TerraCycle’s Upcycling Valentine’s Day Program

Once again TerraCycle is at the forefront of upcycling and reusing products for a brighter future for all of us. They are ready for Valentine’s Day with a few DIY upcycling ideas.

While cleaning up trash doesn’t seem like a romantic way to spend the day, you can celebrate the holiday and effect real-world change with special Valentine’s Day items, products and decorations in Trash Tycoon, Facebook’s first upcycling game from Guerillapps and TerraCycle. In the game, you can clean up trash and upcycle it to fun products like necklaces, Valentine’s Day cards and heart shaped wreaths to send to friends or to decorate your town. Players’ hearts will swell because Trash Tycoon creates positive social impact by donating 10% of in-game dollars to environmental projects sponsored by CarbonFund.org.

Next, love Mother Earth and your Valentine by making an upcycled necklace out of Kraft Cheese wrappers or chocolate wrappers, just like the necklace in Trash Tycoon! TerraCycle’s Design Junkies have brought the beaded necklace into the real world with simple, do-it-yourself instructions available for download here: bit.ly/ValentineBraceletDIY, these bracelets are sure to be a hit with children of all ages while also educating them on the importance of recycling and upcycling. You can also check out this video for step-by-step instructions:

Finally, Valentine’s Day and candy go together like peas and carrots, but the packaging can be a real heartbreaker. All those red and pink wrappers left over from sweet treats can be sent to TerraCycle through Mars’ Candy Wrapper Brigade to be recycled and earn money for charity. Signing up is free and easy at www.terracycle.com.

About TerraCycle:
TerraCycle, Inc. is an international upcycling and recycling company that takes difficult-to recycle-packaging and turns it into affordable, innovative products.  Founded in 2001, TerraCycle (www.terracycle.com) is the world’s leader in the collection and reuse of non-recyclable post-consumer waste. TerraCycle works with more than 30 major brands in the U.S. and around the world to collect used packaging and products that would otherwise be destined for landfills. It repurposes that waste into new, innovative materials and products that are available online and through major retailers. The waste is collected through TerraCycle’s Brigade programs, which are free fundraisers that pay for every piece of waste collected and returned. For information on how to join a TerraCycle Brigade and on purchasing TerraCycle products please visit www.terracycle.com.

Guest Post: How a Smart Home Can Reduce Your Carbon Footprint

As we strive to reduce our carbon footprints, many of us look to simple ways to improve our homes with slight energy efficient updates. While adding weatherstripping to those doors and windows and putting better insulation in your walls and attic can definitely decrease the amount of energy you use, and therefore your overall utility bills, there are a few leading innovations that can turn your energy efficient home to one of the leading green homes on the block.

When most people think of green homes, they think of homes built entirely out of recyclable materials complete with water recycling systems and rain collection barrels. While these homes are phenomenal in terms of their lack of carbon footprint, they aren't always easy to construct in already developed suburban areas. But that doesn't mean you have to forgo a home that has a lowered emissions and energy consumption. For those living in more developed areas, a few simple renovations and updates can turn their home into a smart home – saving them both energy consumption and money.

Vivint, as well as a few other competitors in the home monitoring industry, have recently started to construct home monitoring systems that do so much more than keep your home free of burglars. These companies have begun striving to create smart homes that will reduce a home's carbon footprint as well as save the homeowner money on utilities.

These systems are much more evolved than simple Energy Star appliances. They basically serve as an alarm system that will also monitor your home's thermostat. You can set it specifically to meet you and your home's needs regardless of the weather conditions outside, so that your home is always at an energy saving temperature.

So not only does the Vivint system, and other like it, provide you with a discount on your homeowner's insurance, but it will also help you save on your utility bills. Even better is that you can control these system remotely. So if the temperature that day got hotter or colder than you expected, then you can control your thermostat accordingly to keep your energy efficiency at optimum levels.

You can even control your home's lighting with the feature so you don't have to worry about leaving your lights on the entire time your gone to make it look like someone is home. Instead, you can save energy while also being safe by controlling the lights remotely and only turning them on when necessary.

So if you are looking for a great way to further reduce your home's energy consumption, consider turning it into a smart home. Not only will the discounts and energy saving allow you to pay for the system itself, but it will make your home a much safer and more efficient place – two things any eco-conscious homeowner wants in their home.

Guest Post: Be Plastic-Smart: Remember to Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle!

Plastic is one of the most convenient materials to use, but it’s also one of the least recycled items on the planet. Plastic is non-biodegradable and virtually indestructible, so the presence of plastic in landfills only add to existing pollution, and these discarded materials can stay there for years and years. And while we can’t stop using plastic altogether because of its multitude of practical uses (plus, an Austrian study by a consultancy called Denkstatt shows that replacing plastic packaging with alternatives would triple the total packaging mass, and would use twice as much energy in producing), we should take measures in helping reduce discarded plastic in landfills all over the world (the Environmental Protection Agency reports that almost 3 trillion plastic bags were used in the US in just 2009-2011).

Recycling and reusing isn’t as difficult as it seems. Developing the habit of doing this would not only benefit the environment, but would help foster a positive attitude about things in general. Here are some tips to help you start getting into the green habit:

Check the packaging. A lot of companies are now very environment-conscious, and have started using packaging made of recycled content. The recycled content and recyclability of the item can also be found on the packaging, so checking before you put anything the shopping cart helps you find better options.

