Archive for April, 2010

Another Green Victory for Earth Day

Friday, April 30th, 2010

Let’s face it- Michigan weather is never predictable! While the rain continued to come down on April 25, it didn’t stop brave participants from joining Recycling for Charities at the Recycle Royal Oak event.

Many families fearlessly made their way to the different green stations set up in downtown Royal Oak for the event.  Make and take crafts were provided by Arts & Scraps, SOCRRA had recycling bins on site for sale, and OUR Credit Union provided free document shredding. And of course RFC was there to collect e-waste from community members! For being so green those who donated were able to sign up to win a free Digital Camera or Digital Photo Frame, provided by Kodak. Below are our winners, who we thank again for taking the time and braving the rain to donate!

Kevin Patrick Miller and his new Kodak Digital Camera
“What a great unexpected surprise. It made my day!”


Nicola Davis showing off her Kodak Digital Photo Frame
“Oh my I love our frame- we have been playing with it and it took me all evening to load 400 pictures on it! What a fun toy!”


Through RFC’s Earth Day events, and with the help of local participating businesses, we were able to collect over 150 electronic waste items for recycling. Imagine if this e-waste had been thrown out, ending up in our landfills with the chemicals possibly seeping into local ground water! Not only were we able to save these electronics from affecting our environment but we also helped raise funds for two worthy non-profits, the Hospice of Michigan and the Oakland Land Conservancy. RFC was also able to give away the ever popular biodegradable pots with planted vegetable seeds! Over 150 pots were handed out at our Earth Day events, many to kids who were excited to get their gardens started right away!

From communicating with possible partners to placing donation requests so that participants did not walk away empty handed at events, Winter Greenterns Jenny and Katie were involved with the entire event planning process. The Greenterns spent time writing press releases, contacting media sources, spreading awareness through social media, and convincing local businesses to help our green cause! But most importantly Jenny and Katie were able to see how a non-profit organization functions behind the scenes and gained real job experience. It also didn’t hurt that they worked in a fun and energetic setting at the Recycling for Charities office!

Part of the Recycling for Charities Team with the Greenterns

A special thanks to all donors and participating businesses who had to put up with weekly intern visits and calls! We truly appreciate your support: AlexEmilio Salon, Bean and Leaf Café, Bethel Farms, Café Muse, Douglas J Salon, Nutri-Foods, Scout, Siegers Seed Co., Shine, TASI Juice Bar, and Titzy’s.

Recycling to Help Man’s Best Friend and Mother Earth

Friday, April 30th, 2010

The strong bond between animals and the environment is undeniable, but is often disregarded when it comes to keeping our land and water pollution-free. One cell phone alone, if thrown away, can pollute 40,000 gallons of ground water, which in turn affects the nearby wildlife. While the mission of Friends For the Dearborn Animal Shelter is to provide loving care and sanctuary to animals that are neglected, Recycling for Charities hopes to help in a similar way by making sure e-waste stays out of landfills and in turn keeping ground water clean for wildlife.

Last year alone the shelter took in over 2,500 animals, many of whom were extracted from hoarding situations or were surrendered due to the poor economy affecting the state of Michigan. 65 percent of these animals were saved by the Dearborn Animal Shelter which is astounding considering that the national average of animals which are received and euthanized by shelters is 70 percent.

You can help the private, non-profit organization Friends For the Dearborn Animal Shelter by joining them to celebrate the 5th Annual Mutt Strut & Pet Expo. The pledge-driven dog walk and community-wide celebration will take place at Dearborn’s Ford Field, with lots of entertainment, shopping, and fun focused on pets and their families. It will take place May 15 and 16 from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at Dearborn’s Ford Field— rain or shine or snow – all weather is dog weather!

Participants will be able to bring their broken and used wireless electronics,  such as cell phones, PDAs, MP3 players, iPods, iPhones, pagers, and digital cameras, to be recycled. All of the proceeds from the recycled e-waste will in turn go back to the Friends for the Dearborn Animal Shelter who can use it to care for the animals they rescue. If you have no e-waste to contribute you can also make a monetary donation. According to the shelter just $25 would provide an orphan kitten or puppy with special formula for 9 days.

Friends For the Dearborn Animal Shelter is dedicated to their mission of helping both homeless and owned animals, whether it be through care or adoption. You can help their passionate cause by visiting their website at www.dearborn-animals.com and can learn how to get involved with the Mutt Strut & Pet Expo at www.dearbornmuttstrut.com.

Success Dressed in Green for Earth Day Celebration

Monday, April 19th, 2010

Recycling for Charities could not have asked for a better day to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day. The sun was shining down on their eco-friendly Smart Car; the newest hits provided by 98.7 AMP Radio kept everything upbeat and the donations pouring in. The campus of Oakland University was glowing green thanks to students, staff and local community members.

Interested overseers hung out during set up and engaged in conversation about various green facts and how to help maintain our Earth with volunteers from Recycling for Charities (RFC), Sustaining Our Planet Earth (SOPE), Reverb and The Salvation Army. From 11:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. there were several tables stationed outside of the Oakland Center that provided food, key chains, pins, green facts, seeded pots,  and activities. Students, staff, and members of the community had the opportunity to donate their broken/old phones, iPods, cameras, electronics and clothing. All donors were entered in a drawing for eco-friendly prizes. Recycling for Charities raffled off a Kodak Digital Camera and a Digital Photo Frame. The winner of RFC’s raffle will be announced and contacted sometime next week.

