AncientSummit.com:
Welcome
Peru My Way
Meet the Founder

Testimonials
(read the latest)

Our Efforts
 EcoCurrents Article
 Nina's Eco-Travel
 Nina's Holiday Projects
    2010
    2009
    2008

Photo Gallery


Contact Us



"Going to Peru is, well,
if you ever have an
opportunity in your life
to go there, you should do it because it is
absolutely mind boggling."
-- Dean Stockwell, actor

"...there must have been days of light gravity in old times, when people could play tiddley winks with huge chunks of stone."
-- Kurt Vonnegut

10 Things to Recycle That You Never Thought You Could
by Kelly Regan

How full is your trash can?
If you're like most people in the U.S., it's much fuller than it could be.

Americans recycled just 33 percent of the 250 million tons of garbage they created in 2006, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. In comparison to a country such as Sweden, which recycles more than 85 percent of its waste every year, it's clear we can and should do better by moving beyond recycling mainstays like newspapers, cans and bottles. So before you toss something in the trash, think about how it could find new life as another product -- or with another owner.

A few general guidelines:

· You can probably recycle more than you think. Visit Earth 911 for the rules in your area -- what can be left curbside, and what your local agency will accept at designated drop-off sites.

· Even your most worn-out household items can find new homes. Sell used items on eBay or Craigslist, or give them away through your local freecycle.

· Items donated to qualified charitable organizations can be taken as a tax deduction.

Here are some specific ways to recycle 10 surprising items:

1. Vintage doorknobs, radiators, windows and mantels: Donate or sell classic architectural elements to salvage firms or restoration projects. SalvageWeb is an online ad space that links buyers and sellers all over the world; here you can buy an Art Deco church chandelier, or unload a clawfoot tub after renovating your bathroom. Baltimore-based Second Chance Inc. accepts salvage donations and trains low-income people in the art of "deconstructing" buildings.

2. Toothbrushes: Recycline manufacturers its Preserve toothbrush from Stonyfield Farm yogurt containers; return each worn-out brush in a postage-paid envelope and it will be repurposed into plastic lumber. The Radius Original Toothbrush has a handle made of cellulose, an organic fiber. (Radius also recycles the handles of its battery-operated model once the battery runs out.) Or try Eco-Dent's TerrAdenT toothbrush, which has a replaceable head, so the handle can be reused.

3. Foam packaging: Lightweight "peanuts" made from expanded polystyrene (EPS) contain 25 to 100 percent recycled material. The Plastic Loose Fill Council has a "Peanut Hotline" (800-828-2214) you can call to find local recycling centers, including chain-store shippers such as Pak Mail and The UPS Store. To recycle large, molded chunks of EPS used to cushion televisions, air conditioners and such, contact the Alliance of Foam Packaging Recyclers.

4. Sneakers: Nike's Reuse-a-Shoe program turns used athletic footwear (no cleats) into a material called Nike Grind, used to surface playgrounds, running tracks and outdoor courts. Or send your still-wearable athletic shoes to Shoe4Africa, which forwards them to athletes in developing countries.

5. Toys: Ask your local shelter for homeless families or battered women if they accept gently used toys. The Salvation Army and Vietnam Veterans of America also take used toys. Adult-appropriate items such as board games can be sent to troops overseas through AnySoldier.com.

6. Wine corks: Yemm & Hart, which produces recycled building materials, turns used corks into floor and wall tiles. In Canada, the Bag-a-Cork program collects wine corks for recycling.

7. Motor oil: Recycled motor oil can find new life as a lubricant or fuel. The American Petroleum Institute estimates the electricity created with just 2 gallons of reused motor oil would power the average home for nearly a day. Preserve used oil in a clean container with a secure, leakproof lid. You can recycle the used oil filter, too. Earth 911 has a list of motor oil recycling centers that's searchable by ZIP code.

8. Formal dresses: Charities like Chicago's Glass Slipper Project and New York City's Operation Fairy Dust accept donated gowns, shoes and purses to provide free prom wear to low-income teens. Books such as "Always a Bridesmaid: 89 Ways to Recycle That Bridesmaid Dress" offer tongue-in-cheek recycling advice to every woman who has a hideous gown buried at the back of her closet.

9. Eyeglasses, frames and cases: The Lions Club and Give the Gift of Sight Foundation collect used eyeglasses for needy people around the world. Donate your glasses at one of 17 Lions Clubs recycling centers, or at chains such as Pearle Vision Center, LensCrafters and Sunglass Hut.

10. Computers, cell phones and other e-waste: The EPA maintains a list of charities that accept used electronic equipment. Staples, Office Depot and Best Buy offer in-store e-waste recycling -- Best Buy also recycles used appliances. Dell, Toshiba and Sony lead the way in recycling computer products. Donate cell phones to organizations like The Wireless Foundation or Collective Good. Ship old videotapes and DVDs to Ecodisk or Greendisk. And mygreenelectronics.org connects you with e-waste recyclers in your area.

Practical Traveler
By MICHELLE HIGGINS
Published: October 15, 2006

Eco-Conscious Travel: How to Keep Flying and Stay Green

CONCERNED about her impact on the environment, Nora Miller, 56, from Tucson, regularly recycles papers and plastics. She saves energy by keeping the lights and air-conditioning off when she can and setting her thermostat at 79 degrees or higher — even on some of Arizona’s hottest days. But when it comes to travel, Ms. Miller said, she isn’t always as conscientious.

