America Recycles Day: 5 Easy Things You Can Do Today

Happy America Recycles Day! How will you be celebrating? Here are five easy things to get you started:

1. Attend an event. Here are a few in Northwest Ohio:

Green Hoops
Bowling Green State University
Nov. 15, 2010
8 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.
Description: Recycled items from the tailgate areas and stadium will be weighed.

Disney Store 2010 Holiday Friends & Family Event

Westfield Franklin Park Disney Store, 5001 Monroe Street, Toledo

Nov. 15, 2010

Description: Donate t-shirts and receive 25% off your purchase when you bring in the Friends & Family coupon. The collected t-shirts will be recycled into paper. Visit http://www.Disney.com/projectgreen for more information. (I participated in this one and was able to get a head start on Christmas shopping.)

Pharmaceutical Collection

Lucas County Solid Waste District, 1011 Matzinger Rd., Toledo

Nov. 15, 2010

9 a.m. - noon

Description: Call 419-213-2230 for details or visit http://www.co.lucas.oh.us

2. Take the pledge like I did and encourage your family to do the same.

3. Learn about TerraCycle. My daughter receives a prize at school every time she brings in ten Capri Sun pouches and her school makes money from TerraCycle, who then turns the donated trash into items like lunchboxes, bookbags, fences and kites.

4. Pick another challenge to "ramp up your recycling." I've done curbside recycling for years, but really need to work on disposing batteries properly, so this is how I'll be ramping up my recycling. I would also like to gather together all of the old electronics in my home to either donate or recycle. Read CNET's Electronics recycling: Dealing with skeletons in the closet for more information about getting rid of your e-waste.

5. Remember to reduce and reuse. This should be an easy one, but if you need a refresher course, read tips on how to reduce and how to reuse. I might as well throw in how to recycle too. Last Christmas, I turned boxes into a children's couch (see the middle photo on the scrapbook layout above) and then used contact paper to cover the stack of boxes. My girls still use this mini sofa at playtime. I've also turned a kitty litter storage container into scrapbook storage. (I have five more storage containers just waiting to be decorated.)

These are all super simple things to do on America Recycles Day and I hope you'll join me by taking a little portion of your day to recycle and then let the world know what you did today...share on Twitter, Facebook or leave a comment below.

Resources:

• AmericaRecyclesDay.org
• Earth911.com
• EPA.gov

Thanks for stopping by Snap.Scrap.Blog.Tweet!

You may also be interested in:

• Nail Polish Drive: What's in Your Nail Polish?
• How to Make Business Card Bookmarks using Recycled Scrapbook Paper
• 30 Green Things To Do

Creating a Healthy Home Environment for Children & Free Coupons

When I became a mom, my point of view of the world around me changed. Little by little I asked questions. Is this safe for my baby? Should I do this or that? What am I doing wrong? What am I doing right? What could I be doing better? The more I learn, the more I realize I don't know very much at all. 

Being a mom (or being a person in general) is a lifelong continuous process of education and  gaining wisdom. Today, I hope you will take a moment to educate yourself about the environment around you, make a decision to be more conscious about what you bring into your life and then take that knowledge and share it with others as I did during my Healthy Home Party sponsored by Healthy Child Healthy World.

A package arrived at my house a few weeks ago from Healthy Child Healthy World and it was filled with all kinds of delightful goodies for me to share with others. Take a look...

Included in the Healthy Home Party Kit were safe and environmentally friendly items and information from these companies:

Klean Kanteen

Revolution Foods

Plum Organics

Luna

Yes To Carrots

Activeion

CleanWell

Earthbound Farm

Earth Friendly Products

Eat Cleaner

Happy Baby

Naturepedic

Organic Valley

Seventh Generation

Mohawk

Now you may be wondering what is Healthy Child Healthy World. It is a nonprofit organization that educates parents on how to create safer and greener environments for their children. If you browse their website, HealthyChild.org, you will find that it is loaded with information that will help you make better and healthier decisions about the environment around you and most importantly, your children.

Why is a healthy environment important? The answer is simple. Our children need healthy places to live and grow. They should not be exposed to toxic chemicals that can harm them and these toxins are in products that many of us use everyday: pesticides, food, body wash, furniture, cleaners, etc.

