Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Begin November with National Recycling Week! Join in from November 7th to the 13th and see what you can learn about recycling. This recycling conscious occasion was founded in 1996 by Planet Ark in order to bring awareness to communities and the media. Through the past 16 years, the national focus has been minimizing waste, broadening knowledge about recycling, and putting it into action.

The objectives for National Recycling Week, (NRW), this year is to educate students about the environmental assets that come from recycling, expand the number of businesses engaged in recycling, and advocate community re-use and recycling. Furthermore, NRW intends to increase ones access to accurate recycling information.

Recycling is important because it returns materials to use that would otherwise become waste contaminating the valuable resources on our Earth. At home, one can collect used bottles, cans, paper board, and newspapers and take them to the curb in order to make the first step in environmental returns. For a complete list of recyclable items check out: www.raleighnc.gov/recycling. Overall, recycling protects manufacturing jobs, reduces the need for landfills, saves energy, decreases pollution and Greenhouse gases, and sustains the Environment for future generations. To find a list of recyclable items and a recycling center near you: www.wakegov.com/recycling/residents/conveniencectrs.htm.

Waste, a Terrible Thing to Waste!

Recycling seems to have become the latest fad, but its safe to say that monitoring initial consumption is much more important than recycling. That's why reusable bottles are encouraged over recycling plastic ones right? Today, we are going to take a look at two programs happening in Wake County: Styrofoam recycling and composting!

Styrofoam, the petroleum based product we all know and love, has become an increasingly serious problem across the United States. Many municipal recycling programs do not find value in Styrofoam recycling, but Wake County is currently taking steps in exploring the feasibility of implementing such a program in our area. Through this program, only non-food Styrofoam could be recycled and the material, after processing, would be resold to manufacturers for use. While still in the pilot stages, a recycling program such as this would only serve to benefit the Wake County community, and even diminish the amount of waste ending up in landfills every year. However, if our objective is to reduce waste in landfills, then we must be conscious of those products that we consume in the first place- remember: REDUCE first, then REUSE, and then RECYCLE when you don't have another option! For more information on the pilot program, check out this link

Waste not! This motto holds true for composting, another phenomenon that is taking Wake County by storm. On May 7th from 9am to 3pm, Raleigh Recycling and Wake County will be co-sponsoring a compost bin sale at 4121 New Bern Ave in Raleigh. Larger bins and kitchen sized bins will be available, all for reasonable prices! Waste really is a terrible thing to waste and compost bins are a great option for those of us who want to get the most out of our food- literally! For more information on the bin sale, check out this link

Charlotte Clean and Green

Charlotte Clean and Green

April 17–18, 2009

Thanks to the power of 100 volunteers, last year's first Charlotte Clean and Green was a great success, attracting nearly 3,000 attendees from across the Charlotte area. Consider becoming a part of making a difference in this growing region by taking steps to actively protect our environment right here in our community! Volunteer for Charlotte Clean and Green: An Earth Day Celebration!

This year's green educational festival takes place April 17–18, 2009 on the campus of Central Piedmont Community College, located in the heart of Charlotte! Volunteers are needed for festival set-up in a 3 hour shift on Friday afternoon and a 3 hour shift on Saturday morning. During the event on Saturday, we will have two 4 1/2 hour shifts for volunteers. Volunteer duties vary and include traffic/parking directors, exhibit helpers, welcome table hosts, assistance in the kids' area, food tent, entertainment, classes, clean-up and load-out.

Our volunteer needs may change during the event and we appreciate your flexibility! To volunteer, send an email to Vanessa Gorr at charlottecleanandgreen@gmail.com. Include your preferred time slots and consider volunteering for more than one shift! In your e-mail, please indicate if there are any special circumstances we should consider. You will be contacted by the volunteer coordinator with further details about volunteering.

There will be Volunteer Training Meetings (participate via phone or in person) to familiarize you with the event and volunteer requirements. Dates for that will be determined closer to the event. Learn more here: http://www.charlottecleanandgreen.com/too!