization (in males)—a result of exposure to pesticides and industrial chemicals. Other toxic ocean pollutants include polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), which are typically used to manufacture electrical equipment and have been known to cause reproduction problems in marine life. Genetic abnormalities have also been seen in marine animals exposed to polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are caused by burning wood and coal, as well as oil pollution.
5. Participate in Community Cleanup Programs. Many seaside communities offer volunteer beach clean-up programs to keep their beaches clean and safe. By volunteering for such programs, you’re not only doing your part, but you’re also giving yourself an excuse to spend a day at the beach. 

For Your Organic Bookshelf: The Culture of Flushing: A Social and Legal History of Sewage

Approximately 80% of all women are wearing the wrong bra size, often because we’ve never been properly measured or we believe our bodies haven’t changed over the years. 

If your lingerie drawer contains bras you can no longer wear, consider recycling them through the Bosom Buddy Program, an Arizona-based textile recycling company that helps women in need. Recycled bras are sent to women’s shelters and other transitional housing facilities. 

Founder Elaine Birks-Mitchell wants women to know that used bras often end up in landfills, so her program also offers a healthy dose of environmental education. 

If you live in Arizona, many drop-off locations are available. Otherwise, follow Birks-Mitchell’s directions for mailing donated bras. 

For your organic bookshelf: The Bra Book: The Fashion Formula to Finding the Perfect Bra 

Pictured above: Ecoland Organic Cotton Wireless Soft-Cup Bra

By Dawn Burden Bates

Happy New Year!

It’s not too late to make your recycling resolutions. The holidays are finally over, and we can all hopefully begin slowing down and getting our lives back to normal.

If your home is like mine, the holidays left you with a huge mess. Empty boxes and torn wrapping paper littered the floor after the kids excitedly opened their gifts. It’s so tempting to gather it all up and throw it in the outside garbage bin.

But this is a great opportunity to not only recycle, but to reuse. Almost all of the wrapping paper and boxes can be recycled, so consider keeping your contribution out of the landfill. And for the reuse possibilities, they are practically endless.

I’m pretty sure that most of the ribbons I use have been used for several years. And many of the boxes that hold the gifts are great to use for packaging gifts next year. Do you realize that many stores now charge you for a gift box? Sheesh, I’ll save mine for next year, thank you—not to mention the gift bags. I love getting my gifts in those pretty little bags, especially since I know I will be using one for someone else’s gift somewhere down the road. Do you know how much those things cost? They are outrageous. No way would I throw them away. They are too valuable. 

Now, what are we to do with the tree? If you use an artificial tree, it’s a pretty easy decision. You fold it up and store it for next year. Simple. And if you are lucky enough to live in a warm environment and purchased a live tree, including the root ball, you can get to work planting it in your yard to enjoy for years to come.

But what about cut trees? Most communities offer some sort of Christmas-tree recycling. The lucky ones have curbside pickup to recycle their trees. The rest of us need to decide what to do.

What convinces me to haul the tree to the recycling facility? I was willing to haul it home after I purchased it, so I can just as easily take it to be recycled.

Some communities use the old trees to shred and cover pathways and trails through parks. This helps repair and reduce the damage we create as we enjoy our hikes.

Some communities turn the old trees into mulch and then provide it to the public for free. What a deal!

Here are some additional resolutions to consider:

1. Resolve to begin recycling if you don’t already do so. You can start small. My website, A Recycling Revolution, offers a wealth of information on how to get your recycling efforts off the ground.
2. If you already recycle, step it up a notch. If your curbside recycling service doesn’t accept a particular item (like glass or cardboard), resolve to begin taking that item to the drop-off facility in your area.
3. Resolve to purchase more products packaged with postconsumer recycled materials. The higher the percentage listed on the package, the better.
4. Resolve to purchase more items made from recycled materials. Paper towels, toilet paper, napkins and many other paper products fall into this category.
5. Resolve to purchase more items in bulk. This reduces packaging waste.
6. Resolve to create at least one craft item using something you might otherwise throw away. This is fun, gets your creative juices flowing, can reduce stress and is a great way to spend some quality time with your family.

Dawn Bates is a busy wife, mother, environmentalist and webmaster of the highly informative recycling website, A Recycling Revolution. Visit the site for both basic and extensive information on recycling, composting, reusing and reducing. You may also sign up for Dawn’s recycling newsletter, Trash Talk, to gain access to freebies like downloadable recycling stickers and recycling cheat sheets.

How much water does an ENERGY STAR-rated clothes washer save?

It can literally cut your water usage in half.

A standard washer uses 32.5 gallons of water per load, while an ENERGY STAR-rated machine uses only 15 gallons, according to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).

ENERGY STAR-rated washers also allow you to adjust water levels for smaller loads, and they spin-dry your clothes more effectively, which reduces dryer time.

While the average clothes washer lasts about 11 years, those manufactured before 1999 use 400% more energy than ENERGY STAR-rated models.

As of July 1, ENERGY STAR machines were required to be at least 43% more energy-efficient than the minimum federal standard, and they must meet stringent water-efficiency criteria.

Check out the DOE’s Make a Clean Change—Recycle Your Old Washer program, which promotes rebates on energy-efficient models. Recycling also saves about $145 per year in utility bills.

For Your Organic Bookshelf: Laundry: The Spirit of Keeping Home

Photo courtesy of GE

School may be out for summer, but seize the opportunity to increase your children’s vocabulary and environmental literacy with a good book.

Kids ages 3–8 will enjoy Recycle! A Handbook for Kids, by Gail Gibbons—a colorful 32-page book that explains the recycling process from start to finish.

Children will learn how different types of garbage—from paper and plastic to glass and aluminum cans—are recycled into new products. Gibbons also offers recycling tips and “trash trivia.”

“Gail Gibbons is a phenomenal writer whose informational books help kids learn new and interesting facts,” says Jennifer D. Turner, PhD, an assistant professor of education at the University of Maryland. “And she doesn't disappoint with her book on recycling. This book is very readable and well organized, and helps children really get a sense of what landfills are and why we need fewer of them.

“Gibbons does thorough research in order to write her books,” Dr. Turner continues, “so when she describes how to recycle, why it's necessary and its benefits, you know the information is accurate. The book ends with some interesting information about the ozone layer and the limited potential for recycling polystyrene, followed by 14 facts about garbage.”

For Your Child’s Organic Bookshelf 

1. Where Does the Garbage Go?
2. Why Should I Recycle?
3. The Three R’s: Reuse, Reduce, Recycle
4. Garbage and Recycling

I really like this! Although, I was more surprised to see people still read newspapers. Now, as a city urchin and if I had room for a garden, I would totally make one of these, but I’d ditch the flowers for tomatoes.

Via Green Inc.

Additional Resources