Our Recycling Project

Over the years, I've experimented with different ways of handling my recycling. I'm sure that I've spent an inordinate amount of time and energy working on my recycling project, so, in the spirit of trying to save others some time and effort, this is what we're able to recycle and how it is organized.

Under our kitchen sink we have 7 separate containers (from left to right) for compost, mixed recyclables (glass, plastic, and metal), corrugated cardboard, paper, newspaper, grayboard (paperboard), and magazines.

In case you were wondering, those are milk boxes. I just took three half gallon boxes, washed them thoroughly, cut out some sides, and taped them together with gorilla tape. The containers under the sink provide a convenient location to sort recyclables without having to take everything to our larger recycling bins in the garage everyday. (Our trash can for what can't be recycled is separate and located elsewhere in the kitchen.) I empty these small containers into our larger recycling bins in our garage once each week where they stay until we take them to our community recycling program once each month.

This is about a month's worth of recycling.

In addition to the categories I mentioned above, I also have separate containers/bags for batteries, electronics, grocery bags, telephone books, and printer cartridges that I keep in the garage.

The key to successful recycling is finding a system that works for you. It must be simple, clean, and out-of-the-way. This system only requires a few minutes every week. I've never actually weighed our trash, but I'd say we recycle roughly 75% of our household waste.

Drug-makers recall AIDS drugs from Africa

Summary: Swiss pharmacy company Roche recalled a low-cost drug used to fight AIDS due to contamination. The drugs were contaminated with a chemical known to cause cancer in high doses and genetic mutations in low doses. Therefore, the relatively small number of people in the developing world who had access to life-saving pharmaceuticals just had them taken away. The same drug is manufactured by Pfizer and is sold in wealthier countries. Due to licensing and regulatory issues Pfizer will not release this life-saving drug to the undeveloped world. In other words, Pfizer doesn't find it profitable to provide the drug at an affordable cost to people who are dying in the developing world. By the way, Pfizer raked in 48.4 billion dollars last year.

Write your congress person. Ask for meaningful healthcare reform, access to life-saving pharmaceuticals, and access to medical procedures for this country's poor and working class and for meaningful solutions to the healthcare crisis in developing countries. Pharmaceutical companies are making hundreds of billions of dollars by inflating the cost of medications here and denying life-saving medications to the poor worldwide.

Here's the story from the New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/23/health/23recall.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

Pharmaceutical company implicated in childrens' deaths

Here's a story that sounds like it came right out of the movie "The Constant Gardener," (a movie which I highly recommend). If this case has made it to the point of actually being filed and CNN (a pretty conservative news company) is actually carrying the story, it's a safe bet that Pfizer is responsible for a lot more than what they're being charged with.



http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/africa/07/20/nigeria.drugs.ap/index.html In short, Pfizer may be responsible for the deaths of at least 11 children and the severe injury of other children in Africa who were being used to test an experimental antibiotic. Pfizer, of course, denied wrong-doing but would not comment.


Does anyone think it's a bit barbaric and immoral that Western pharmaceutical companies, or any pharmaceutical company for that matter, are testing experimental drugs on people, let alone children, in Africa? If this took place in the U.S., Americans would be screaming for justice, Pfizer's stock would be plummeting, and Pfizer would be on the verge of going out of business. But because it's happening in Africa, the story isn't even being carried by the majority of American news media.


Hit them where it counts. If you currently take a drug made by Pfizer ask your physician if you can take something different. Then write to Pfizer to let them know exactly why you stopped using their product. Also write to your congress-person. Tell them about the case and that you are concerned about American companies who not only conduct dangerous experiments on children but who also are responsible for the deaths of millions of people in developing countries by denying them affordable, life-saving medications and less-expensive generic medications.

Action: Carbon Offsets

You've done everything you can possibly do to reduce the amount of pollution that you're responsible for pumping into the environment, but you are bothered by what's left. Face it. Unless you are willing to live a primitive lifestyle, you will be responsible for some environmental degradation and human rights abuses.

That's it, right? We've done everything we can do. Time to go on about our merry way.

Maybe not. There's another idea that has been gaining support recently. They are called Carbon Offsets. The idea is that you can balance (or offset, if you like) the carbon dioxide you release into the atmosphere by supporting the production of clean energy.

