• Americans throw away our entire commercial air fleet's worth of aluminum every 3 months. It can take 500 years for just one aluminum can to decompose.


• Recycling that single aluminum can saves the amount of energy to light one 100 watt bulb for 20 hours or run a TV for 3 hours.


• A recycled 12oz. can saves the energy equivalent of 6oz. of gasoline.


• Paper makes up 42% of the waste going into landfills and is almost always recyclable.


• It takes 390 gallons of oil to produce one ton of paper.


• One ton of recycled paper saves 3,700 pounds of lumber, 24,000 gallons of water, and enough energy to heat your home for 6 months.


• If everyone recycled one out of every ten of their newspapers, it would save 25 million trees each year.


• During the past 35 years, the amount of waste each person creates has almost doubled from 2.7 to 4.4 pounds per day.


• Source reduction, including reuse, can help reduce waste disposal and handling costs, because it avoids the costs of recycling, municipal composting, landfilling, and combustion. Source reduction also conserves resources and reduces pollution, including greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming.


• Containers and packaging represented approximately 28 percent of the materials source reduced in 2000, in addition to nondurable goods (e.g., newspapers, clothing) at 17 percent, durable goods (e.g., appliances, furniture, tires) at 10 percent, and other materials (e.g., yard trimmings, food scraps) at 45 percent.

• Curbside recycling programs collect and recycle over 500 lbs of paper, bottles and cans per household per year.


• Wireless phone charitable recycling programs divert up to 65,000 tons of hazardous waste due to cell phone disposal.


• Reuse schemes often realize social benefits by providing opportunities and support to people wanting to develop skills in the workplace.


• Reuse schemes provide safe, clean, affordable furniture and essential household items to disadvantaged people.

Sources: epa.gov, recycle.com, climatex.org

Beginning April 28th, there will be stations set up in the lobby of the residence halls where unwanted and reusable items can be dropped off to be recycled.

Which items are reusable?

• Clothing in good condition
• Non-perishable food
• Opened and un-opened personal care products
• Office supplies
• Electronics
• Videos
• Games

For a complete list of reusable items, see the posters in your hall or visit the CU Recycling web site.

As always, regular recycling stations will be available for use during move-out as well. Click here for a list of these stations.

Recyclable items include:

• Bottles
• Paper
• Boxes
• Magazines
• Newspapers
• Numbers 1, 2, and 5 plastics

Please remember to recycle all papers, cans, bottles, and numbers 1, 2, and 5 plastics.

If you don't have access to recycling near your house or apartment, items can be taken to the on-campus recycling center behind the Stadium or to the Boulder County Recycling Center on 63rd and Arapahoe.

Donate reusable items to a local thrift store and give back to the Boulder community!

The following items are commonly accepted as donations:

• Clothing in good condition
• Furniture
• Electronics
• Small appliances
• Household items
• Building materials (including cinderblocks, plywood, 2x4s, etc.)

Reusable items are accepted at the following thrift stores and organizations. Check their web sites (hyperlinked) or call for drop-off hours and a detailed list of accepted items:

Clothing, Furniture, Household Items, and Small Appliances:

Humane Society Thrift and Gift Shop
5320 Arapahoe
303-415-0685

Salvation Army
Pickup Service
1-800-95-TRUCK

Salvation Army Thrift Store
1701 33rd
303-939-8502

Savers
695 S. Broadway
303-499-6979

Goodwill Drop off Locations
30th St and Market

Epilepsy Foundation
For pickup call 303-428-5600

Vietnam Veterans Pickup
1-800-775-8387

Building Materials:

Conservation Division
1901 63rd between Arapahoe and Valmont
303-441-3278

McGuckins Hardware
Buys clean cinderblocks
2525 Arapahoe
303-443-1822

Non-Perishable Food and Furniture:

Emergency Family Assistance
900 Arapahoe
303-442-3042

• April 29 - Environmental Art Open House and Charrette
  Tuesday April 29 12-7pm ATLAS room 105
  
  Join students, faculty, staff, and the community to develop an outdoor public art piece on the CU campus about student commitment to the environment. CU's student government (UCSU), has commissioned an award-winning artist for a campus installation about student environmental protection. The goal of the artwork is to inspire and enlighten on a deeper level than mere words. The artwork will also complement the natural beauty and campus aesthetic CU is renown for.
  
  Over twenty tons of steel and stone have been salvaged from the recent demolition of CU's Fine Arts building and will serve as the primary materials for the art piece. The installation may coincide with the construction of the new arts building or could be in another, more visible location that would have a shorter timeframe for installation. Take advantage of this opportunity to participate! For more information, contact the Environmental Center at 492-8308 or email cure@colorado.edu


• April 30 - CU Going Local Documentary Series presents The Real Dirt on Farmer John
  Duane G1B20, 6pm
  
  The Real Dirt on Farmer John is a personal documentary about John Peterson, a farmer, artist, and eccentric/innovative thinker cast in rural Illinois. The film documents John's struggle to redefine his family farm for over twenty years, witnessing the colorful drama of John's life. With the death of his father during the late 60's John turns his traditional family farm into an experiment of art and culture, making it a haven for hippies, radicals and artists. The Real Dirt on Farmer John charts the end of this idealistic era as the farm debt crisis of the 1980s brings about the tragic collapse of the farm. As the intricate weave of rural America unravels, vicious local rumors turn John into a scapegoat, condemning him as a Satan-worshipping drug-dealer. Threatened with murder, his home burned to the ground, John defies all odds to transform his land into a revolutionary farming community. At the film's close, the Peterson family farm is one of the largest Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farms in the United States. Out of the ruins of single-crop agriculture, John creates an extended farm village where people and art can thrive alongside agriculture. Contact: Lilly Justman, LJustman@gmail.com

Let us know about the creative ways that you're living green. Each month, the Live Green newsletter will feature tips submitted by readers. E-mail us your tips at livegrn@colorado.edu.

See room for improvement? Give us your feedback on ways that CU can become more environmentally friendly.

E-mail us at livegrn@colorado.edu.