INFORMATION
Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection – solid waste and recycling
Catalog Choice – get yourself off the mailing lists of unwanted catalog
US EPA Sustainable Materials Management
Earth 911 – Community-specific information on environmental issues, including local recycling resources
Life Cycle Assessment of Reincarnation 100 Coated Freesheet Paper,Compared to Virgin Paper Baseline, SCS Global Services, Oct. 2015
Massachusetts bottle and can redemption centers
Responsible Purchasing Network by the Center for a New American Dream
Yellow Pages opt out program – adjust the number of directories you receive or remove yourself from directory distribution lists
Environmental Impact Calculators – provides tools to quantify the environmental impacts of lifestyle choices. Different calculators measure different areas. You can also figure out whether it makes more sense to buy or lease a vehicle! (thanks to Malcolm and Bryant at Compton Community Center for the link)
INSPIRATION
What can we do as consumers about climate change? – the manufacture and delivery of consumer products is a HUGE source of greenhouse gas emissions. The Northeast Recycling Council and NEWMOA researched and developed this 4 page guide
e-Awakening – an Abington-based communications company working toward environmental solutions through video
America Recycles Day Recycling resources and inspiration “It All Comes Back to You”
Al Gore’s Nobel Prize acceptance speech (21 min. video)
Secret Life of Paper – Inform.org (6 min. video)
My Plastic-Free Life – Blogger Beth Terry describes the challenges of living without plastic, and challenges others to join her
Small Choices Big Impact – how our product choices impact our planet (2 minute video)
The Seven Sins of Greenwashing – Terra Choice Environmental Marketing
ORGANIZATIONS
MassRecycle – the Massachusetts Recycling Coalition
Sustainable South Shore – an affiliation of active South Shore member groups working to create a model sustainable community to preserve our ecosystem
Abington SAGE (Saving Abington with Green Energy)
Center for Ecological Technology (CET)
Northeast Recycling Council, Inc (NERC)
DONATIONS
Freecycle – an online “swap shop”. Recycle your usable unwanted items through a local email network. If you want to find a new home for something — whether it’s a chair, a fax machine, piano, or an old door — you simply send an e-mail offering it to members of your Freecycle group. If you’re looking to acquire something yourself. Simply respond to a member’s offer, and you just might get it.
Craigslist – list unwanted items for sale or for free. Free stuff goes fast! Go to “FOR SALE”, and click on “free”.
Building Materials Resource Center – a nonprofit building materials re-use project in Boston that accepts donations of good quality used and surplus cabinets, fixtures, doors, windows, lumber, sheetrock, etc. and sells them to the public at low prices. Low / moderate-income customers and nonprofits are eligible for a discount.
World Computer Exchange – Donations of working monitors, CPUs, peripherals, software, cash and volunteer time accepted in Boston and Hull. Equipment is shipped to developing nations.
Crazy Crayons recycling program: for every pound of old stubby crayons sent to LAF Lines Ltd. for recycling, you will receive one CRAZY CRAYON™. For example, you send 50 pounds of unwanted crayons and you will get 50 CRAZY CRAYONS™ in return, as an effort to ‘close the loop’.
Hopeline supports non-profit domestic violence advocacy and prevention agencies
Recycline, Inc. has introduced the Preserve toothbrush. The handles are made from 100% recycled plastics, and each one comes with a postage-paid envelope so you can return it to the company, or to many natural food stores nationwide.
Textiles – we have a whole page of possibilities