Affordable & Eco-Friendly Halloween Costumes

Looking for a last minute Halloween costume? Look no further! Today’s blog comes from our Hotline Manager, Amanda, and she is here to help. Read more below about some of our favorite eco-friendly costumes from over the years! Who knows? Maybe you’ll be inspired!

ILACSD staff love Halloween and the chance to get imaginative! I’ve rounded up some of my favorite staff costumes for you to enjoy, highlighting how easy it can be to avoid those big box stores to make your own costume. Here are my top five costume creations from years past, in no particular order of course. Watch out for this year’s staff picture on our Facebook on Friday the 31st!

Environmental Educator, Monica, as an elephant.
Environmental Educator, Monica, as an elephant.

Environmental Educator, Monica, was an adorable elephant last year. She already had the pants and sweater, and made the trunk from an empty paper towel roll. The only item she had to buy was a set of elephant ears that can be used again in the future.

  •  Reusable elephant ears
  • Recyclable paper towel roll trunk
  • Preexisting sweater & leggings!
  • Approximate cost – less than $5

 

 

 

Director of Community Events, Natalie, as Marge Simpson.
Director of Community Events, Natalie, as Marge Simpson.

Director of Community Events, Natalie, as Marge Simpson back in 2007 was pretty awesome don’t you think? All you need to do is find a green dress at a thrift store (or use one you already have) and craft some blue hair out of paper, using an empty 2-liter soda bottle in the middle for structure. And don’t forget to recycle your hair at the end of the day!

  •  Recyclable hair made of construction paper and 2 liter bottle
  • Preexisting dress
  • Approximate cost – less than $2

 

 

Hotline Program Assistant, Barbara, as a French painter.
Hotline Program Assistant, Barbara, as a French painter.

Hotline Program Assistant, Barbara, put together a marvelous costume from items that were around her home. She already owned her beret, and she borrowed a t-shirt and paint brush from family members. A splash of paint and voila! A French painter.

  •  Preexisting beret
  • Borrowed shirt & paint brush
  • Approximate cost – $0!

 

 

 

Community Events Coordinator, Lexi, as a runny egg!
Community Events Coordinator, Lexi, as a runny egg!

Community Events Coordinator, Lexi , loves a good pun. Here she is as a runny egg – get it?! She wore running clothes she already owned, and cut out runny yolk pieces from yellow construction paper that she recycled at the end of the day.

  •  Preexisting running gear
  • Recyclable construction paper
  • Approximate cost – $0 – $1

 

 

 

Executive Director, Pauline, borrowed her Grecian goddess costume.
Executive Director, Pauline, borrowed her Grecian goddess costume.

Executive Director, Pauline, borrowed her Grecian goddess costume, reminding us that just because you wore a costume one year and are tired of it, doesn’t mean you should trash it! Save it and swap costumes with your friends the next year.

  • Borrowed costume & accessories
  • Approximate cost – $0!

 

 

 

Hopefully you got some good ideas for Halloween, and don’t forget to post your DIY and re-use costumes to our Facebook page!

Ewaste: Why You Should Care, and What To Do

Ewaste is a growing problem.  As we keep adding new electronics to our lives (and who doesn’t want to get a new cell phone every two years!), we are then swamped with an excess of the old ones.  Ewaste is defined as, basically, anything you can plug in.  This means cell phones, refrigerators, TVs, keyboards, your monogrammed waffle iron, you name it.  It also includes the “secondary” waste that comes from these products, like copper wire.  The EPA estimates that only about 28% of all ewaste gets recycled. So what happens to the other 72% of ewaste? Unfortunately, that amount winds up in local landfills where lead, mercury, and other toxins soak into the ground.  The hazards of ewaste are pretty severe and can cause serious health and pollution risks. Some ewaste is banned from landfills.  In California, law prohibits cathode ray tubes from televisions and computer monitors from entering the landfill.  Regardless, you never want to dump your ewaste in the landfill (this means keep it out of your trash and recycling bins).  Ok, so now that you know what ewaste is, what do you do with it?

What comprises ewaste
What comprises ewaste

Here are a few tips for safe ewaste disposal:

1. Repair it! Maybe your laptop’s CD drive broke when your cat jumped on it.  Instead of buying a whole new laptop, get the current one repaired! You may be asking where you can get such a thing done. Well, we built you a whole repair database, where you can search the item you need repaired and find a convenient location.

An option (maybe) for ewaste repurposing
An option (maybe) for ewaste repurposing
keyboard
A cute art project made from an old keyboard

2. Re-purpose it! We can’t quite think of how to reuse that old laptop, but how about all the other ewaste you may have? Circuit board shoes not your idea of how to spend a Sunday? How about this cool way to reuse the keys in your keyboard- make a neat art project by spelling out the letters and putting them in a shadow box.  Also check out our Pinterest page, where we find ways to re-purpose all sorts of items.