The Earth Day Celebration helped RFC keep 50 tons of e-waste out of landfills. Also, the raised funds were donated to the Michigan Hospice. The Salvation Army walked away with bags upon bags that will help clothe our community and Reverb promoted their Campus Consciousness Tour encouraging students to actively go green. Green gardens will be growing this spring too as the biodegradable pots provided by Bethel Farms and planted with seeds from Siegers were a big hit! The teamwork from all organizations combined to create an exciting, fun and educational environment.

If you thought you missed out on the fun, think again! We will be in Downtown Royal Oak this Sunday, April 25, from 12 p.m. until 4 p.m. continuing the celebration of Earth Day with Recycle Royal Oak. Bring your e-waste!

You can also stay updated about our green initiatives and events by following us on Facebook and Twitter.

Gardening Goes Green with Biodegradable Pots

Thursday, April 8th, 2010

Trying to find a way to make your garden even greener this season? Then it is time to ditch those plastic planting pots that usually end up in landfills anyway and start thinking biodegradable!

No Glues. No Binders. Nothing Artificial. This is how DOT Pots™ describes its unique gardening products. For them, what the pots are made of is just as important as what they aren’t made of. The biodegradable pots are created solely from all natural wood fibers, 80% spruce fibers and 20% peat moss, which are harmless to the environment. The pots, available through Bethel Organics, are the first and only 100% organic, biodegradable plantable pots in the world!

We know biodegradable is a fancy word that is being thrown around a lot in the ‘green’ world today, but what does it actually mean for your garden? Before it has dissolved into the earth, the walls of the pot retain water so that less water is needed. The plant roots, which grow even stronger in the DOT Pots, then easily grow right through the bottom of the pot when they have developed enough. For those of us who have trouble with transplanting, these DOT Pots will be your saving grace. The entire pot is placed in the ground once the plant is ready to upgrade to a bigger amount of soil, so you won’t lose nearly as many plants to transplant shock.

The EPA has reported that only 3.9 percent of plastics are recycled each year, which means our landfills are being filled with tons of waste that could be avoided. And this waste is anything but good for our environment. Most plastics, especially those made many years ago, contain chemicals that are released when the plastic is put in a landfill or littered. These chemicals can eventually seep into groundwater and become a health risk to both wildlife and humans. Using biodegradable pots like the DOT Pots helps keep those pesky plastic flower containers from being made, and ultimately from being thrown in landfills.

Stronger plants, environmentally friendly, no clean up necessary, and no waste created. Why wouldn’t you choose DOT Pots for your next garden project? For more information on these pots and to find out where they are sold you can visit DOT Pots or Bethel Organics.

Looking for other ways to go ‘green’? Recycling for Charities keeps tons of e-waste out of landfills each year through recycling, and helps raise funds for non-profit organizations in the process. To learn more, visit our website or follow us here:

Recycling for Charities would like to thank Bethel Organics for their extremely generous donation. The donated DOT Pots will be used as eco-friendly giveaways at our upcoming Earth Day events where RFC hopes to educate the community about the importance of recycling e-waste.

Oakland University Earth Day Celebration

Friday, April 2nd, 2010

It is that time of the year again; time to clean out your dorm room and move back home for the summer. Most likely you have come across something while packing up that you had completely forgotten about. Maybe a cell phone you dropped in a puddle while rushing to class. Or an iPod that’s battery is more drained than you are after finals week. Why not doing something positive with these electronics that you aren’t using anymore?

Recycling for Charities has partnered with the Sustaining Our Planet Earth organization of Oakland University to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day. As a non-profit charity, Recycling for Charities (RFC) defends the environment and supports other worthy non-profits through recycling, donating the money raised to over 800 charities nationwide. On April 15 the two organizations hope to prevent nearly 50 TONS of electronic waste, which can leak harmful chemicals, from entering landfills while celebrating the environmentally-friendly holiday at Oakland University’s campus.

From 11:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. students, staff, and members of the community will have the opportunity to donate broken and used electronics such as cell phones, iPods, digital cameras, pagers and PDAs. RFC, stationed with their eco-friendly Smart Car at the Oakland Center, will be accepting electronic donations to be recycled. Every donor will receive an entry into a contest to win prizes, such as a Kodak Digital Camera or Digital Photo Frame, simply for donating their used e-waste! If you are planning on being on campus April 15 remember to keep your old electronics with you and head to the Oakland Center where all the fun will be! All funds raised from the recycling of the e-waste collected will benefit the Hospice of Michigan, a charity chosen by SOPE.

Attendees will be able to participate in other ‘green’ Earth Day activities on campus as well provided by Reverb, including organic t-shirt screen printing and seed planting, and can grab an organic bite to eat while listening to a live DJ from a local radio station spin the newest hits. As a part of Reverb’s Campus Consciousness Tour, rapper Drake will also be performing on April 15 at the Meadow Brook Theater.

You can easily receive updates about this event by following Recycling for Charities on Twitter and Facebook, too:

We need YOUR help! Only 10 percent of used or broken cell phones are recycled each year. What is your excuse? Be sure to do your part this Earth Day by helping RFC and SOPE keep 75 tons of e-waste out of our landfills!

Oakland University is located at 2200 N. Squirrel Road, Rochester, Michigan 48309.

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