5 Ways to Recycle Eyeglasses

5 Ways to Recycle Eyeglasses

I don’t know about you, but I’m one of the millions of people in the world that has worn eyeglasses since youth. I think it was genetic for me since everyone in my family has horrible eyesight, but I’m also guessing that those many mornings watching cartoons in front of the TV didn’t help my sight either.

I’ve owned at least 10 different pairs of eyeglasses in my lifetime, ranging from my first gigantor big pink plastic pair, to my current wanna-be hipster big brown plastic pair. Sadly, since I’m a packrat, I still have my last 4 pair of glasses. I know that many eyeglass locations recycle your old glasses, but I always seem to forget to bring my old pair when the new ones come in.  So I wanted to see what other eyeglass recycling options were out there for the absent-minded folks like me.

Here are 5 ways that you can finally get rid of those outdated eyeglasses!

1. Search online for a recycling center

Earth911.com has a great search engine for recyclables on its website. Click on the above image and type in the type of item you’d like to recycle, as well as your zip code. A list of recycling facilities will come up, and you can find a location that’s convenient for you.

2. Lions Club International

Ever heard of the Lions Club International? In 2009 the Lions Club collected almost 700,000 pairs of glasses to donate to developing nations with its program Lions Recycle for Sight.

3. New Eyes for the Needy

Founded in 1932, New Eyes for the Needy is a non-profit organization whose sole mission is to provide good eyesight to the less fortunate.

4. Third World Eye Care Society Canada

Here’s the mission of the Canada-based charity organization TWECS: “To collect old unused eyeglasses and distribute these eyeglasses in conjunction with eye exams given by properly trained individuals. The distribution of eyeglasses shall be in developing countries where, because of poverty or lack of availability of eye care services, individuals are unable to obtain eyeglasses and primary eye care.”

5. Make ART!

If you just can’t get rid of your old eyeglasses for some weird sentimental reason, then you can always convert them into a creative piece of art. Take for example the recycled eyeglass Spectacle chandelier of London designer Stuart Haygarth. It was made from over 1000 old eyeglasses that were linked together!

Now that you know what to do with your old eyeglasses, take a deep breath, grab them from your drawer or from that box in your closet, and recycle them for a good cause!

For more information and videos about the organizations we featured here, visit our blog.

Greenopolis.com is dedicated to our users. We focus our attention on changing the world through recycling, waste-to-energy and conservation. We reward our users for their sustainable behaviors on our website, through our Greenopolis Tracking Stations and with curbside recycling programs.

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Posted via web from 3BL Media, CSR News, and Emily

Recycling Zychal: Hoods and Doggie Coats Made from Broken Umbrellas

http://amplify.com/u/2ebb

Posted via web from 3BL Media, CSR News, and Emily

Recycling and Conserving tips from Susan Saint James | 3BL Media

Susan Saint James, actress and activist shares some of her recycling and conservation tips with Melissa McGinnis and GreenopolisTV. Known for TV roles like Kate and Allie, Susan has also been known to being a bit “green”. She says she has been carrying a re-usable tote around since she named her children Sunshine and Harmony over 30 years ago. Susan hopes to inspire another generation to do the “right thing” by sharing her tips…Thanks Susan!

Greenopolis.com is dedicated to our users. We focus our attention on changing the world through recycling, waste-to-energy and conservation. We reward our users for their sustainable behaviors on our website, through our Greenopolis Tracking Stations and with curbside recycling programs.

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Top 10 EASY Ways To Conserve In 2010 | 3BL Media

Count down the top EASY ways to conserve in 2010 with Melissa McGinnis and GreenopolisTV! There are now 6.8 billion of us and we are connected like never before. The human population continues to expand by more than 200,000 people every day. The latest UN projections have the global population reaching 9.2 billion by the middle of this century. Since we are all in it together lets make this year a new beginning for conserving and reusing….

Greenopolis.com is dedicated to our users. We focus our attention on changing the world through recycling, waste-to-energy and conservation. We reward our users for their sustainable behaviors on our website, through our Greenopolis Tracking Stations and with curbside recycling programs.

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Blue Jean Baby | 3BL Media

Blue Jean Baby

OK, so I will never admit it, but I’m a little bit country. I can’t help it. I grew up in Houston, TX. And it’s doesn’t surprise me that 90% of my pants consist of blue jeans. But, this time, instead of giving my old jeans to a thrift store, I decided to try something a little different. Take a look…my own personalized pair of blue jean heels.

