Yesterday was America Recycles Day – the latest manifestation of what is not a new idea – in fact at its very core it is an extremely old idea:  take something old and reuse it to make it something new again. Industrial scale recycling like we have today didn’t begin until the 1970’s. In 1980 there was only one curbside recycling program in the United States. Today, there are over 10,000. And the statistics that followed the recycling craze statistics are really shocking. (photo: americarecyclesday.org)

• There are the good:
  Recycling saves energy and reduces greenhouse gas emissions. Recycling a single aluminum can saves enough energy to power a TV for three hours. Recycling a stack of newspapers three feet high saves one tree.
  Making glass from recycled materials cuts related water pollution by 50%

• And there are the bad:
  Every three months we throw away enough aluminum foil to rebuild the entire US commercial air fleet.
  Americans throw enough office paper away each year to build a 12 foot high wall of paper from NY to Seattle.
  Only about 6.8% of the total plastic used in the US actually can be recycled.

There are also proponents and opponents. Opponents to recycling you ask?  Yes, in fact they do exist, and their arguments aren’t as crazy as you might think. Penn and Teller featured recycling on their show “Bullshit.”  Clemson University professor of economics Daniel K. Benjamin published “Eight Great Myths of Recycling” in 2003. A paper in Environmental Health Perspectives from 1995 also addresses some of the problems with recycling.

So are they right?  Yes and no. Our current recycling system is flawed; this is true. And we should focus more on the first and most important R: Reducing.  But push come to shove, most of you already recycle, and you’re probably not going to stop because a fat man and a mute tell you to – which is a good thing. What you should do is think critically about the products you’re buying and recycling. Glass can be recycled and indefinite number of times and never wears out. Recycling one glass jar saves enough electricity to light a conventional 60 watt bulb for 4 hours, and an 11 watt CFL bulb for 20 hours.  Plastics are actually the hardest to recycle. Aside from clear plastic bottles (which hopefully you’re not buying for a multitude of reasons) almost all other plastics (that yogurt cup, milk jug, plastic packaging that your headphones or scissors or pens came in) can’t actually be recycled.  So if you can buy glass rather than plastic, do! (3r graphic: nrdc)

Another huge recycling sector to really think about today is your e-waste. Computers, cell phones, batteries, television and other electronic devices are made with harmful materials. Most of those items that you’re getting rid of can probably be repaired or used by someone else – when you upgrade your phone or computer or television it’s probably not broken beyond repair. If you’re not sure where to take your e-waste, check out E-cycling Central and find a location.

So now that I’ve doom-and-gloomed you into submission, I hope you had a happy and productive America Recycles Day! Remember that recycling is just one of the three R’s, and many argue it’s the least important.  Reduce and reuse don’t have their own special days, but they should! So go forth and Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!

Related: from The Alternative Consumer

Recycling Board Game for Kids

Recycled/Upcycled Gift Guide

The thumbnail:  PlayBack Clothing makes great looking and great-wearing tees, sweatshirts and hoodies, and they’re all made from recycled post industrial materials.  Look a little deeper and you’ll find a company that’s truly serious about sustainability, from the extraction of their product’s raw materials to the process of shipping, dying, and ultimately, the disposal of their duds.

PlayBack’s’s recycled cotton t-shirts and sweatshirts are made from post-industrial cotton scraps, and plastic and glass bottles.  They sort the material by color and then brake it down into fiber form which is paired with other fibers, (recycled cotton or polyester, depending on what they started with), to add softness and durability.  The fibers are then re-spun into yarn and knitted into PlayBack t-shirts, sweatshirts, and hoodies.

The company emphasizes that they make real green clothes for real green people, affordably priced, sustainably made and stylishly worn.  As we like to say, “it’s a lifestyle thing.”  Prices range from a very reasonable $20 to $55 @ playbackclothing.com

• I didn’t see this one coming…Russia’s President Medvedev Warns of Climate Catastrophe – reuters
• What to do if you run out of land and potable water? The Rise of Vertical Farms – scientific american
• Alaska’s Gov doesn’t like folks using bear’s protected status to, well…actually protect bears…Alaska Fights to Reverse Polar Bear Listing – msnbc
• A long way to go for a drink…Drilling for Explorer’s Frozen Scotch in Antarctica – myway
• Jimmy! Please put away your Barbies. Plastic Chemicals “Feminize Boys” – bbc
• Should You Buy Refurbished Electronics? – cs monitor
• As usual…money talks. Tuna Body Shies from Fishing Ban – bbc
• Added message: Don’t buy stuff from giant food conglomerates…Biodiversity – Insurance Against Hunger – guardian u.k.

