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Archive for the ‘Week 16 Creative Recycling’ category

Electronic cord recycling is easy

February 9th, 2011

A few weeks ago, Ashley wrote about electronic waste and how I had collected a box of cords and “crap” that we no longer need. I think she took a few things out of the box to bring to good will, but I just recently took the rest to Best Buy. I am here to report that it is very easy and there is no reason that you cannot bring in your electronic waste for recycling.

Probably, the most difficult thing for me was actually getting to Best Buy. Although I like buying gadgets and whatnot, I am not the biggest consumer in the world. Basically, I drove around for a while with my box of recyclable whatnots in the back in my car.

This post is going to be a short post and the reason is that recycling electronics was so easy. All there was to it is walking into the Best Buy, they tagged my box of recycling and I brought to the customer service desk. It was honestly a five minute process and I was out of there.

If time or hassle is your obstacle to donating electronics, please don’t let it hold you back. It is easy and fairly hassle free. PLUS, you help save the world!

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Posted in earth, Week 16 Creative Recycling

Tags: recycling

Green Coconuts

February 17th, 2010

I purchased my first coconut this past week. After the smashing this poor coconut had to endure from my hammer, I started to wonder what happened to all of the coconut shells the commercial coconut companies would use. I would think that the coconut waste can be used for hardwood floors in the same way that cork or bamboo is used. Or maybe it can even be used as artwork or cabinetry. I am about to find out what types of products are out there made out of Coconut shells.

1. Wikipedia states that shells can be used for fuel and are a good source of charcoal. Shirt buttons can also be crafted from the shells of coconut. Musical instruments can also be made from coconut shells.

2. Wikipedia also stated that the trunk can be used to make hardwoods. Palmwood comes from the trunk, and is increasingly being used as an ecologically-sound substitute for endangered hardwoods. It can also be used in furniture and construction.

3. Coir-which is the fiber taken from the coconut husk is used in many applications; from the manufacture of car seats, it can be used as mulch and an environmentally friendly alternative to peat.

4. The hard part of the shell can be made into bowls, spoons, ladles, hookah pipes, salad servers and rubber latex collecting cups. They are also carved to make decorative objects such as picture frames.

5. There are several ways to make artwork from coconuts. Hand painted scenes from Hawaii, Coconut Sculptures, Earrings and all of these things are good examples of a very crafty artist.

This guy is very creative by using the husk fibers to make a very environmentally friendly netting that anchors the soil on sloping land as well as river banks, protecting against erosion. This is doubly green by reusing something that would otherwise be waste, and turning it into something good for the environment. It may be a creative home for this fella. It can be turned in to ethanol. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to find any information about what companies, who prepared coconut for sale, do with their coconut waste. If you have any resources or insight on what they do with this, please let us know in the comment section below.

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Posted in Ashley's Posts, Week 16 Creative Recycling

Tags: coconut artwork coconut shells coconut waste coir environmentally friendly ethanol octopus

Egg cartons and saving the world

February 15th, 2010

Well, I have had an interesting week trying to creatively recycle and I have found a change I can make this week to reduce my impact on the environment. Instead of throwing away our egg cartons, I am going to keep what we use or donate them to individuals who can use them. This week’s green challenge to find a creative item to recycle has been accomplished.

Our garbage ends up on the curb only about once a month, so very little actually is thrown away at our house. One of the items that has ended up in the garbage is our egg cartons, but no more. We are going to use egg cartons to grow seedlings and I am going to donate any extra egg cartons to a local co-op that sells farm fresh eggs. We may actually start buying these same eggs, but we just have not taken that step yet.

I may not have changed enough this week to save the world, but I made a small change this week that will help reduce our impact on the environment. That is all I can do, right? On to next week’s challenge! Check back later today in order to see what next week’s challenge is.

Oh! And if you have not seen it yet, register to win a NatureMill contest.