Think ‘reusability’. Resourcefulness is a trait that is not only practical and smart; it can also be good for the environment. You might not realize it now, but there are a lot of everyday things we purchase that can be reused or even repurposed, especially plastic items. From storage to do-it-yourself scour pads, there are a lot of ways to reuse household items. Plus, this environment-friendly practice saves you a lot of money too! Why buy something from the store when you already have what you need at home?

If you don’t need it, don’t use it. Conservation is key. We use a lot of resources in our day-to-day lives, and sometimes we take them for granted. Water and electricity, for example, are essential things in our lives. Turn off the lights and other electric items, and shut off faucets when not in use. In the same way, if you can use alternative items instead of plastic, use them instead. Go shopping with a reusable bag or opt for a paper bag instead of plastic. Think of plastic as an item that should be used only when needed. This way you can reduce the need for plastic items daily.

There are a lot of ways you can help reduce plastic pollution. From choosing plastic alternatives to purchasing items made out of recycled materials (such as plastic garbage bags with 80% recycled content from PlasticPlace.net), you can easily come up with your own environment-conscious practices to suit your lifestyle.

Guest Post: Truly The Best Way To Go Green

There is much advice to be taken about becoming environmentally friendly, ecologically conscious, and living sustainably — in other words - going greens. As people, our combined efforts to reduce our carbon footprint, recycle, and use renewable energy sources like wind, biofuel and solar energy will go a long way toward improving the state of our world. But perhaps the best way that we can improve the environment is to take personal responsibility for consuming less resources. Consuming fewer resources doesn't just mean turning off the water when you brush your teeth or flipping off the lights in the hallway when you go to bed. Consuming less is a comprehensive strategy for conserving our natural habitats by changing our societal roles from that of passive consumers to active citizens. Here are a few ways to 'go green' by consuming less:

Don't rely on fuel to move. For hundreds and thousands of years humans got around without spewing carbon emissions into the atmosphere. Clearly, in today's world there are times when we must transport ourselves quickly and for those occasions automobiles may be necessary. But as a citizen who is a part of the ecology that is suffering from global warming, make the decision to take public transportation, or choose to walk, go for a jog, or ride your bike. Make a conscious effort to consume less fuel.

Don't buy furniture without a C2C certification. Having a Cradle 2 Cradle certification means that the furniture was manufactured using sustainable lumber and energy-efficient production methods. It also ensures that your furniture won't have toxic chemicals in it and will be easy to recycle. The C2C standard can be applied just as meaningfully to appliances, buildings, and urban conditions as well.

Shop from local markets and merchants who don't use plastic. Stop buying materials packaged in non-sustainable plastics and non-biodegradable materials. When you buy groceries, don't get them from big grocery stores that spray their vegetables with pesticides. Instead, get them from local farmer's markets and take them home in your eco-friendly bags. Stop supporting chains that are wasteful.

In general, you should think about consuming less as a standard practice. Though we live in a consumer society, excessive commerce supports a mental environment of waste, indulgence, and un-sustainability. This translates into a physical environment of decimated ecosystems, over-fished oceans, and polluted skies. If we can curb our wasteful habits together, we will reduce our global footprint and live in harmony with the natural environment.

Guest Post: Eco Friendly Kitchen Appliances

If you happen to be an environmentally conscious citizen of a world that increasingly needs people with green concerns, then you will undoubtedly want to invest in ways to make your home as eco-friendly as possible. You can start the process by checking out these appliances as a way to green your kitchen.

Countertops. If you’re on the lookout for a new countertop, consider one made totally of recycled materials such as glass and concrete that can be purchased with specific color schemes in mind. You can also look into countertops made completely of natural minerals or of materials such as paper or hemp.

Cabinets. When seeking out ways to replace painted kitchen cabinets, you need not utilize wood or particle board. Look for alternative solutions such as cabinets made from wheatboard that are made from wheat straw. Make sure that the finish is non-toxic.

Ways to save water. You can cut down on your water usage by running the dishwasher only when you have filled it to capacity. If you are preparing to replace your already existing one, look into water efficient models that can significantly cut down on energy and water usage.

Coffee time! Like your coffee cold? Invest in a coffee maker that makes ice-cold coffee without electricity. It also saves on paper by using a non-disposable, permanent coffee filter.

Induction stoves. By using electricity to produce a magnetic field that reacts to your iron-based cookware, induction stoves produce heat in a way that cuts down on energy expenses because your stove never gets hot, and your food is cooked more quickly. These models are more energy efficient and are especially attractive when compared to a gas or electric stove.

Baby, it’s cold inside. When purchasing a new refrigerator, consider your needs and don’t buy one that is too big. You can also look into new greener models that use less energy by installing glass doors that allow you to look in without opening the door unnecessarily.

Hot, hot, hot. Newer stoves are making preheating almost obsolete, which means less energy is wasted when compared to your older model oven, which can take ten to fifteen minutes to heat up.

Antiquing! Recycling doesn’t just apply to your newspapers or old glass bottles. Many older varieties of kitchen appliances, including countertops or cabinets, can be found in antique or junk shops. Obviously they’ve lasted this long, and can often easily be refurbished.

Find your light. Installing a skylight or increasing the size of your windows adds natural light to your kitchen that can help you save on power bills. Reduce sun damage by making sure that the glass you use has solar shading and low heat emission.

Greening up your kitchen will help the environment and give your house a healthier, happier feel. You can stay eco conscious while helping your community by buying your produce and other goods from local suppliers, including outdoor and farmers’ markets. In this way you contribute to businesses that don’t rely as much on fuel being burned to deliver their goods to you. If you’re worried about your carbon footprint, you can always ride your bike, which is good exercise as well!