Initially, I had reservations. It sounded an awful lot like the Catholic Church's practice of selling indulgences in the Middle Ages; in this case, a license to pollute. After doing some research though, I think carbon offsets can be used wisely. For example, my family does everything we can to reduce our negative impacts on other people and the environment. We change the way we drive and walk to work to conserve gas. We rarely use the air conditioning at home. We use sunlight to illuminate our house during the day and compact flourescent lightbulbs the rest of the time. We buy most of our food locally. We recycle. The list could go on, but in the end we still use some electricity, natural gas, and gasoline.

Until our society catches up to our ethics, carbon offsets appear to be the best way to close the gap. By purchasing carbon offsets, we help new windmills, solar arrays, and farm methane projects come to realization, and we support the generation of sustainable energy from already existing producers. Most importantly, we reduce the demand for energy from some of our heaviest polluters like coal-fired powerplants.

Native Energy http://www.nativeenergy.com/ is a company in which the majority of the shareholders are Native American. From their website: "NativeEnergy helps you help build Native American, farmer-owned, community based renewable energy projects that create social, economic, and environmental benefits." Most of their projects help build windmills on Native American lands that will then be owned and operated by the local community. The rest of their projects direct funds toward sustainable energy projects on family farms across the U.S. (There are several projects in Pennsylvania.)

Check out their website. Even if you don't decide to purchase any offsets, it's very informative.

If you do a search on "The Grist" you'll find a plethora of articles and discussions about carbon offsets. Perhaps surprisingly, not all of the opinions are on the side of offsetting. http://www.grist.org/

NPRs Scott Simon recently interviewed Al Gore and quized him about carbon offsets. This was the interview that got me interested in researching the topic. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=11789919

Great website from the Stockholm Environment Institute and the Tufts Climate Initiative. They have many resources about the practices of carbon offseting and carbon trading, and they have a review/rating of the major companies who sell carbon offsets worldwide. http://www.tufts.edu/tie/tci/carbonoffsets/ratings.htm

"If you think you're too small to have an impact try going to bed with a mosquito in the room." -- Anita Koddick

"The begining is the most important part of the work." -- Plato

Lulu's Breadbox

If you were interested in that bakery I mentioned last week, it's called Lulu's Breadbox and it's on the East end of Garfield St. in Shippensburg:Map of [233-299] E Garfield St Shippensburg, PA 17257, US

I've sampled their breads and pastries twice. Last week we had an Italian bread and some cinnamon buns. This week I bought a mountain bread. Overall, the bread and pastries have been very good. There's no comparison between fresh baked bread and what is generally available at the grocery store. The owners are very friendly. Once again, one of the great joys of eating local is getting to know the people who are providing your food. I'm looking forward to trying some more of their baked goods, and I'll keep you posted.

Swim a little out from the mainstream

Every news outlet has a bias: liberal, conservative, pro-big business, pro-status quo… etc. The most popular media outlets are notorious for their biases, and most people aren’t even aware of them. (Most of our usual news sources are extremely conservative and sensationalist -- lacking in any real content or analysis.) The other danger of our mainstream media is that they are all reporting from the same point of view. That is the American point of view. There’s nothing wrong with the American point of view, but it is only one of many. Sometimes it helps to see the world and events through someone else’s eyes.

National Public Radio: http://www.npr.org/ You can listen on-line to current and archived programs. I often listen on-line as I'm cooking, washing dishes, or working on my blog. If you do listen please make a pledge to your local station. Our recent republican congress made an effort to chip away at their funding. Some say that NPR is liberal biased. I find their reporting even-handed and thorough in contrast to the typically vapid headlines and soundbites of most other outlets.

WITF 89.5 is Harrisburg PA's NPR station. http://www.witf.org/
WAMU 88.5 is American University's NPR station out of Washington D.C.
WVEP 88.9 Martinsburg, West Virginia's NPR station
WNYC New York City's NPR station has a lot of great programming accessible on-line http://www.wnyc.org/

The Christian Science Monitor http://www.csmonitor.com/ is recognized for the quality of its reporting around the world.

Grist, Environmental News and Commentary. http://www.grist.org/ No bias there right? If you're into environmental issues like me and like a little bit of dry humor to boot, you'll love it.

C-span http://www.c-span.org/ the inner workings of our federal government on cable T.V. and on-line.

Mother Jones http://www.motherjones.com/ Good reporting and analysis. Liberal bias.

The BBC. http://www.bbc.co.uk/ Internationally recognized for the quality of its journalism.

Please post if you have any other good news outlets or comments about the ones I've listed.