3. Recycle it! The ewaste you dispose of likely isn’t 100% recyclable, but many of the components are. Regardless, if you can’t figure out what else to do with your ewaste, your best bet is to take it to a collection event.  Again, we have you covered- check out our events calendar for upcoming ewaste recycling events (usually there’s around one per weekend).

Have any questions about recycling? Contact us  at  1-877-R-1-EARTH (1-877-713-2784)

Make a resolution to recycle more in 2014!

It’s that time of year again, what will be your resolution for this New Year? Might we make a suggestion? Resolve to recycle more! Your friends at I Love A Clean San Diego are here to help you keep your resolution with a refresher on what can be recycled in your blue recycling bin here in San Diego.

Can recycle: milk cartons, juice boxes, and broth boxes
Can recycle: milk cartons, juice boxes, and broth boxes

Cartons are now recyclable through every waste hauler in San Diego County. That means you can put milk cartons, juice boxes, broth boxes, and any other aseptic type of container in your blue bin.

Any type of hard plastic container, regardless of the number on the bottom, can be put in your recycling bin. Here’s a good rule of thumb: if it’s a plastic that you cannot easily crush with your hand and it fits in your bin, throw it in for recycling. Containers should be empty of most food scraps, but don’t need to be perfectly clean.

Any type of hard plastic container, regardless of the number on the bottom, can be put in your recycling bin
Any type of hard plastic container, regardless of the
number on the bottom, can be put in your recycling bin

Another item that might you might not be dropping into your blue bin is empty aerosol cans. Empty hair spray, empty aerosol cleaning supplies and empty spray paint containers can all be recycled. (If you have aerosol containers that aren’t completely empty, those should be treated as household hazardous waste.  Log on to our recycling database, www.WasteFreeSD.org to find a location for disposal).

pizza box
Recycle the clean cardboard lids on pizza boxes

Pizza boxes are one of the greatest mysteries in recycling and we have the answer for you! To recycle pizza boxes, all you need to do is rip off any part of the box that is greasy or covered with food and throw it in the trash. The rest of the clean cardboard can go in the recycling. (If we were to recycle the pizza box in the image to the left, we would rip  off the bottom section and throw it in the trash. Then put the top part in the recycling).

Not be to forgotten are the old standbys for recycling. Paper, metal cans, clean aluminum foil, glass jars, soda bottles, and aluminum cans are some of the common items you have around the house that can go in the recycling. If you have paper, especially shredded paper, to recycle, throw it in a paper grocery bag and roll the top down on the bag to ensure it’s not contaminated by other items in the recycling bin. (If it’s contaminated, it won’t be recycled and it will have to be thrown away as regular trash).

Check out www.WasteFreeSD.org to learn where to recycle ewaste!
Check out www.WasteFreeSD.org to learn where to recycle ewaste!

Did you get a snazzy new TV for the holidays? Don’t forget that your old TV should be recycled: electronic waste is known to contain heavy metals such as mercury and lead, which if placed in the landfill can harm people and the environment.   Keep an eye out in your neighborhood for signs advertising e-waste collection events. You can also log on to www.WasteFreeSD.org to search for an event or recycling center for electronics near you.

Pledge to Give Your Garbage Another Life!

One day to educate and motivate. One day to get our neighbors, friends and colleagues excited about what can be accomplished when we all work together. One day to make recycling bigger and better 365 days a year!  Help  the County of San Diego and ILACSD celebrate America Recycles Day  by joining us for an after-school cleanup in Alpine! We’ll be teaming up with students, parents and teachers from Boulder Oaks Elementary School to clean up the neighborhood. We would love your help in spreading the message about the importance of recycling year-round!

America Recycles Day

Why is this day so important? Let’s look at the numbers: the average American produces 4.4 pounds of trash a day, and on the whole the United States produces more than 250 million tons of trash a year. San Diegans produce more than the national average, at 5.4 pounds a day! However, only about 35 percent is currently recycled, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

 Recycling provides many benefits including:

  • Conserving natural resources: Recycling conserves trees, water, and minerals – preserving the environment for future generations.
  • Reduction of the need for landfills: Recycling allows material to re-enter the marketplace as new products instead of taking up space in landfills.
  • Pollution prevention: Recycling avoids greenhouse gas emissions (caused by processing and  extraction of raw materials) equivalent to removing more than 34 million cars from the road each  year.
  • Energy savings: Recycling reduces the need to extract and process raw materials.
  • Job creation: Recycling helps create new jobs in the United States for both the recycling industry and manufacturing.

 How can you help? Here’s our call to action!

  • Sign up to volunteer at our after-school cleanup
  • Learn about what is recycled in your community through our website, WasteFreeSD
  • Take the “I Recycle” pledge:  whether at home or at the office, commit to recycle more and give your garbage another life!

Kill the Cup- Giving Out Prizes for Being Green!