• NBC’s Green Week kicks off this Sunday.  Look for both subtle and obvious environmental references, ranging from an Al Gore sighting on 30 Rock to an organic food blitz on Biggest Loser, (not to be confused with The Jay Leno Show).
• Greenpeace the movie…new film will dramatize the excitement of the org’s “ramshackle” beginnings.
• This funky animated video from Chevy illustrates the difference between a plain old electric vehicle and an extended range electric vehicle.
• Tonight, catch the buzz Disappearing Act – A World Without Bees PBS – check your local listings for time, @ chefsafield.com Episode is sponsored by Haagen-Dazs. (I don’t know about you, but I couldn’t find the program on PBS in NYC.  But according to HD’s press release, it should have been scheduled…hmmm, the case of the disappearing program.
• Shopper Alert — Today and Tomorrow (Nov 14, 11a-7p & Nov 15, 11a-6p) New New Day Sales at BIM Brooklyn Indie Market, Carroll Gardens.  Certain vendors offering 10% off, download that coupon available here.  Take the F or G to Carrol Street Station.  Check out BIM for locally handmade threads, home decor, jewelry, paper goods, bath & body products, toys and the all-important, baked goods.
• Eco undie desiger Enamore joins a refined group of other fashion-forward designers in partnering with U.K. charity Fashion in Mind to staging a one-of-a-kind fashion and dance event in Bristol – Friday Nov. 27th, 7:15pm
• Thanksgiving Farmer’s Market Sun. 11/22 South Street Manhattan -  new amsterdam market
• Inhabitat invites New Yorkers to take part in a contest – take a good look at yourself, by winning a skyline mirror made of recycled records.
• Shout out to green gal pal Amanda for launching Andean Collection’s non profit arm, the Andean Project.  Help celebrate by purchasing beautiful, socially responsible, fair trade eco baubles — partial profits aid artists/women in need and their children in Ecuador.  Love the acai wrap racelet and raindrop choker.  more @ theandeancollection.com
• Save the Date:  Saturday, Dec. 5 from 11a-8p.  Over 50 Metro New York artists, designers and crafty folks peddling handmade goods Holiday Handmade Cavalcade:  201 Mulberry St, NYC.  free admission.

Electronic waste has become the fastest growing waste stream in the world, with millions of tons of televisions, radios, computers, cell phones, and other electronic devices disposed of each year.  Of those, less than 20% are recycled, and the rest end up in landfills.  Because these devices are so full of toxic materials, it’s important to reuse, recycle, and properly dispose of these items.  Fortunately, there are many options now available (and most free of charge):

• AT&T Reuse and Recycle Program will recycle your old cell phones, PDAs, batteries, and accessories (regardless of manufacturer or carrier).  You can drop off your items at any one of their 2000+ participating stores, or download a postage-paid mailing label and mail it in directly.
• Best Buy Recycling offers recycling programs in all their US stores for televisions, DVD players, computer monitors, and more (up to 2 items per day).  You can also trade in your unwanted devices for Best Buy gift cards.
• LG Electronics offers a free mail-in recycling program for old cell phones (any make or model)and free take back and recycling of any LG, Zenith, or Goldstar device (including televisions, monitors, audio equipment, and so on).  Just drop off items (up to 5) at any of these locations.
• Staples EcoEasy offers free in-store recycling of cell phones, small hand held electronics, and Dell products.  Other brands require a $10 fee per item.  Eligible toner cartridges are available for $3 rebates.
• US Postal Service offers free mail-in recycling of inkjet cartridges, PDAs, Blackberries, digital cameras, iPods and MP3 players.  Just pick up postage-paid Mail Back envelopes located in the Post Office lobbies (no limit).

For a more extensive list of companies offering recycling and take back programs, visit the EPA eCycling website.  If you’re looking for programs offered in your area, check out My Green Electronics, Call 2 Recycle, and Earth 911.

Is it too early to start planning for Christmas?  Not if you’re thinking long-term.  These folding, reusable Christmas trees and ornaments are made in Finland from sustainably harvested FSC certified wood.  Designed and created by Anne Paso and her company,  Lovi, these items can ensure your home exudes a classy Christmas vibe for years to come.

Lovi will plant 5 trees for every large Christmas tree sold.  You’ll find these exquisitely designed products @ matteriashop.com

For those of us who love everything about the Prius – sans the dowdy styling (and yes, it was named one of the “50 Ugliest Cars of the Past 50 Years” by BusinessWeek) – there’s a bright spot on the horizon.

According to a recent article in The Detroit News, GM’s Cadillac Converj extended-range electric concept has gotten the official “go ahead” from the company’s decision-makers. Debuted earlier this year at the Motor City’s annual auto show, the sleek coupe features design that’s likely to appeal to style-driven environmentalists more so than GM’s upcoming Chevy Volt.  And as a Cadillac, it can bring in a few extra dollars too.  The coupe, whose production date has yet to be determined, will join the ranks beside Cadillac’s Escalade Hybrid model, the only other alternative-powered vehicle currently in the lineup.

There are travel guides to help you find green hotels and now Nikki and David Goldbeck have written a traveler’s guide so that you may find organic, green or natural food restaurants and stores along the highways of your vacation.

Healthy Highways is the second edition of the Goldbeck’s book.  It contains 2,800 eateries and natural food stores throughout the USA.  This handy little book also includes a map of each state, directions to each site, what the eatery provides in the way of food and its hours of operation – all in a 470-page book.  The book is 8”x 5 ¾ “so it is easily carried in a handbag, glove compartment or car door storage bin.

We have not had a chance to use this book while traveling, but think it will be a helpful tool when we take the family on the road.  The more we learn about conventional farming and industrial food processing (more…)

Are the terms ‘eco’ and ‘luxury super-yacht’ mutually exclusive?  I’m leaning toward ‘yes’ – although Swedish luxury car and yacht designer Dennis Ingemansson obviously doesn’t agree.   His 45-meter Esthec solar-powered superyacht design features a solar array and lightweight decking materials.

The decking material is a lightweight composite made by the Dutch company Esthec, an innovative composite decking manufacturer.  The decking, which is lightweight, durable, recyclable and low maintenance, can be created in a wide range of colors and patterns.   To put you in the right economic zip code, the Esthec design was recently featured at the Monaco Yacht Show.

Related: previously on atlCon – design posts