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TerraCycle is blazing hot, and blazing trails...

TerraCycle is celebrating their Drink Pouch Brigade hitting the $1 Million paid to non-profits and nearly 50 Million drink pouches being collected and kept out of the landfills!

Copied below is the press release and more information about this event.

DRINK POUCH BRIGADE SPONSORSHIP HITS $1 MILLION MARK FOR SCHOOLS

50 Million Drink Pouches Redeemed Through TerraCycle® Fund Local School Programs Nationwide

A million dollars can go a long way in cash-strapped schools and nonprofits. And, when all that’s required is to save items from landfills, it almost sounds too good to be true. True it is. Schools and nonprofits across the country have now earned $1 million through the TerraCycle Drink Pouch Brigade™ program.

The Capri Sun beverage brand was one of the earliest supporters of TerraCycle, a company that collects would-be trash and turns it into useful items. The collection program, called the Drink Pouch Brigade, takes place mostly in schools, where children choose to deposit used pouches in special receptacles rather than throw them away. In participating schools, each used drink pouch collected and sent to TerraCycle earns two cents, with the funds going toward needed educational programs and resources.

Students and teachers alike have passionately embraced the program as a perfect way to underscore the importance of taking care of our environment while raising money for schools with budget issues. Together, students and teachers at over 30,000 schools nationawide have collected 50 million drink pouches for the program over the past two years.

“As the dad of school-aged children, I think it’s great when a product can help educate while it gives back,” said Vinay Sharma, Director of Marketing, Ready-to-Drink Beverages, Kraft Foods. “And, it’s a source of pride that, as a company, we can help students learn how to make a real impact on the environment and their schools at a time when both are in need.”

Top 100 Brigades to be recognized by Terracycle

Drink Pouch Brigades, found in 42% of elementary schools in the U.S., are part of a free nationwide program that pays schools and non-profits to collect non-recyclable waste that would otherwise go to landfill. In choosing not to discard their drink pouches, students demonstrate their concern for the environment.

Some schools – and the students who attend them – have done a truly remarkable job in this regard. To honor them, TerraCycle will recognize those 100 schools that have sent in the greatest number of pouches and, therefore, earned the most for their programs.

Garbage into great gear

TerraCycle “upcycles” collected drink pouches into affordable, eco-friendly products, ranging from backpacks to building materials. These items can be found at select retailers across the country, as well as online at http://www.terracycle.net/.

“Our goal is for people to look at waste in a whole new way, and through its sponsorship of the Pouch Brigade program, Capri Sun has helped us to expand the numbers of those who are doing so,” said Tom Szaky, CEO of TerraCycle. “The $1 million that Capri Sun has helped us give out is a powerful sign of the enthusiasm that communities across the country have for the goals of this program.”

About Kraft Foods

Kraft Foods is building a global snacks powerhouse and an unrivaled portfolio of brands people love. With annual revenues of approximately $48 billion, the company is the world’s second largest food company, making delicious products for billions of consumers in approximately 170 countries. The portfolio includes 11 iconic brands with revenues exceeding $1 billion – Oreo, Nabisco and LU biscuits; Milka and Cadbury chocolates; Trident gum; Jacobs and Maxwell House coffees; Philadelphia cream cheeses; Kraft cheeses, dinners and dressings; and Oscar Mayer meats. Approximately 70 brands generate annual revenues of more than $100 million. Kraft Foods (http://www.kraftfoodscompany.com/; NYSE: KFT) is a member of the Dow Jones Industrial Average, Standard & Poor's 500, Dow Jones Sustainability Index and Ethibel Sustainability Index.

About TerraCycle

In 2001, Tom Szaky, a Princeton University Freshman, founded TerraCycle in hopes of building an eco-capitalist company built on waste. After winning countless business plan contests, Tom dropped out of Princeton to pursue his dream of founding the world’s most environmentally friendly company. Seven years later, TerraCycle’s eco-friendly products have received a myriad of social and environmental accolades and are sold at major retailers like The Home Depot, Target, Wal*Mart and Whole Foods Markets. TerraCycle’s business plan and products made from waste received a Zerofootprint Seal of Approval, won The Home Depot’s Environmental Stewardship Award twice and recently won the 2007 Social Venture Network Innovation Award. Please visit us at http://www.terracycle.net/ to learn more.