"In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act." -- George Orwell

"Naturally the common people don't want war; neither in Russia, nor in England, nor in America, nor in Germany. That is understood. But after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine policy, and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is to tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country." -- Hermann Goering

"In true democracy every man and women is taught to think for himself or herself." -- Mohandas K. Gandhi

Otterbein Acres Sheep Dairy

Today was a fun day on the local food scene. I ran over to Maplewood Produce and picked up some tomatoes, cherries, peaches, and blueberries. Then we went to Otterbein Acres Sheep Dairy for some Romano and Cheddar cheese.

Otterbein Acres is small farm in the rolling hills west of Shippensburg that raises both sheep and cows. The farm is near Newburg on Otterbein Church Rd, although I didn't see a road sign. There are a few other small businesses immediately before the dairy, and the dairy is on your right if you're coming from Newburg Rd. They are also very close to the PA Turnpike. Here's a map to the farm: Map of 10071 Otterbein Church Rd Newburg, PA 17240-9630, US

Their cheese is naturally aged and is not pastuerized. The Romano is aged at least 5 months and the cheddar at least 2 months. When I stopped in today, they allowed me to taste the cheeses before I bought any. They are exceptional; head and shoulders above anything you can get at your local grocery store.

You can either go directly to their farm or go to Carlisle's Old Pomfret Farmers' Market to get their cheeses (every Saturday 8am-12pm from May through October 27). http://www.downtowncarlisle.com/FarmersMarket/tabid/61/Default.aspx
If you are in the D.C. area, they also sell their cheese at the Rockville Farmers' Market. http://www.rockvillemd.gov/events/farmers.htm. In addition to cheese, I believe they also sell lamb and poultry when requested in advance.

Otterbein Acres Sheep Dairy
10071 Otterbein Church Rd
Newburg, PA 17240
717-423-6689

Action: Get Out and Get Some Exercise

What does exercise have to do with the environment or social justice, you ask?

In my opinion, exercise has a lot to do with these issues – in particular, our desire and ability to have a positive impact on the world. There’s a story in Chinese martial arts folklore. A Buddhist monk by the name of Boddhidharma traveled from India to China sometime around the 6th century. When he arrived at Shaolin temple he found that the monks there weren’t able to endure the hours of prayer, meditation, and study that he prescribed. After some time in contemplation, Boddhidharma devised exercises to improve the health and strength of the monks. According to legend, these exercises were the foundation of what later became Shaolin Kung Fu and many other styles of martial arts.

The idea is simple. Our bodies are the vessels that contain our minds and spirits and have a profound effect on how we experience life and the world around us. Ultimately, we hope that we can rise above the limitations of our physical existence. Until that happens, what we do, what we eat and drink, and how we care for ourselves has a great impact on our minds, emotions, spirits, and ability to do the things that are important to us.

Numerous studies have demonstrated the benefits of regular exercise. Exercise can prevent or help reduce the severity of AIDS/HIV, arthritis, some types of cancer, depression, diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity, and osteoporosis to name a few. Exercise makes our bodies and minds stronger, more flexible, and more agile. It also boosts our energy, reduces stress, and helps us live longer.

If you don’t know where to start, nearly any physical activity could be considered exercise depending on how you approach it. Gardening, walking, riding bicycle, running, lifting weights, hiking, yoga, tai chi, pilates, dancing, softball, soccer, basketball, fishing… The list could be endless. My point is that there is something out there for everyone and for every level of physical ability.

If you still don’t see the connection between exercise and social and environmental issues, here are my top 6 connections:

6. Group exercise classes foster a greater sense of community and encourage participants to form relationships with others in the class.

5. Outdoors activities like hiking, gardening, fishing, and hunting develop a greater awareness of nature.

4. Once we start exercising, we naturally begin to look for more ways to be healthy such as turning off the television and eating more fresh fruits, vegetables, organic, and local foods.

3. Exercise breaks the inertia of a sedentary lifestyle.

2. Exercise makes us happy (caused by endorphins released during exercise). Happy people promote peace.

1. Exercise energizes us to lead more active, more fulfilling lives.

Can anyone find some more connections, so that we can make it an even 10?

Links:
My martial arts (tai chi aka taijiquan) instructor. His school is in Harrisburg, PA. He is one of the best instructors in the country and trained me to my 2002 National title followed by two more years as one of the top competitors in the U.S. http://www.dowellness.com/ Here's a map:Map of 2233 Paxton Church Rd Harrisburg, PA 17110-9646, US The center also offers pilates, yoga, children's fitness classes, and massage.