This is so easy to do and you don’t need to buy anything. All you need is an old pair of jeans that you never wear, or maybe you’re planning on giving away, a pair of heels that need restoring, some scissors that are capable of cutting through jeans, and some glue. (Spray adhesive worked best for me.)

Start by cutting your jeans into strips. It’s best if you cut out the exact same pattern for each shoe to keep them looking like they match. Make them as thick or as thin as you want. You’re the designer. I even added a strip of color that I cut from an old t-shirt.

Lay out all your materials and then simply layer the blue jean strips over each other one at a time.

I use two separate pairs of jeans to get the different shades of blue.

The back of the heels can be a little more difficult. You’ll need to plan out how you want this to look and cut the appropriate pattern so that it will properly curve around the back of the heel.

Done. That was too easy!

Got ideas for no cost, no waste, shoe makeovers? Let us know. Check out these other shoe makeovers from old train cushions.

Greenopolis.com is dedicated to our users. We focus our attention on changing the world through recycling, waste-to-energy and conservation. We reward our users for their sustainable behaviors on our website, through our Greenopolis Tracking Stations and with curbside recycling programs.

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Sexy And Recycled – Meet The FlexibleLove Folding Chair

Talk about having extra seating when you need it.

The FlexibleLove Folding Chair was designed by Chishen Chiu. He stumbled upon a small factory producing ‘honeycombed’ sheets of recycled paper in suburban Taipei one day, and was intrigued. Taking the idea of the honeycomb structure and creating cardboard palettes to replace traditional wooden palettes, he believed the material could be applied to create any rigid structure. Within days, the idea for FlexibleLove had been sketched out and turned into a working model.

Compacted, it’s a sturdy seat for one. But all you need to do is stretch out the accordian-like structure into any appropriate seating shape and blammo! instant party.

This durable furniture is produced from widely-available recycled materials like paper and wood waste, and is made using pre-existing manufacturing processes in order to reduce its overall impact on the environment.

Greenopolis.com is dedicated to our users. We focus our attention on changing the world through recycling, waste-to-energy and conservation. We reward our users for their sustainable behaviors on our website, through our Greenopolis Tracking Stations and with curbside recycling programs.

Sexy And Recycled – Meet The FlexibleLove Folding Chair

Talk about having extra seating when you need it.

The FlexibleLove Folding Chair was designed by Chishen Chiu. He stumbled upon a small factory producing ‘honeycombed’ sheets of recycled paper in suburban Taipei one day, and was intrigued. Taking the idea of the honeycomb structure and creating cardboard palettes to replace traditional wooden palettes, he believed the material could be applied to create any rigid structure. Within days, the idea for FlexibleLove had been sketched out and turned into a working model.

Compacted, it’s a sturdy seat for one. But all you need to do is stretch out the accordian-like structure into any appropriate seating shape and blammo! instant party.

This durable furniture is produced from widely-available recycled materials like paper and wood waste, and is made using pre-existing manufacturing processes in order to reduce its overall impact on the environment.

Greenopolis.com is dedicated to our users. We focus our attention on changing the world through recycling, waste-to-energy and conservation. We reward our users for their sustainable behaviors on our website, through our Greenopolis Tracking Stations and with curbside recycling programs.

Where Recycling is a Way of Life For These High School Students

Meaningful work is a way of life at the Colorado Rocky Mountain School. This independent day and boarding high school was founded in 1953 based on this principal. Today the students participate in two afternoons a week on a campus work crew. This can be anything from organic gardening and ranch work to glassblowing and electrical. Today we meet the Recycling Work Crew. For more information please go to www.crms.org.

Coke Announces Global Rollout of Plant-Based Plastic Bottles

Nearly 1.6 billion servings of Coca-Cola-branded beverages are served each day. Now some of them will be just a little bit greener now that Coke has announced the global rollout of its PlantBottle, a plastic bottle made from a blend of petroleum-based materials and 30% plant based materials (derived from sugar cane and molasses). The new bottles stand to cut down on carbon emissions by up to 25% compared to traditional PET bottles.

The PlantBottle has a number of advantages over PET bottles and other plant-based bottles. In addition to its carbon cutting qualities, it can be processed through existing recycling facilities without contaminating petroleum-based bottles, and most importantly, it raises awareness of the need for more eco-friendly plastic bottles.

There’s just one problem: Coke is rolling out the PlantBottle for its Dasani brand of water. As avid readers of Inhabitat know, bottled water is anything but sustainable. Still, it’s a start, and Coke expects over 2 billion PlantBottles to have sold worldwide by the end of 2010. Next year, the company plans to expand the PlantBottle to its vitamin water brands as well. And eventually, Coke hopes to introduce bottles made from 100% recyclable and renewable materials.