$1 Million = 50 Million juice pouches = enough waste to cover the Grand Canyon 9 times = enough waste to cover 2,000 football fields = as heavy as 20 full school buses and (of course) = over 4...5,000 schools and non-profits financially assisted!

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Reduce, Reuse & Recycle... or Up-cycle!

Check out this fun DIY craft using Colgate toothpaste tubes!

TerraCycle Toothpaste Tube Toothbrush Holder

Upcycle your toothpaste tubes into this fresh bathroom caddy

By: Tiffany Threadgould

Looking for a refreshing alternative to throwing away your toothpaste tubes? This easy do-it-yourself project upcycles your empty tubes into a simple toothbrush holder. Upcycling materials like these are a great way to reuse without costing a mint.

Materials:

5 empty toothpaste tubes

scissors

ruler

clear tape

hole punch

ribbon or plastic lanyard

binder clips

Instructions:

1. Collect five Colgate® toothpaste tubes. Clean them by cutting off the bottom and slipping your scissors into the side seam. Flatten them out and clean with soap and water.

2. Cut four tubes to 3 ½” x 4 ½” and one tube into a 3 ½” x 3 ½” square. Fold down the top ½” of the four rectangular tubes and tape.

3. Take one of the four rectangles and punch holes every ½” along the two tall sides and along the short bottom side that is not folded. Use this punched piece as a template and punch holes in the exact same spots on the other three rectangular pieces.

4. To punch the small square piece, line up the short punched side of the rectangle piece with any side of the short piece. Repeat punching holes for the other three sides of the square using the short side of the rectangular piece as a template.

5. Then punch two holes near the center of the square. This will be the bottom of the container and the holes will be for drainage.

6. Match up two large pieces and lace up one side tying it off at the top and bottom. Open it up. On one of the non-laced ends, attach to the next rectangular piece in the same way with the printed sides facing out. Repeat for each additional rectangular piece. When you’ve laced all four pieces, connect the two end pieces together and lace creating a cube with your pieces.

7. Match up the square piece with the bottom of the container. Use binder clips to hold it in place. Lace around the bottom of the container and tie it off. You’re ready to put your upcycled toothbrush holder into action.

Tip: This toothbrush holder can also double as a pencil holder!

If you have completed this project and still have more toothpaste tubes and other oral care products to upcycle, be sure to sign up for the TerraCycle (www.terracycle.net) oral care brigade and send them in. These items will be transformed into new products, and better yet, your collection will earn money for your favorite charity!

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Also, Colgate is offering a bunch of money saving coupons. They can be found on the Colgate website, Colgate.com, or you can go straight to the coupons by going to this shortened link: http://bit.ly/ColgateCoupons

What the heck is Upcycling??

Just what I need... a new obsession! I'm not OCD but I play one on... yeah, bad joke.

No, I'm not diagnosed OCD but I have a sneaking suspicion I'm borderline in a few areas.

Along comes TerraCycle to provide me with just one more project to consume time and mind. However, this one is good for the planet and contributes to charity as well. So it can't be all bad to be obsessed, right?

TerraCycle makes eco-friendly products from lots of different non-recyclable waste materials and these products are quite affordable. Sure, you can take your plastic, glass and aluminum containers to your local station or leave on your curb to go to the recycler... but what about those potato chip bags, cookie wrappers, tape dispensers? Now you have a much more attractive alternative to dropping them at the local landfill. Not only does this help the planet but TerraCycle will "Pay" you for your work by contributing to your charity of choice. And on top of that, you can purchase these way-cool products from TerraCycle.


If we can make this work... really work, we can eliminate waste. Just think of that!

You can be a part of this awesome idea. Join a "Brigade" at terracycle.net and start collecting. Get your kids involved, get them to get their friends involved. While you're at it, take a look at TerraCycle's fan page on Facebook. There's tons of helpful info there.

If you'd like to join OUR team... send me your email addy!

We can start a Revolution!!

In honor of Earth Day, way cool recycled glass

Here's where you can find it!

YAVA Glass on Etsy

EARTH HOUR... Please do this!