Tomorrow is Earth Day. The first celebration took place in 1970 with 20 million people taking part. This year, Earth Day events are planned in 175 countries. EnviroLink Network has a calendar of events as does WirelessRecycling.com.
Recycling old computers, cell phones and electronics might be a good way to start the celebration.
The Earth Day website lists more than 18,500 events happening worldwide this weekend. From the very small to the very large, there are events for just about anyone looking to get out and enjoy the spring weather.
- Earth 911 (at Earth911.org), and the toll free national recycling hotline (1-800-CLEANUP), provides local recycling locations for electronic waste and more throughout the country. By entering a zip code, users can find a comprehensive list of recyclable items and locations that accept them in their community.
Verizon Wireless is offering to recycle customers’ cell phones and is using Earth Day to launch a program to plant a tree for every customer who switches to paperless billing.
- Nokia announced the expansion of its recycling program for phones and accessories. People can now visit one of the 13 Nokia Experience Centers across the country and get a recycling kit that includes a prepaid envelope that you can slip your phone into. Then, just drop it in the mailbox. If you visit a Nokia store over Earth Day weekend (April 20 through the 22) you will also get a seedling of a tree that will grow in your area, along with the prepaid recycling envelope.
- Battery Recycling is becoming an environmental challenge. A number of resources are available to reduce battery waste at Earth 911.
- Dell Computers is joining with TechTurn and the EPA to take back computer equipment from 11 to 3pm on Sunday in Washington, D.C.
- California’s Waste Management Board has teamed up with Wal-Mart for an electronics recycling program this weekend. More than 40 Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club locations across California will be taking back computers, televisions, VCRs and DVD players, and just about any other piece of electronic detritus you or your company might have accumulated over the years.
- IBM says it processed over 100 million pounds of used and obsolete computer gear, as part of its computer renewal and recycling efforts worldwide in 2006, returning less than 1% of non-hazardous material to landfills.
- HP and Wal-Mart will offer free recycling of an electronic product made by any manufacturer with the purchase of the new ENERGY STAR qualified HP DeskJet F4140 All-in-One printer. This offer is exclusively available at approximately 1,600 Wal-Mart stores throughout the United States now through May 5.
- Segway will purchase renewable energy credits to offset the electricity used by Personal Transporters purchased this year. The objective is to replace the electricity an avid Segway PT rider uses in one year to charge the transporter, estimated at 200 kilowatt hours, with electricity from renewable sources such as solar, wind and geothermal.
- Energy consumption and renewable energy are important components to combat global warming. The Horse Hollow project in Texas, is the world’s largest wind farm at 735.5 MWatts. Wave energy may be the next big thing.
- Green buildings got a boost from the five-year-old LEED program (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design). It’s now becoming the default green-building standard in the U.S. and establishing beachheads internationally.
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