A site by the American Academy of Family Physicians with lots of information about physical activity: http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/healthy/physical.html

Local Government

In the spirit of my earlier post about making democracy work for the people, here are links to the websites of Cumberland and Franklin Counties. On their sites you can find the names and contact information of your elected officials, dates and times of public meetings, and links to municipal and township websites.

http://www.ccpa.net/cumberland/site/default.asp
http://www.co.franklin.pa.us/franklin/site/default.asp

I also highly recommend checking out the website of the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund and the Daniel Pennock Democracy School. Even though their emphasis is on environmental issues, they have a lot to offer in regard to making government work for the people. Definitely check out their video about the democracy school on youtube, and, if you do a search on youtube, you'll find some additional footage of their democracy school.

http://www.celdf.org/

Shoe Repair Shop in Shippensburg

Instead of throwing out your old shoes how about repairing them?

Rob’s Shoe Repair 717-496-3406 is open Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, 6-9 p.m., and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The shop is in a remodeled garage at the rear of the owner's Victorian home at the intersection of Walnut Bottom Road and Strohm Road.
Map of Walnut Bottom Rd & Strohm Rd Shippensburg, PA 17257, US

Here's a link to the article in the Shippensburg Sentinel: http://www.cumberlink.com/articles/2007/07/09/shipp_news/news18.txt

Action: Make Democracy Work

Write, e-mail, and call your elected officials about issues you care about. Let them know you are aware of the decisions they make. Democracy only works when we all speak up.

Many of our problems today were created or at least helped along by our silence. Successful democracy requires all of us to be involved.

Most social justice and environmental organizations have letter writing campaigns on a regular basis. Take advantage of these opportunities to add your voice to the voices of others.

Here's a government website that will help you find out who your elected officials are and how to contact them: http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml

"The price good men pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men." Plato

My Favorite Sun Tea

Always looking for ways to have a smaller eco-footprint*, I've taken to making sun tea. No energy required to heat the water other than the free energy of the sun.

You can easily create your own flavors with the vast variety of teas and infusions out there. My favorite is 2 or 3 bags of Lipton tea and 1 bag of Earl Grey to a half gallon of water. Place your tea bags in a glass container filled with water. Put in the sunlight to brew for at least 2 hours. Sweeten to taste.

*Eco-footprint: short for Ecological footprint, an illustration that compares our impact on the environment to a footprint.

Action: Replace Standard Lightbulbs with Compact Flourescents

According to the government's Energy Star website Compact Flourescent Lightbulbs (CFLs) last 10 times longer and use 75% less energy.

They are initially more expensive, but will save between $30 and $45 in electricity over their lifetime.

When a CFL burns out (depending on use that should about 7 years later) they should be disposed of properly because they contain a very small amount of mercury. From the Energy Star website: "CFLs contain a very small amount of mercury sealed within the glass tubing – an average of 5 milligrams, which is roughly equivalent to an amount that would cover the tip of a ball-point pen. No mercury is released when the bulbs are intact or in use. By comparison, older thermometers contain about 500 milligrams of mercury. It would take 100 CFLs to equal that amount."

Because CFLs are so much more energy efficient they result in overall less pollution. Much of our household electricity comes from coal-fired power plants, one of the dirtiest forms of energy production, and burning coal emits mercury into the environment.

Check out http://www.earth911.org/ for proper disposal options. There are local and national companies that will handle the lightbulbs correctly.

Here are a few resources for more information:
http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=cfls.pr_cfls
http://www.ncgreenpower.org/media/newsletters/2005/newsletter_fall2005_page6.html
http://michaelbluejay.com/electricity/lighting.html One of my favorite sites on energy efficiency.

"Whenever you see darkness, there is extraordinary opportunity for the light to burn brighter." -- Bono

Action: Eat more vegetables, fruits, and grains

Yes, that also means, eat less meat and animal products (or none at all).

Most of the meat consumed in the United States is produced on factory farms. Aside from the horrendous living conditions for the livestock, factory farms are heavy polluters. Whether the waste leaks and overflows from concrete holding ponds or runs off of the fields it’s sprayed onto as fertilizer, the manure contaminates waterways and drinking water with E. coli, salmonella, and other pathogens. (If you live in the country and have well-water, I recommend getting your water tested.) Contaminated water also causes algae blooms which deprive aquatic wildlife and plants of oxygen, devastating ecosystems.

