RECYLE: What to do with those old cell phones and computers

Have you ever wondered how you should *responsibly* recycle old, broken and otherwise unwanted cell phones, printers, computers, and other electronics? I've been waiting to find the nearest place to drop off such items. Over the years I've accumulated four cell phones that I no longer use, and yes I've been saving them for the day that I finally recycle them. Not to mention, the old printer I have that no longer works, and tons of old CDs, DVDs and a broken digital camera. My precious greenies, there's hope for those of us who continue to save these old items, resulting in unneccessary clutter in our homes. It's time to do the right (green) thing and recyle them!

If you're in the NYC area, you can drop off the above items for recycling on July 10th at the Electronics Recyling Event at TekServe. If you live in a different area, by all means, go online search "recycling cell phones and computers" for the nearest drop off point.

GREEN EVENT: 7/29 Sustainable Fashion and Textiles Workshop

THE SUSTAINABLE FASHION AND TEXTILES WORKSHOP

Thursday, July 29, 2010 from 5:30 PM - 8:00 PM (ET)

New York, NY

O U R P U R P O S E

Drive sustainability in fashion

H A V E Y O U H E A R D

More than 8,000 chemicals are used to make your clothing

Almost 70% of clothing workers worldwide are women

US consumers spent $500 billion on sustainable products in 2008

25% of the world's pesticides are used to grow non-organic cotton

Today America is the largest exporter of cotton in the world

W A N T T O K N O W M O R E

The Sustainable Fashion & Textile workshops are curated, easy to understand and interactive presentations on sustainability. Held nationwide in creative settings such as the Pratt Institute, the workshops engage audiences in the important facts about sustainable fashion and textiles to drive positive change in the industry.

E V E N T F E E D B A C K

"I thought that the event was great, very enlightening."

"The workshop was eye-opening."

"The talk we all had was informative and exciting."

D U R IN G T H E E V E N T Y O U R E C E I V E

In-depth review of current practices and innovations

Clarity around the various sustainability claims being made by companies

Resources to take home and learn more about sustainable fashion

Understanding of new career opportunities and personal development

S C H E D U L E

5:30 - 6:00 = Kick Off and Networking

6:00 - 6:45 = The Current State of Fashion

6:45 - 7:00 = Your Questions

7:00 - 7:45 = Innovations and Opportunities

7:45 - 8:00 = Your Questions

Tickets will move fast - so don't delay!

A special thanks to the Pratt Design Incubator

The Pratt Design Incubator for Sustainable Innovation is a vibrant and energetic group of creative professionals working to link sustainability to enterprise. It provides a place for designers, artists and architects to actively participate in world changing projects and become a part of a growing network of people who share a common belief – that economic sustainability must also account for our world’s environmental and social well being.

RECYCLE: Now you can get rid of all those magazines!

If you are like me, a lover of information, you have probably collected hundreds of magazines over the course of several months and years. A trip to the grocery store or Barnes & Noble for me, usually results in an unplanned purchase of several magazines (apart from the handful I actually have subscriptions to) and the actual necessities I had on my shopping list. So what's a mocha beauty to do with the magazines on her shelves and coffee tables after she has read them all? Recycle of course! Recyling magazines and catalogs is easy and one of the things we can do to help our environment. I started recycling my magazines two months ago. It was quite simple. All I had to do was bundle the magazines and catalogs together, then put them out along with my other recyclable waste for the city to pick up.

Here is some information I recently found on what New York City and several organizations are doing in 2008, to promote the awareness of magazine recycling to the public:

"Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg announced on January 30 the New York City launch of ReMix – Recycling Magazines is Excellent! – a national public education campaign aimed at increasing residential recycling of magazines and catalogs. Joining the ReMix effort for the New York City campaign is the Hearst Corporation, Pratt Industries, Time Warner Cable, the Council on the Environment of New York City (CENYC) and its Office of Recycling Outreach and Education (OROE) and the Department of Sanitation (DSNY)."

If you live in the New York City area, and you would like to find out more about how you can recycle your magazines and catalogs call 311 or visit http://www.nyc.gov/.

TIP FOR REUSING YOUR MAGAZINES:

Do you have children? Are you a child at heart who loves visually stimulating works of art or DIY crafts? Well why not create a beautiful, one of a kind, collage with your old magazines and catalogs?

• Step one: Gather your old magazines, glue sticks, glitter, medium and large size contruction paper in various colors, and markers.


• Step two: Review the pages of your magazines to decide upon which images and text you would like to use for yours or your childrens' collage.


• Step three: Have a theme or subject in mind. Let's say you want to make a collage that represents all the things you love about summer. You can look for pictures and words that describe summer, the activities you do in the summer and how you feel during the summer months. For example: pictures of people or children playing at the beach, words such as "fun", "sun", "joy", "hot", and "relax". You can also cut out letters to create your own words and paste them together on your construction paper.


• Step four: Cut out your images, letters and word phrases and decide how to place them in an overlapping, aesthetically pleasing structure on your construction paper. Note -- there should be no "empty" space on your collage. All the construction paper background should be covered by the beautiful words and images you paste on to it.


• Step five: You can create your own "picture frame" or border around your collage, by cutting out images or background color from magazine pages and pasting it around the edges of your collage.


• Step six: After you have pasted all of the words and images on your construction paper, you can finish it by sprinkling a little craft glitter on the areas that may still be wet from your gluestick. This gives your collage a little shimmer!


• Step seven: If there is room, somewhere on the collage, cut out the letters of your first name or your child's first name and glue it in the center of the collage. Or you can write your name on the back of it with a marker that will not bleed through.


• The final product will be a one of a kind piece of artwork that is fun for you or your children to look at. You can have it framed or laminated if you like!

Here is an article on magazine collage which you may find helpful!

Yours in a sea of green,

DuEwa Frazier