Earth Day is a very special day that is celebrated on April 22nd every year. Earth Day was actually founded by a United States Senator by the name of Gaylord Nelson in 1970 as an environmental teach-in (a kind of educational forum). This special day is not only celebrated here in the United States, but is now celebrated by countries all over the world. Essentially, that day, April 22nd of 1970, marks the beginning of the modern environmental movement. As such, this is a day that is indeed worthy of celebration, education, and awareness. At its inception in 1970, there were over 20 million Americans who participated, including thousands of colleges and universities who staged protests against the deterioration of the environment. That first Earth Day in 1970 also saw the birth of the Earth Day Network, an organization that promotes environmental citizenship and year-round progressive action worldwide. Through this network, activists can connect change in local, national, and global policies. Earth Day Network's international network reaches over 17,000 organizations in 174 countries, while the domestic program engages 5,000 groups and over 25,000 educators coordinating millions of community development and environmental protection activities throughout the year.

While the Earth Day Network and billions of others are making their contributions, you can be doing the same. You do not need to stage a protest or clean up an oil spill to take part in Earth Day. While we should be aware of our environment every day, Earth Day is a special time to heighten this awareness. Do you usually drive to work? On Earth Day, take the bus. Do you usually pack your lunch in a plastic bag? Pack it in a reusable bag on Earth Day. Do you usually throw that newspaper in the garbage? On Earth Day take that extra step to make sure it gets recycled. Whatever you do, just be aware that this is a special day for our planet, and billions of people worldwide recognize that and celebrate the world in which we all live. So have a Happy Earth Day and...until next year! 

So we all are very aware that recycling has tremendous positive effects on the environment, but which materials are best suited for the process? Which materials should you favor when purchasing goods? Below is some information that will help you make a more informed decision on subsequent purchases.

When discussing the benefits of recycling a specific material, we must focus on the potential energy saving and air pollution savings. When it comes to both energy and air pollution savings, aluminum is by far one of the most efficiently recycled materials around, contributing savings of around 95% for both. Glass contributes energy savings of anywhere from about 5 - 30% energy savings and about 20% air pollution savings. Recycling paper products contributes to approximately 40% energy savings and about 70% air pollution reduction. Other recyclable materials that contribute to energy savings include cardboard at around 20 - 25%, steel at about 60%, and plastics at about 70%.

Another necessary component of the recycling discussion is the relative level of difficulty that comes with processing the material. While some materials can be recycled with ease, others pose a much greater difficulty. Here is some additional information on specific recyclable materials:

• Batteries: Unfortunately due to the varied nature of sizes and types, batteries prove to be a very difficult item to recycle. Each similar size and type of battery must be individually sorted and each group requires a different method of processing. In addition to this difficulty, batteries contain potentially harmful and hazardous materials and, therefore, must be treated with care. Fortunately, however, lead-acid batteries, such as those used in automobiles, are relatively easy to recycle with many cities requiring vendors to accept used ones. In the U.S. this has resulted in a 90% recycling rate and for most new batteries to contain 80% recycled material.
• Plastic: There are distinct challenges that are posed when it comes to recycling plastics. Similar to the challenge posed by batteries, there are a multitude of different types of plastics, each with their own unique Resin Identification Code (a number between 1 and 7, with 1 - 6 denoting recyclable resins and 7 denoting all other types of resins, recyclable or not), and so they must be sorted prior to processing. This sorting process is a difficult task that is only complicated by the fact that most lids on plastic containers are made from a different plastic that is non-recyclable.
• Ferrous Metals (Metals containing Iron): These metals are easily sorted and processed, with iron and steel being the world's most recycled materials. Ferrous metals can be easily separated magnetically from the waste stream in contrast to the difficult separation processes of batteries and plastics. In addition, steel can be recycled to make new material of top quality without compromising its final integrity. As a matter of fact, 42% of crude steel produced today is recycled material.
• Non-Ferrous Metals (Metals not containing Iron): Aluminum is one of the most efficient and widely-recycled materials today. A desirable result of recycling aluminum is that no changes are made to the metal during the process and, as a result, it can be recycled indefinitely. Also, as has already been stated above, recycling aluminum saves 95% of the energy required to produce new metal. 
• Glass: Similarly to aluminum, glass is another highly recyclable material that can be recycled indefinitely due to the lack of changes made to the product during processing.
• Paper: While paper is most definitely a recyclable material, the process causes paper fibers to subsequently break down, ultimately requiring new fibers to be added or resulting in downcycling the pulp into lower quality products. Although nearly all types of paper products can be recycled, some types are more difficult to process than others. Paper coated with a glossy finish, foil, or plastic, and paper that is waxed, gummed, or pasted pose difficulties in the recycling process and are usually not even recycled because it is too expensive.

Christmas brings us joy, love, and good times, but it also has the potential to generate a heap of waste. Here are some tips to maintain conservation of our natural resources while celebrating this joyous holiday!