Also, for every pound of meat on the plate, the animal ate roughly 16 pounds of grain. Some of the grain that it took to produce that pound of meat could have gone to feed some of the world’s hungry.

Eating more produce and grains and less meat is also better for your health. I can speak from experience that from May through October, when there is so much fresh produce available and I eat much less meat, I feel much better. This time of year I might eat meat twice a week.

The best part is that you are not the only one who benefits from eating less meat. Eating less meat also means less demand for factory farms and less polution here; less demand for meat from overseas -- less clearing of the rainforests and other natural areas to create pasture for livestock.

Here are some resources:
http://www.nrdc.org/thisgreenlife/0603.asp
http://www.audubon.org/bird/at_home/chefs_web.html#diet Check out the Audubon Society's section on the vegetarian diet.
http://www.betterworldhandbook.com/action6.html Great, well-researched piece on eating less meat. The author even cites her/his sources. As a former English major, I love it when authors cite their sources!

What can I do?

Ever since I was a kid "50 Simple Things You Can Do To Save the Earth" has been one of my favorite books. Direct. Hopeful. It's message is fundamentally democratic: we all can make a difference.

I'm glad that issues like global warming, AIDS, poverty, and health care have been getting so much attention lately. The attention is long overdue. Before addressing any problem we first have to know that the problem exists. It's the next step that's often missing from most of the reporting done on these topics: what you can do. Without knowing what we can do to help, we are often left with vague feelings of sympathy that never result in positive action. What good does it do to know that millions are dying of AIDS without knowing what you can do to help? It does no good whatsoever.

I spend a lot of time researching topics that I care about so that I can find out what I can do. The primary goal of this blog, really, is to empower others to take action as well. In that spirit, I'll post actions we all can take to promote peace and preserve the environment (which, by the way, are inextricably intertwined).

"Change only takes place through action. Frankly speaking, not through prayer or meditation, but through action." -- The Dalai Lama

New Bakery in Shippensburg!

Looks great. Check out the article in the Sentinel: http://www.cumberlink.com/articles/2007/07/06/shipp_news/news25.txt

I'll post after I have a chance to stop in tomorrow.

Pilot recycling program in one midstate county is declared a success

07/06/2007Scott Gilbert(York) -- A pilot program in York County has confirmed that giving residents bigger recycling bins leads to the collection of more materials. However, just how much more has surprised some officials. Last September, residents in New Freedom were given 22-gallon recycling bins to replace their 14-gallon tubs they had been using. The county also distributed educational pamphlets in the borough. The amount of recycled materials gathered there over an eight-month period ending in April jumped by 72 percent from the same time frame a year earlier. Ellen O'Connor, with the York County Solid Waste and Refuse Authority, was thrilled with the results. O'Connor says grants are available to help communities pay for up to 90 percent of the cost of new bins. Fifty-five of York County's 72 municipalities have curbside recycling programs. http://www.witf.org/FM/news.php

The Coffee Conundrum

I love coffee, and I've found coffee to be an interesting subject for contemplation. Who grows my coffee? What does a coffee bush look like? Where are Sumatra, the Rift Valley, and Torajaland? Do the farmers make a decent wage? What kind of impact do the farms have on the local ecosystem?

Unfortunately, the answers to some of my questions led me to give up coffee. There are a lot of problems surrounding the treatment of workers on coffee plantations, and many plantations contribute to significant environmental problems like deforestation, the decline of migratory songbird populations, and a loss of biodiversity.

I tried first buying only organic, fair-trade coffee. These coffees came closest to meeting my desire to have a cup of joe that was socially and environmentally responsible. Fair trade basically means that the farmers who grow the coffee get a reasonable price for their crop. We all know what organic means, but in many cases it also means that the farmers grow their coffee in the shade of taller trees. This practice provides shelter for migratory birds, firewood for the farmers, fruit for the farmers' tables, and greater biodiversity. Here are a few places I found to get fair-trade, organic coffees:
the Giant Grocery store on Wayne Ave. in Chambersburg, PA.
Ten Thousand Villages http://www.tenthousandvillages.com/home.php They have many locations, but I used to go to the one in Mechanicsburg.
and my favorite local coffee shop Greencastle Coffee Roasters. http://www.greencastlecoffee.com/ They have an incredible selection of teas and coffees including a couple fair-trade, organic coffees.

