America Recycles Day

Did you know glass can be recycled an infinite number of times? Or that every three months, U.S  landfills have enough aluminum to rebuild our entire commercial air fleet? And that Americans throw away enough office paper to build a 12 foot high wall of paper from Seattle to NY?
~ National Recycling Coalition

The National Recycling Coalition has designated tomorrow, November 15, as America Recycles Day, a day to encourage Americans to recycle and buy recycled products. The purpose is to continue to promote the social, environmental and economic value of recycling. The website has lots of great information, ideas and tools.

Check out the cool Conversionator, a nifty tool to determine how much your efforts are helping the planet (it’s fun for kids too). Based on my estimations, our household recycling:

• saves eight trees per year
• generates enough electricity to watch TV for 30 hours
• lights one energy-saving light bulb for three days

And those estimates are conservative.

Here’s another way to look at it. Our local trash service partners with RecycleBank and awards points to those who recycle, based on weight. In six months, our recycling weighs as much as a Vespa 2008 Granturismo motorcycle.

The website also lists recycling events around the United States in conjunction with America Recycles Day. There are six Kansas events, one each in Great Bend, Lawrence, Kansas City, Overland Park, Topeka and Wichita. These communities are leading the way, promoting eco-friendly ways we can all be green, and demonstrating their commitment to our planet.

Need some inspiration? The website lists great ideas for companies, schools, organizations and governments:

• Business: Buy reusable mugs or cups for employees to use instead of disposable cups.
• Schools: Integrate information that is related to recycling into all subjects, such as math, chemistry, biology, and speech. (Example: Calculate the number of sheets of paper that equals one ton.)
• Associations/civic organizations: When possible, fold and staple your mail, instead of using envelopes.
• Governments: Have a paperless office day by encouraging staff to use e-mail and edit documents on-line.

If you already recycle, thank you for doing your part. But I bet you can do more! Replace just one product with a recyclable product. Or use cheap wash cloths instead of a paper towel (better yet, cut up old towels and use the scraps). Shop at a resale store. Use both sides of your printer paper. The options are endless…and the payoff? Huge.

My family knows the value of recycling, and we actively participate every day. Do you?

One Kansas Girl related posts:
October 27, 2009: Blog Action Day :: Climate Change
August 9, 2008: Clean and Green