America Recycles Day

America Recycles Day is November 15.  Since 1997, Keep America Beautiful has sponsored this day to motivate and educate Americans about the importance of recycling.  One of the first things many green teams do is start with a focus on recycling.  I agree, because recycling is so visible.  Those bins labeled with the recycling logo send a big message in addition to the obvious one—and that message is that your office, business, or government agency cares about the environment and believes that employees do, too.  They are the daily reminders that your office is engaged in environmentally friendly practices.  Studies show this helps recruit and retain employees, and the big payoff is that recycling is an important part of the solution to achieving a sustainable environment. 

This annual event is an opportunity for local office green teams to plan activities that spotlight recycling.  Need ideas?  Check out the website’s toolkit.  You can register your event and get free promotional materials.  If it’s more practical for you to raise awareness by sharing information on events planned in your communities and cities, enter your zip code and the website has a list of activities that will be happening in your area. 

The website includes a useful link to Earth911 where you can find out how to recycle different materials type and location.

In the past four years, I’ve come to learn and appreciate the many opportunities there are to elevate a green program.  Most green teams are volunteer efforts with limitations of time and resources to undertake major projects.  Just by becoming aware of what other groups and organizations are doing that you can participate in or share information about, you can find ways for your green goals to gain traction.