Up to Your Ears in E-Waste?

When you're recycling a newspaper or a water bottle, the process is straightforward — place the item in the appropriate bin. But when it comes to recycling electronic waste or "e-waste," it can feel like your brain is short circuiting.

Inspired by the documentary film Terra Blight, which follows the path of broken and outdated electronics, we researched safe ways to dispose of those unwanted gadgets.

1.) Donate or sell your used electronics.

If your devices still have some juice, consider donating or selling them.

Websites like Gazelle will quote a price for cell phones and Apple products, provide free shipping, and then pay you for the product. You can choose a check, an Amazon gift card, or to have the amount credited to a PayPal account.

For donations, check with local schools, the Salvation Army, and Goodwill. Doing so will also qualify you for tax deductions. 

Another donation option would be to look at organizations like the National Cristina Organization and the World Computer Exchange. These organizations repurpose old computers for youth, individuals with disabilities, or people who are struggling financially. 

2.) Find an electronics recycler near you.

Landfill Harmonic: Making Music Out of Trash

This documentary project brings a whole new meaning to the term “trashy music.”

Landfill Harmonic is a movie-in-the-making about “The Recycled Orchestra,” a children’s orchestra in a Paraguayan shantytown that plays instruments made completely from garbage. In Cateura, Paraguay, a slum located atop a landfill site, there are few prospects for children living in extreme poverty.

According to orchestra director Favio Chavez, “There were a lot of drugs, alcohol, violence, child labor — a lot of situations that you wouldn’t think are favorable for kids to learn values.”

However, the formation of this orchestra allows the children of this community to have a creative outlet through their hostile, polluted environment. This film has not only given children the chance to learn and grow through music, but also allows them to transform waste into something beautiful.

As Chavez says, “The world sends us garbage. We send back music.”

4 Ways to Green Your Closet This Spring

Spring is here! And many of us may be tempted to head out to our favorite stores to stock up on those lightweight, brightly colored, open-toed, and overpriced "essentials." But before you empty your wallet on spring shopping, take a look at these tips to minimize cost and maximize green.

1. DIY: Braided Scarves

Many of us have tons of old T-shirts in our closets. Whether they are from college sports teams or some retreat you went to 10 years ago, they can still be of use. Make these shirts into awesome braided scarves for those cool spring days. All you need are some old T-shirts, a ruler, scissors, and iron-on adhesive (which can be found at your local convenience store for about $3). Check out the tutorial below by YouTube Guru AnneorShine. And for those of you who can't wait until summer to whip out the shorts, check out our DIY: 10 Summer Shorts You Can Make at Home.

4 Unexpected Products Made from Poop

Most people are familiar with the practice of recycling animal excrement into manure. But some not-so-squeamish souls have gone a step further, devising sustainable solutions to prevent the putrid piles from going to waste.

1. Civet coffee (kopi luwak): Can you imagine paying hundreds of dollars for coffee made from poop? Civet coffee is a rarefied brew made from the droppings of a nocturnal, catlike animal called the Asian palm civet. The lithe, long-tailed creature eats a diet of coffee berries, digesting the fruit’s fleshy pulp and passing the tough pit through its gastrointestinal tract whole (although enzymes break down the bean’s proteins). After the civet defecates the undigested coffee beans, they are then harvested, husked, washed, and roasted.

Opinions of the civet coffee’s flavor vary, described by some as “earthy” and “smooth” and others as “unremarkable” and “thin.” Many would agree, though, that the coffee isn’t bitter — which makes sense, since the civet’s digestive enzymes degrade the proteins that help give coffee its bitterness.

15 Resolutions You Can Cross Off Your List Today

The New Year is here, and what better way to celebrate than by doing some good! Whether you made resolutions or not, the start of a new year is a clean slate. You may not know what the next 12 months have in store, but you can guarantee that you jump-started 2013 on a positive note by accomplishing any (or all!) of the following eco-actions.

1. Keep the TV off. It's the first week of the New Year, do you really want to waste it sitting in front of the television? We thought not. You could get so much done today if you spend less time watching reruns — and you could cut down electricity usage too. 

2. Make dinner tonight. Why waste the gas and money to go out for dinner, when you can make a nice, hot meal right at home? Go with local, organic ingredients to step it up a notch. Not only will you be saving money, and help out the local economy, you'll have leftovers for later. 

3. Take a shorter shower. In general, it'd be good to cut back on excess water usage. You can install low-flow showerheads and fix leaky faucets for other inexpensive and easy conservation moves, but if you shave a minute or two off of your shower today that's a step in the right direction. Do that for a whole month and you could save 150 gallons of water and be one step closer to being a Water Sentinel. 

Green Your Gifting: Party Favor Ideas

Whether you choose to do party favors or a gift exchange, a party always has more pizzazz if the guests don’t go home empty-handed. You could prepare a small token or give them the tools to make their own favors, but setting up a little something extra will go a long way toward making your guests feel appreciated.