Today’s blog post comes from a great local non-profit, Kill the Cup.  They encourage coffee drinkers to bring their own cups when they buy coffee by offering them prizes. People who upload photos of their reusable mugs to KillTheCup.com get entry into raffles for cash and prizes. Their promotions educate consumers to behave in ways that will save them money and reduce their carbon footprint!  They also partner with businesses and universities to reduce their environmental impact and improve their bottom line.

KTClogo150

Kill the Cup met I love a Clean San Diego at the Coastal Cleanup Day in September. We discovered that our purpose was very closely aligned with that of I Love a Clean San Diego. ILACSD creates environmental and educational programs to promote conservation and clean up the environment. Kill the Cup uses gamification, social media marketing, and behavioral economics to encourage consumers to reduce waste.

Kill the Cup is the flagship program of Social Ventures for Sustainability, a nonprofit that partners with campuses and communities to help them prevent environmentally harmful consumer behavior.

Kill the Cup started as an MBA capstone project of Drew Beal and Mike Taylor while they were studying at UCSD’s Rady School of Management. We decided to create an environmental program that would make it fun, easy, and convenient to reduce waste. Users who brought their own reusable mugs to coffee shops uploaded photos to KillTheCup.com to enter into daily, weekly, and grand prize raffles. We shared the photos on social media to reward and recognize users.

It worked! The percentage of coffees sold in reusable containers rose from 11% to over 20% in just eight weeks. Now, Social Ventures is running Kill the Cup campaigns at UC San Diego, Georgetown University, and Bird Rock Coffee Roasters.

Please check out our website and provide us with feedback! You’re welcome to upload a photo and share your environmentally responsible consumer behavior with us.

Want to check out Kill the Cup in action and win cool stuff? Check out their Bird Rock Coffee Roasters “Show Your Mug” event! 

KillTheCup

Making a Difference, 1,000 Pounds of Trash at a Time

Today’s blog post comes from our wonderful Marketing Intern and cleanup expert, Bri Lobato! image

This past beautiful fall morning in San Diego, we came together with Karl Strauss to host a cleanup along the Rose Canyon bike paths and surrounding San Clemente Canyon. Tucked between an active railroad and the I-5 freeway, it offers pleasant views of Rose Canyon’s coastal sage and chaparral-covered hills. It is a car-free space to exercise and unwind without the dangers and sounds of road traffic. San Diego is a very hilly region of Southern California, so during and after rainfall events trash and debris collect in canyons such as this one. Not only does this cause an eyesore for anyone using the paths, but eventually the collected debris is bound to reach storm drains and our ocean.

image_1

Community members of all ages were invited to help clean up and join a fun mixer at the new Karl Strauss tasting room (planted just about a football field away from the start of the off- road bike path) directly following. 21+ volunteers were given a voucher for a free brew immediately following the cleanup, and able to choose from their 20-tap array of options! The most impactful and fun cleanups bring people together. The outdoor patio suddenly became a place where everyone was talking about the crazy items they found, sharing information on how they like to stay involved in the community, and enjoying a cold one while they were at it!image_3

The results! Thanks to our 134 volunteers who cleaned up 750 pounds of trash and 158 pounds of recycling!
The results! Thanks to our 134 volunteers who cleaned up 750 pounds of trash and 158 pounds of recycling!

134 volunteers, 908 pounds of trash and recyclables taken care of, 1 HUGE difference was made! A huge thank you to ecoATM for sponsoring the event and bringing out lots of helpful individuals, and big thanks to all of the families, cyclists, and other San Diegans who took a couple hours out of their Saturday to participate! We hope to pair up with more of San Diego’s breweries in the future for cleanups such as this one.

 

Interested in volunteering for an event? Check out our upcoming volunteer projects!

 

A Day with San Diego’s Junior Lifeguards

jr lifeguards2
Here I am demonstrating how storms push litter into into the oceans

Today’s blog post comes from our Environmental Educator, Monica Rosquillas, who is well-equipped to handle groups of enthusiastic kids armed with squirt bottles.

This past Tuesday we spent a fun-filled day at beautiful Mission Bay with the San Diego Jr. Lifeguards. The occasion marked this year’s second Environmental Day Fair hosted by Think Blue for this group of ocean-loving kids. ILACSD held two of the eight booths at the event; the Recycle Relay and the Watershed Model. Recycle Relay is always a hit. First off, ILACSD environmental educators go over the different types of waste and their proper disposal. Most kids were surprised to hear that disposable paper cups aren’t recyclable!  After the short recycling lesson, the Jr. Lifeguards use their waste disposal knowledge to compete in a fast and wet relay race (both the Jr. Lifeguards and ILACSD love this event). Our second booth, the watershed model, is an interactive presentation that demonstrates how non-point sources of pollution like litter and dog poop make their way from our streets to the storm drain system and natural waterways and end up polluting our bays and beaches. This presentation is really fun and eye opening; kids see first-hand how pollution travels, and they understand why we have to wait at least three days after a storm to go back in the water. It was a long day in the sun, but we had a blast and can’t wait until next year!

jr lifeguards
Who knows the answer? “Meeeeeeee!”