“I feel a little bit stuck when I’m traveling,” she said, pointing out that on business trips she tends to stay wherever her company puts her up, and to get there she must use planes and cars that emit heat-trapping greenhouse gases. “I think about it,” she added, “but I don’t always do a good job of doing something about it.”

She did find an opportunity to do something, however, when she booked a trip to Portland, Ore., on Travelocity.com this summer. Among all the add-ons that the site pushed during the booking process was a new program that offers to neutralize the environmental impact of customer trips by planting trees, which absorb carbon dioxide, the primary greenhouse gas. Ms. Miller promptly paid $25 to have enough trees planted, by the calculations of the nonprofit Conservation Fund, the group running the program, to offset the carbon emissions that could be attributed to her trip — and assuaged her travel guilt.

“It’s kind of nice when you’re up there motoring along at 500 miles an hour, spewing stuff into the atmosphere, to know at least a little bit will be taken care of,” she said.

Call it penance for eco-conscious travelers: a growing number of travel Web sites and nonprofit groups are selling so-called carbon offsets designed to compensate for travel-generated emissions by reducing levels of greenhouse gases in some unrelated way.

Here’s how it works: Travelers go to one of several carbon-offset Web sites and use an online “carbon calculator” to determine the approximate amount of carbon dioxide produced when they drive, fly or otherwise burn fossil fuels. Then they buy “offsets,” donating money for projects that promise to produce energy without burning fossil fuels or otherwise reduce greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The reduction financed by the purchase is supposed to equal the amount of gas the trip created, per passenger. Typically the price is anywhere from $5 to $30, depending on the length of the trip and the form of transportation. Some sites also offer predetermined fees based on popular itineraries so travelers don’t have to log their exact miles.

Expedia, for example, which teamed up with TerraPass, a Web-based for-profit company in Menlo Park, Calif., and started offering carbon offsets in August, charges $5.99 to offset about 1,000 pounds of carbon dioxide — the amount emitted, per passenger, on a round-trip flight of up to 2,200 miles; $16.99 for a cross-country flight of up to 6,500 miles; and $29.99 for an international flight of up to 13,000 miles. A traveler who buys offsets for a medium or long-haul flight gets a free “Carbon Balanced Flyer” luggage tag.

Yet it is unclear how much impact these programs actually have on climate change — or whether they function mostly as a way for travelers to justify the amount of pollution they generate on trips. Some, like the Conservation Fund’s Go Zero program, plant trees on protected land. Others, like MyClimate, create renewable energy, often through projects in developing countries. A MyClimate donation, for example, might go toward replacing diesel boilers with solar power to heat water in schools.

In the two years or so since these programs appeared, they have become increasingly popular among the growing number of travelers who take vacations where they can volunteer on humanitarian projects, stay in eco-friendly lodges and drive hybrid rental cars. MyClimate collected $342,926 from the sales of carbon offsets last year, which it said neutralized about 30,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide. So far this year, the company has already collected more than $2 million, which according to its figures will offset roughly 170,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide.

While that may be a start, it’s far from a solution to the problem of global warming. Offset programs acknowledge this. “Climate change is a six-and-a-half-gigaton problem,” Tom Arnold, chief executive of TerraPass, said. “You’re not going to need a sweater after you buy one of these things.”

Rather, he said, voluntary carbon offsetting is just one part of a comprehensive strategy needed to tackle global warming, encourage corporate action and promote long-term public policy on climate change.

Passengers who contribute typically understand the limitations and give the money anyway. “Honestly, I can’t really believe this could result in significant carbon emission improvements at any corporation,” said Justine Johnson, a veterinarian from East Greenwich, R.I., who paid more than $200 at myclimate.org to offset the impact of her car and plane trips for the year. “But it also was such a small investment that I figured I would do it anyway. Mainly I was casting a vote. I thought that if enough people demonstrate a willingness to put money toward solving this problem, then maybe the government will start listening.”

There are several things to keep in mind when deciding where to put your money. Most of the new travel-related carbon reduction programs say they base their offset calculations on guidelines developed by the World Resources Institute, a nonprofit environmental group in Washington. But there are no widely accepted common standards for determining how much money will offset how much carbon. To ensure you’re making a genuine contribution to efforts to slow global warming, be sure that an independent third party has evaluated the program to confirm that it is delivering on the carbon reductions it promises.

Green-e (www.green-e.org), a renewable electricity certification program administered by the nonprofit Center for Resource Solutions in San Francisco, is working with the World Resources Institute and other environmental groups on certification standards for voluntary offset programs. The Center for Resource Solutions has also performed independent verifications for some carbon offset programs, including TerraPass.

Sustainable Travel International, a nonprofit organization based in Boulder, Colo., offers information about several carbon offset programs at www.carbonoffsets.org, including the percentage of funds invested in actual projects and whether the program is verified by a third party.

It’s important to ask a simple question, said Mark Trexler, president of Trexler Climate and Energy Services, a climate change consulting firm in Portland, Ore.: “Is something in the world around us changing as a result of what you are doing?” If the project would occur regardless of funds from an offset project — say, the government already mandates the program — then a traveler’s donation isn’t really offsetting anything.

Planting trees has its complications, too. Trees typically don’t sequester much carbon until they mature, so it could take years for your offset to take effect.

Bottom line, said Mr. Trexler: “If it is a new project and your money is making that happen, then the argument for ‘I’ve offset my emissions’ is a legitimate one. If you’re flying jumbo jets and simply making a philanthropic contribution to something that isn’t changing behavior and isn’t resulting in new projects, it’s simply increasing someone’s profit margin.”