What can you do? Follow these 5 Easy Steps to improve your families' health:

1. Manage pests safely
2. Use nontoxic products
3. Clean up indoor air
4. Eat healthy
5. Be wise with plastics

One of the simplest things to do is make your own cleaning products. Using natural and safe cleaning items that you make at home will save money and keep your family healthy. There are several possibilities when it comes to homemade cleaners and I decided to share an easy microwave cleaner with my guests. I mixed up 4 tablespoons of baking soda with enough water to make a paste, passed out old socks and told my guests that we're cleaning a microwave today! (This was fun!) My microwave was nasty and gross. I had heated up spaghetti earlier in the week without a cover and it splattered all over the microwave.  So we scrubbed and rinsed. Cleaning with baking soda was surprisingly easy and it worked!

I'm feeling good about making my own homemade cleaner and sharing with others. The party is over now, but guess what? I saved something for you! The first 5 people who email me their contact information will receive:

• Organic Valley coupons ($15.00 value)
• Earthbound Farm pamphlet (with recipes and coupons)
• "Creating Healthy Environments for Children" DVD code

There's no catch - just be one of the first 5 people to email scrappindanielle (at) gmail (dot) com...and that's it! Do want a bonus? I also have assorted coupons leftover and you can get your hands on some if you email me AND leave a comment below.

I know there are many things to think about right now, but just start with one thing you can change and make a commitment to keep learning about safer alternatives. You can even have your own Healthy Home Party. Sign up HERE. Or join Healthy Child on Twitter every Thursday night at 6pmPST/9pmEST for news and tips.

Resources:

• Recipes for Safer Cleaners
• Healthy Child Pocket Guides
• Healthy Home Party FAQ
• 5 Easy Steps
• Cosmetics Database
• Household Product Database
• Consumer Reports Eco-label Guide

Thanks for stopping by ScrappinMemories4U.com! I hope you have learned a lot today! I know I've learned a few new things and all I have to say is "Keep it coming! I love to learn!" 

You may also be interested in:

• Don't throw away your nail polish!
• Nail polish paintings, ecoSCRAPBOOK & Etsy
• 30 Green Things To Do
• Green scrapbooking: Ways to be an eco-friendly scrapbooker

Disclosure: The Healthy Home Party Kit was sponsored by Healthy Child Healthy World.

The Retweetables: 12 tweets celebrating Earth Day

In honor of Earth Day, I compiled a list of eco-friendly tweets to share with you. Some are crafty, but most will make you think about the world around you. I hope you enjoy these tweets and have a wonderful Earth Day.

1. @Isleen72: We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children. ~Native American Proverb #EarthDay

2. @ElmersGlueCrew: Happy #EarthDay! Take the Elmer’s Glue Crew 40 Day Challenge: http://ow.ly/1Az3t Also find them via #40earthdays

3. @EcoDiscoveries: How to Go Green: Earth Day : http://ow.ly/1BEvg> the history, Activities, and tips< #earthday #green

4. @matthiasrascher: The ’70s Photos That Made Us Want to Save Earth: http://bit.ly/d1LhRB #Eday40 #EarthDay #eco

5. @myEARTH360: Hooray #Chicago #13!!! RT @GOOD: America's least wasteful cities http://su.pr/2chn38 #eday40

6. @stunetii: Facts 4 #Earthday: 50,000 acres of forest eliminated daily. http://bit.ly/9UMOSB #eco #eday40

7. @LisaBeres: 8 tips for eco-friendly eating on Earth Day: http://ow.ly/1BweX #eco #natural #organic

8. @SMcLaughlin: In honor of #EarthDay, this tweet is printed on 100% recyclable, biodegradable post-consumer content using only soy ink. RT to recycle it...

9. @Whslibraryrocks: 30 Westlake teachers signed up for the Teach Paperless for Earth day pledge which is featured in the NyTimes! http://tinyurl.com/262yq5m

10. @cesarmillan: Earth Day is 4/22! Today: Instead of trashing old linens and towels, donate them to a local shelter. Your trash may be a shelter dog's bed!

11. @whitneytrujillo: RT @momtrends: 10 Ways to Celebrate Earth Day with Your Kids @ http://look.ac/d6MyC2 from Momtrends

12. @Lifetime365: Reusable shopping bags made out of tank tops? Yup. Check it out for Earth Day on Thurs! http://bit.ly/9CTBW7