• When you are looking for that perfect gift, gravitate towards those with the least amount of packaging and those made from recycled materials
• Use the same types of cloth bags that you do at the grocery store for your holiday gift shopping. Use them again, and again, and again...
• Look for a way to recycle your tree instead of sending it to the landfill. Check within your community today to see if they collect trees for mulching.
• If you buy an electronic device as a gift, consider giving the gift of rechargeable batteries and a charger along with it. Your gift recipient and your fellow man will thank you.
• Reuse the fronts of old holiday cards to send out as postcards or to use as gift tags. It would make a fun project for you and the kids!
• When you go out to shop save yourself some stress, gas, and time by planning out your trip. Keep it as local as possible, combine several errands into one trip, and bring some friends along for a carpool and some company! The more planning you do, the more efficient you will shop, and the more time you will have to spend with your family and friends!

Although the decision to grab a glass and go to the tap or to grab a bottle from the fridge ultimately comes down to a matter of personal preference, there are some environmental, financial, and health benefits from choosing the water from your tap. Over the years, and especially since the surge of bottled water, tap water has gotten a bad rap. Some common misconceptions regarding tap water are that it "tastes funny", or that it is "dirty". The truth is that all municipal water systems that serve 25 people or more are regulated by the federal Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974 (amended in 1986 and 1996, see www.epa.gov for more information) so that "funny taste" that you experience is not anything harmful or unhealthy. In fact, there are some elements found in most tap water that you will not find in most bottled water, namely fluoride. Of the 50 largest cities in the United States, 43 of them fluoridate their drinking water. Fluoride has the benefit of helping teeth resist decay by strengthening the protective layer of tooth enamel, and can actually reverse newly formed cavities. In fact, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), every dollar spent on the fluoridation of drinking water saves $38.00 in avoided dental bills.

So, if you are still not convinced that tap water is possibly a better option than bottled, consider the waste produced by the bottled water industry. Approximately 1.5 million barrels of oil are used in the U.S. alone to make water bottles from polyethelyne terephthealate, about 86% of which are sent to landfills or incinerated. In addition, a great deal of bottled water must be shipped from far away places, such as from Finland to Saudi Arabia or from Fiji to the Unites States, and therefore requires more fuel to be used by the boats, airplanes, trains, and trucks. What about all of those bottles? Well, the ones that are thrown away are burned or sent to landfills where they take up space. What about the bottles that you recycle? It is great that you do, in fact, get those plastic bottles recycled, but if you were to replace all of those bottles with a single cup or thermos, the time saved on recycling those bottles could be spent on some other recyclable material. So instead of buying bottled water, try tap. If you don't like it directly out of the tap, try a water purifying system, either attached to your tap or a pitcher that is refillable. The next time you need water on the go, grab your favorite thermos or insulated mug and remind that you are doing something admirable and green!

Any household product that contains corrosive, toxic, ignitable, or reactive ingredients is considered to be Household Hazardous Waste, or HHW. It can be found in virtually any place in your home including the bathroom, kitchen, laundry room, and garage. Not only is disposal of these materials down the drain, onto the ground, into storm drains, or in the trash unsafe, but it is also illegal. The disposal of HHW is actually quite easy. Simply gather all of your HHW together and drop it off at a Household Hazardous Waste Collection Center (HHWCC) for free disposal and recycling. Some of these centers even have a "stop & swap" program that lets you take partially used home, garden, and automobile products free of charge. Contact your local HHWCC today to get information regarding the disposal of your Household Hazardous Waste. Here are a few of the more common types of HHW:

• Batteries
  
• Paint and paint products
• Drain openers
• Household cleaning products
• Wood/metal cleaners and polishes
• Automotive products (motor oil, antifreeze, fluids)
• Grease
• Fluorescent lamps
• Pool/Spa chemicals
• Medications
• Televisions/Monitors
• ...and more

Are you tired of receiving those countless credit card offers, coupon books, and flyers stating that you have won the grand prize in a contest that you had never entered? There are a few different solutions to this problem, all of which will save you stress and save the world from excess waste and time spent on processing items through recycling. Try some of these tips to rid yourself of unwanted junk mail:

1. With your current address, other addresses from the past 2 years, and social security number(s), you can call the credit reporting industry's toll-free number at 1-888-567-8688, 24 hours a day, to stop receiving unsolicited credit card and credit card related offers. Be sure to make a separate call for each social security number and listen to all of the options (the last option should allow you to permanently remove your name from the list). Once you accomplish this, you should receive a letter in the mail asking that you confirm your request.
2. It is likely that your credit card company and any other company that you make regular purchases from (ie: banks, magazines, and phone/gas/electric companies) sells your name to other companies, who then send you unwanted junk mail. Feel free to contact them and request them to stop selling your name. This should free up some space in your mail box.
3. Be sure to contact the Direct Marketing Association to be removed from many companies' mass marketing mailing lists for up to 5 years. Visit www.dmachoice.org to find out how.
4. Many unsolicited mail items that you receive will have a toll-free number printed on them somewhere. Never hesitate to call this number and request to be removed from their list.