After some time, I began to place a higher value on locally produced food and could no longer justify paying the higher price for the fair-trade, organic coffees. That was when I decided to give up coffee. I still have a cup occasionally with desert or with friends, but my regular morning coffee is gone. I had headaches one or two days. I felt a little sluggish in the mornings, but, in a matter of days, I found I functioned just as well without my coffee.

Here's a link to an article that goes into greater detail about the coffee conundrum and offers some additional resources: http://www.nrdc.org/thisgreenlife/0410.asp.

Local Produce

Maplewood Produce and Greenhouse,
8564 Old Scotland Rd
Shippensburg, PA 17257
717-532-3278
Mon – Sat 8AM – 6PM, June – Oct.

Just off the Fayette St. exit of I-81 on the outskirts of Shippensburg. I have not had a chance to explore their greenhouses, but I did go to their retail store. They had a nice selection of local produce, however nothing was marked organic or pesticide/ herbicide-free.

The Southgate Farmer's Market
Downtown Chambersburg
open all Saturdays from May 26 thru Oct. 20 from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.
http://www.wilson.edu/wilson/asp/content.asp?id=809
Map of S Water St & W Washington St Chambersburg, PA 17201, US

I mentioned it before under the local cheese entry, but they deserve mentioning again. It's a small but wonderful market with local produce (organic and conventional), local beef, eggs, cheese, baked goods, flowers, crafts, and really outstanding Jamaican jerked chicken.

Resources for Recycling

I think for many people, recycling is the fundamental and most representative act of environmentalism. A friend, Frank Stearn -- who is a township supervisor in St. Thomas Township, once pointed out that recycling really is about conserving our natural resources for future generations. I believe this basic idea is why recycling remains so central to environmentalism.

Recycling curbs landfill growth and prevents toxins from leaching out of those landfills into our groundwater. Recycling protects forests from unnecessary logging, and it protects lands and waters from the dangers of mining for new minerals. In most cases, manufacturing a raw material into the finished product requires many times the energy used to recycle a waste material into the same product.

My personal goal is to reduce my waste stream to as close to zero as possible. For a family of three, we currently generate only a couple pounds of trash every two or three weeks. It's probably the equivalent of one small, plastic, grocery bag full each week.

We’ve come a long way since the days when newspapers and aluminum cans were the only recyclables, but finding out where you can recycle and what your local recycling programs accept takes a little effort. Call your local government office. That could be the borough, township, or county. Ask if they have a list of the recycling programs in your area. Check your phone book and search the internet. If your municipality has a recycling program, please support it by recycling everything possible with them. Some items, like aluminum cans, are more valuable than others and recycling everything (rather than taking the cans to a separate facility) generates revenue that helps the program remain viable. Here are a few phone numbers and internet resources I've found in my searches. Most of them are for Cumberland and Franklin Counties in Pennsylvania, but a few are national:

Earth 911. Great site with a lot of information about recycling and recycling programs across the country: http://earth911.org/

The Environmental Protection Agency's information on recycling: http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/non-hw/muncpl/recycle.htm

The Franklin County Coalition, a grass roots organization with a list of recyclers in Franklin County: http://www.celdf.org/fcc/recycle.htm

Franklin County Offices (717) 264-4125; http://www.co.franklin.pa.us/franklin/cwp/view.asp?a=1448&q=463277&franklinNav=27585

Freecycle, an international resource for giving away and getting second-hand stuff free. Membership is free as well. Imagine the classifieds but bigger: http://www.freecycle.org/

Greendisk, a national company that recycles "technotrash," computer-related waste: http://www.greendisk.com/

The Internet Consumer Recycling Guide. Once again, a great resource with tons of info: http://www.obviously.com/recycle/

Solid Waste Authority of Cumberland County (717) 240-6489; http://www.ccpa.net/cumberland/cwp/view.asp?a=1619&Q=465622

I have to make a special note about where we recycle: New Hope Recycling. They're a volunteer group that is sponsored by the Solid Waste Authority of Cumberland County. They accept recycling at the Hopewell Township Building in New Hope Pennsylvania on the first Saturday of the month. You can find more information about them on the Earth 911 website or you can contact Pat Franklin at 717-423-6224, patfred@earthlink.net. The volunteers are friendly and helpful, and the recycling program accepts almost anything you could want to recycle. We are only left with a few items like household batteries, some electronics, and grayboard to recycle elsewhere.

Post any other resources, websites, comments, or ideas that you may have about recycling.

Coming soon... ideas about organizing household recycling, composting, reducing waste, and giving things a second life before they become trash.