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: 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.

Product Review: Exclusive Goddess Eco Jewelry

Recently Exclusive Goddess, a company which strives to be environmentally responsible without compromising fashion, style, design and trend sent me an Andromeda necklace to review. They also sent me a pair of coffee beans and chocho diamond seeds earrings I will also mention below. I usually do the reviews myself, but in this case I thought it would be best to bring in a ringer, my wife.

First off, products from Exclusive Goddess are all handmade, and died with natural products, non toxic. The seeds are handpicked after they naturally fall to the ground. For each set sold a tree is planted through Mokugift to help the UNEP in the Billion Tree Campaign. Customers choose where they want their tree planted. For more information about how to Plant a Tree Today and to join UNEP's Billion Tree Campaign visit Mokugift http://www.mokugift.com/tree_island/vertesexy.

Andromeda: The necklace is tie-style with macramé, acid seeds, tagua petals and a totumo centerpiece for an elegant and sophisticated look. Sliding knot graduates the desired length each person wants. Tagua nut or vegetable ivory, is a palm native of the tropical rainforests of South America. Tagua is usually found in groups in swampy territory within the forest.

My wife has worn this necklace at work and has received several compliments. "Where did you get that? I want one!" As well as “What is their website?" are two of the most popular comments. My wife likes jewelry that is unique and attractive. She is a big fan of the Andromeda.

Pair of coffee beans and chocho diamond seeds: Coffee plants produce clusters of coffee cherries. They become bright red when they are ripped and ready to be picked. Diamond chocho is a seed from the Amazonian region of Columbia, is red and shaped like a domed saucer

My wife is a big fan of Louisville Cardinal athletics and their colors are red and black. She likes the red that pops out from the chocho diamond seeds in these earrings. She wears these earrings to the games to show of her support. They match the rest of her Louisville Cardinal ensemble.

Exclusive Goddess™ eco-initiatives include reduced toxicity in products, products have minimal or no artificial materials, energy efficiency in office and production, recycled content, manufactured with minimal environmental impact, reusability, eco-friendly packaging.

Exclusive Goddess™ is also dedicated to supporting the artisans that make all their ecoaccessories possible. Most of them are women head of households and members of ethnic and marginized communities. Is an integral component of their mission of job creation, community empowerment and economic revitalization to ensure non-discrimination on opportunities for small businesses and especially small disadvantaged business, operated by women, disabled veterans, and those located in historically underutilized business zones. Exclusive Goddess is a fair trade jewelry company. They support ethical and fair business practices.

My wife and I both recommend Exclusive Goddess and their eco jewelry. They make great unique products for anyone who loves jewelry. They also are eco conscious with the materials they use and planting trees along the way. Find out more about Exclusive Goddess below.

Website:: http://www.ExclusiveGoddess.com

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/XclusiveGoddess

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Exclusive-Goddess/227439163959785

Guest Post: 5 Things We Can Learn From Australia

There are a few things we can learn from our distant neighbors in Australia. United States can learn a few things from the Aussies, it seems they are taking ‘Going Green’ into their own hands. Here are a few things that are Australia is doing to help our environment:

Eco-Tourism: It is a way of travel that Australia has been promoting for years. The idea behind it all is traveling to a destination that will leave the least amount of a carbon footprint. www.ecotourism.org.au states that eco-tourism is “ecologically sustainable tourism with a primary focus on experiencing natural areas that fosters environmental and cultural understanding, appreciation and conservation”. There are dozens of websites where you can find this kind of trips.

Toilets: Dual flush system is something that we are slowly seeing on toilets here in the United States. The dual flush system was designed by an Australianto save tons of gallons of water a year. The Australian government strongly encourages citizens to replace their one flush system if they have one. Dual flush toilet have two options, one flush is for going number 1 (less water) and the other flush if for going number 2 (more water).

Boardwalks: Throughout Australia, mostly in environmentally sensitive areas like the rain forest, raised boardwalks are built. Creating boardwalks produces one path for visitors to walk on as opposed to many paths. If there are no boardwalks then the visitor feels free to roam creating countless paths that could potential cause harm to that environmentally sensitive area.

Do not touch: Do not touch the coral or any other marine life. Many scuba divers and snorkelers don’t realize that they are doing great harm when they simply hold or touch something from the ocean. Human hands have oils that can kill or damage certain marine life. And not to mention, you never know what can harm you.

Controlled Burning: Australia is known for ‘prescribing burning’ in their savannas. Australia has learned that these controlled burns reduce the amount of greenhouse emissions. Also starting controlled burns in the beginning of the dry season can prevent natural fires toward the end of the dry season. Controlled burning is a controversial subject but definitely something worth looking in to.

It is as simple as installing a new flush toilet kit or not touching marine life; Americans are able to follow in the footsteps of Australia. Next time your travel, take an eco-tourism trip to Australia and see it firsthand. And have a G’day mate!

Author Bio
Heather Smith is an ex-nanny. Passionate about thought leadership and writing, Heather regularly contributes to various career, social media, public relations, branding, and parenting blogs/websites. She also provides value to hire a nanny by giving advice on site design as well as the features and functionality to provide more and more value to nannies and families across the U.S. and Canada. She can be available at H.smith7295 [at] gmail.com.

"Help! My Closet Needs a Makeover" Contest by Sweet Home Solutions

Is your unruly closet getting the best of you? Do you think your closet could use some professional help? Let Home Sweet Solutions be the judge in our "Help! My Closet Needs a Makeover!" Contest – winner will receive a $1000 Lowe’s Gift Card!

It’s easy to enter – just visit Home Sweet Solutions and upload a photo of your closet in its most dire state for the chance to win! Entries will be accepted through January 31, and winners will be chosen the first week of February, so enter now, and get your friends and family to vote today!

Once your closet is cleaned out, don't forget to donate or reuse your used clothing.