Via Environmental Leader

 

via inhabitat.com

Nestle Waters’ Hit and Miss

Christine Arena is the author of The High-Purpose Company – The Truly Responsible (and Highly Profitable) Firms that are Changing Business Now. Like what you just read? Get your daily dose of corporate insights. Visit www.christinearena.com for more information.

 

There is a great deal at stake in the bottled water business. Perhaps Nestlé Waters North America knows this better than anybody. The company presently controls approximately 41 percent of the $11.7 billion US bottled water market. Like every other competitor in the space, it faces shrinking category sales, as well as mounting pressure from groups complaining about the toll that water corporations take on the planet.

Bottled water activists point to plastic waste, energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, the environmental effects of water extraction, water privatization issues and a range of social problems generated by the industry. Could such “road blocks” deter long-term growth for corporate bottled water empires? Nestlé thinks not.

According to a 2009 document entitled “The Future of Bottled Water” authored by Nestlé CEO Kim Jeffery, the company’s broad portfolio of bottled water products, including Poland Spring, Perrier, Arrowhead, Deer Park and Zephyrhills, are well-positioned to recover from the present economic slump. “Bottled water is perfect as it is,” the company says. “[There are] limited opportunities to innovate.”

This company is clearly not of a world-changing mindset. Nestlé takes the position that the bottled water industry is unfairly portrayed as a “villain” by environmental activists and an angry public, and that “environmental facts do not support this.” Really, Nestlé?

In a press release and video web site launched last week, Nestlé attempted to express to the public the environmental virtues of bottled water. “Bottled water is actually the most efficient choice of any packaged beverage available to consumers,” the company insists. “Bottled water is a very small user of our water resources…Plastic represents less than one percent of solid waste. While water bottles can be recycled, not all Americans have access to curbside recycling…To sum it all up, bottled water is a healthful choice, can cost less than 20 cents per bottle, and has a lighter environmental impact.”

Of course, not everyone sees things through the corporation’s rose colored lens. Take the 5,400 local citizens of Salida, Colorado who recently banded together in order to fight Nestlé off and protect its local water resources and land. Or what about the residents of McCould, California, who claim their town was torn apart by Nestlé’s operations in the area? Nestlé makes no mention of such stakeholder concerns in its press release or video web site, both which set forth to “set the record straight.”

Nestlé has a public relations problem. The problem isn’t just that Americans around the country are hanging signs in their windows and entryways reading: “Stop Nestlé” or “Nest-Leave.” Nestle’s public relations problem is its sterile, detached response. The company seems to be under the impression that people will read its communications in an isolation chamber, devoid of context, clue, cultural condition, and (yes, Nestlé) fact.

Let’s start with the hard data. According to Food and Water Watch, bottled water produces up to 1.5 million tons of plastic waste per year. That plastic requires up to 47 million gallons of oil annually to produce. And while the plastic used to bottle beverages is of high quality and is demand by recyclers, over 80 percent of plastic bottles end up in land fills. That’s why the Pacific Rim Garbage Patch, the floating vortex of waste that’s twice the size of Texas, is comprised mainly of plastic. It’s also why so many sea creatures die every day from ingesting plastic, and why plastic waste has become one of the chief concerns of our Nation’s top environmental groups.

On the cost side of things, consumers pay a huge markup on a product even though as much as 40 percent of it comes from a tap in the first place. Stakeholder communities also pay. Food and Water Watch says Nestlé has an unfortunate reputation for moving into communities, taking water for next to nothing, selling it for a hefty profit, then leaving the locals to deal with the residual environmental and social externalities, and moving on. “Next!”

None of these issues are substantively addressed in Nestlé’s press release or on its video website. Through bullet points, select interviews and clip art snippets, the company only superficially confronts the environmental impacts of bottled water. Nestlé avoids all controversial content, including details related to ongoing rifts with local communities around the country. The company’s corporate tone of voice, detached message and superficial approach to “issues outreach” demonstrates an indifference to the wider public’s ardent support for environmental reform and social justice. The pitch is all wrong.

Nestlé broke every cardinal rule in social media, stakeholder engagement and transparency with it’s one-sided, “set the record straight” public relations effort. There is no meaningful opportunity to interact with the company, no way to leave a comment. My bet is, the only folks convinced by Nestle’s “bottled water is good” message will be those who manufactured it.

Follow Christine on Twitter

via 3blmedia.com