Tip: Give green party favors or presents.

Party favors can be a great little takeaway for your holiday party. Depending on your time limit and budget, there are a couple different ways to go. 

Get crafty

Sometimes something handmade will impress your guests more than spending some cash. If you have spare time, you could individual gifts. A cute idea for individually made treasures are creating homemade ornaments  out of items around your house. Clothespins make great reindeer or toy soldier ornatments; and lightbulbs are pefect for Santas or penguins. Grab some paint and any extra bits of flair your can think of and craft something special for your coworkers. 

If you're short on time, set up a "photo booth" at your holiday party. Use old gift wrapping paper to create the backdrop. Next, use old boxes and paint/markers to make designs such as antlers, beards, santa hats, holiday scarves, elf hats, etc. Stick the cardboard to some wooden skewers and you have props for slightly cheesing yet memorable photos. Have a designated photographer for the evening and at the end of the party, upload them to a website, email them to guests, or print them out yourself if you have the materials.  

Green Your Holiday Table

Holiday parties can easily end up leaving a carbon footprint. Between paper cups, napkins, plates and cutlery, there can be a lot left over that ends up in the trash when it shouldn't.  We've got some tips that will make your shindig both fun and sustainable when it comes to the party supplies.

Tip: Use compostable or reusable partyware.

First of all, if you're throwing an office party take stock of all the supplies you may already have. If you have party supplies left over from the last event, utilize that or bring in things from around your own home. It's also important to note that if you are going to buy supplies, make sure you have more than just a trash can for the night's discards. Set up recycle and compost bins around the party aside those trash bins and you'll be one step closer to an eco-friendly gathering.  

Drinkware

10 DIY Gifts for Family

Who needs the hustle and bustle of holiday shopping? Making gifts for your family is a whole lot more fun and personal. Not to mention all the green you'll save, monetarily and environmentally speaking. Whether you're a master crafter or a newbie, check out our list of homemade gifts that would put a smile on anyone's face. 

1. Plastic-Bottle Cell Phone Holder- Anyone in the family with a phone would enjoy this stylish holder, which cleverly repurposes a shampoo bottle, and you don't have to be a crafting genius to make it.  

2. Rustic Jewelry Holder- If you have a sister, she will go ga-ga over this fashionable and eco-friendly jewelry rack, and it'll take you less than 10 minutes to make.

3. Homemade Cup Koozie- For that family member on the go, make a cup koozie to protect his or her hands from that piping hot cup of coffee or tea. 

4. Tennis Racket Table- This nifty table made of old tennis rackets would go great in Dad's garage or your brother's man cave. 

5. Olive Oil Soap- Your aunt would probably love to sport these homemade soaps in her bathroom; it would give her the chance to brag about her crafty niece or nephew to visitors. 

Christmas Trees: Real vs. Fake

Aside from the American tradition of playing continuous Christmas music the day after Thanksgiving on local radio stations, we also know that the tradition of putting up a Christmas tree goes in tandem with the passing of Turkey Day. 

But before you purchase your Christmas tree, we've provided some information as to why a real tree is more sustainable than its fake counterpart. 

Pros and Cons of Fake Christmas Trees

The obvious advantage of a fake Christmas tree is that you can reuse it every year. This not only saves you time and money in shopping for a tree and having to haul it onto your car, into the house, and leaving a trail of pine needles behind; it also prevents many trees from being cut down and wasted. However, there is a very real and serious disadvantage in the way these trees are produced that are both hazardous to the environment as well as our health. Many fake trees are made with polyvinyl chloride (also known as PVC), a non-renewable and petroleum-based plastic, and lead. Making PVC produces carcinogens that are emitted from such factories that further puts people in neighboring neighborhoods at risk for cancer while lead exposure can lead to neurological or reproductive problems.

Pros and Cons of Real Christmas Trees

Deck the Office Halls Green

'Tis the season to start planning that office holiday party, ladies and gents, and we've got some great ways to help you keep it green. First up? Decorations. Try out these eco designs and the environment will be happy -- and so will your wallet.

How to Throw a Nature-Themed Holiday Party

If you want to keep it simple and reduce your office's carbon footprint with bright ideas, let nature be your guide while decorating. Table decorations are often the easiest way to go. Just rent some tablecloths (or make them yourself if you have some extra time on your hands) and let the centerpieces be the main attraction. 

Festive Candles 

Soy or beeswax candles make a simple yet elegant table decoration. Many items can be used as candle holders, but we've got two variations to share with you. Pine cone candleholders would make a great decoration for the dinner table if you have the time to go on a scavenger hunt for the pinecones. (Note: Grab them from your yard or ask neighbors to share cones from their trees.) Just make sure to soak the pinecones in a mixture of vinegar and water first to make sure you get all the grime off before using them as decorations. If you've got less time on your hands, gather up some pinecones, tree clippings and maybe some fruit, throw it all in a basket and place tapered candles inside.

Tabletop Evergreens