For most people, the act of recycling probably includes sorting plastic, glass, and aluminum containers into brightly colored bins and leaving them curbside for removal. And while the growth of curbside recycling programs is to be applauded, it’s important to remember that other household items can and should be recycled.

Our homes are all full of recyclable goods – like old television sets, cell phones and ink cartridges – but if your community lacks an organized effort to recycle such things, it can be difficult to know what can be recycled and where. To help, I’ve compiled a list of alternative recycling programs.

gcycle
When you visit the gcycle website, you’re greeted with chirping birds and the gcycle robot who eats old electronics and emits flowers, birds, and pink smoke – it’s pretty funny actually. gcycle is an electronics waste recycling program that educates users on the dangers of electronic waste (e-waste) in the environment and matches people with e-waste recycling centers. By entering your zip code, you can find out where to recycle batteries, print cartridges, video tapes, video games & accessories, cell phones & accessories, computers and other household electronics. I thought it was cool that my local Staples, Best Buy and Tweeter all participate in electronics recycling – and also that gcycle provides maps to show me how to get to each recycling location. In addition to this information, the gcycle site also provides factoids about the hazards of not recycling electronics, and paints a disturbing picture of exactly how much electronic waste is floating around.

Earth 911
Earth 911 is the force behind gcycle, but offers more than just electronic waste recycling information. Based in Scotsdale, Arizona, Earth 911 is a division of Global Alerts, a cause media company. The Earth 911 website offers information and tips on how to (and where to) recycle electronics, automobiles and household goods, and also provides information on green shopping, product stewardship and composting. While Earth 911’s site is more informational than practical, it’s a great place to start if you want to learn more about the benefits of recycling all kinds of commonly tossed aside items.

The Freecycle Network
The idea behind The Freecycle Network is that by keeping perfectly useful and usable items out of landfills you are contributing to a greener planet. Instead of promoting the traditional concept of recycling, The Freecycle Network promotes the reuse of items, and has a network that people can access when they want to either donate or find other people’s castoffs. The Freecycle Network is a nonprofit organization that allows anyone to post items they wish to give away or to connect with people with items to give. To join you have to sign up with a local group (determined by the zip code you enter) and check out what’s offered by other group members. Anyone can join, and everything offered is free.

Similar to The Freecycle Network is Craigslist – the now ubiquitous online bulletin board that has a “free” section where users can post items they are willing to give away for free. Visit CraigsList to find your local branch and start browsing!

To learn more about recycling in general, check out the links below:

The World’s Shortest Comprehensive Recycling Guide

How to Recycle Practically Anything

What to Recycle: A Quick List

With the 2008 Presidential primary election cycle in full swing, now is a good time to take a look at the remaining candidates’ environmental records and platforms. As there are only 3 serious candidates remaining (I don’t consider Governor Mike Huckabee (R-AR) a serious contender and choose not to give him space here), I thought it would be interesting and educational to see what each has to say on controlling greenhouse grasses, implementing alternative energy policies and cleaning up/protecting our planet.

Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY)
Hillary Clinton’s environmental policy is titled “Powering America’s Future: New Jobs, New Energy,” and she advances the free-market philosophy of fixing our environmental problems via economic incentives and the creation of new industries:

Hillary has a bold and comprehensive plan to address America’s energy and environmental challenges that will establish a green, efficient economy and create as many as five million new jobs.

Hillary Clinton lays out a fairly ambitious plan to reduce carbon emissions, cap greenhouse gases, promote energy independence and infuse the economy with green funds by creating a $50 billion Strategic Energy Fund financed, in part, by oil companies. Clinton also outlines plans to increase fuel standards to 55 mpg by 2030, require federal buildings to be emissions-free by 2009 and promote green standards in the green building industry.

You can view Clinton’s entire plan here.

Senator Barack Obama (D-IL)

After reading over Barak Obama’s energy and environment policies, his main focus in this area seems to be in reducing carbon emissions 80% by 2050. To achieve this goal, he would implement a cap and trade program, confront deforestation, invest in a clean energy future by increasing research into alternative fuels and infusing the workforce with green jobs, and setting the US on a path to energy independence.

Obama’s website is the most intensive in terms of outlining his environmental platform, and he is the most up-front of the other candidates in pointing to the causes of our worsening environmental problems: dependence on foreign oil and climate change. And while his plan is ambitious, you’d like to hope that his attention to detail on the matter may be what’s needed to affect change.

You can read more on Obama’s environmental plan here.

Senator John McCain (R-AZ)
From looking over John McCain’s website, it would appear that his campaign has little room for environmental issues. While McCain tries to impress that he is a ‘Steward of Our Nation’s Rich Heritage,’ he doesn’t actually include any substantive truths to back up that claim. And while McCain’s site states that:

Ensuring clean air, safe and healthy water, sustainable land use, ample greenspace – and the faithful care and management of our natural treasures, including our proud National Park System – is a patriotic responsibility. One that must be met not only for the benefit of our generation, but for our children and those to whom we will pass the American legacy.

- he doesn’t elaborate on what steps he would take to ensure these responsibilities are met. In looking over the rest of McCain’s site, it’s clear that while he has fully developed plans for Iraq, National Security, Immigration, Veterans and Health Care, his Environment section is a little light in terms of advancing true Green policies for the nation.

You can read McCain’s environmental policy here.

My summaries here are brief – I don’t have the time or expertise to truly dive into the intricacies of each candidates’ environmental platforms. Use the links provided to visit each of the presidential contenders websites and learn for yourself which of the candidates is realistically committed to addressing the nation’s environmental problems.

It’s such a an obvious idea that sometimes we forget about it. If you own a dishwasher, it is always better to make sure it is completely full before running it. It takes the same amount of water to wash a half full dishwasher as it dos a full one. Why waste the water and energy on a half full cycle?

The other simple idea when it comes to this appliance is you should not rinse a dish before putting it in the dishwasher. All modern dishwashers have large disposal systems to break down waste before sending it down the pipe so you need not worry about the food going down the drain. Also, rinsing a dish before putting it in the dishwasher wastes water and is exactly what the dishwasher will do in the first cycle anyways.

Studies have shown that dishwashers use only half the energy, one-sixth of the water, and less soap than hand-washing an identical set of dirty dishes. Even the most proficient hand washers could not beat the saving of a normal dishwasher. Energy Star dishwashers use even less energy than those tested and you could qualify for a rebate if you buy one. As long as you always run the unit full and don’t pre-rinse your dishes, you can save time, money, and relieve yourself of a daily chore. You still have to put the dishes away when they are clean.