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Make your commitment to recycling known in your community by participating in an America Recycles Day event on Nov. 15, 2010.
America Recycles Day, the only nationally recognized day dedicated to the promotion of recycling programs in the U.S., has been celebrated since 1997 by communities across the country. The event exists not only as a celebration but also to inform and educate citizens about recycling and get people excited about working together to recycle more and better.
In 2009, 800 America Recycles Day event organizers registered 2,500 events that involved 6,700 organizations. ARD aims to increase the number of people organizing events by 20 percent every year, says Anjia Nicolaidis, director of recycling at Keep America Beautiful.
“To ensure that America Recycles Day continues to thrive and indeed grow in the number of people who get involved every year, we at Keep America Beautiful are committed to building a well-supported America Recycles Day state-coordinator network that can help us reach millions of Americans with our recycling message on Nov. 15,” says Nicolaidis.
The state recycling coordinators work on the national level to spread the word about ARD in their states to their networks, recruit and register local event organizers, and help document the success of America Recycles Day in every state.
On a local level, the success of America Recycles Day depends on the dedication of grassroots volunteers to spread the word about recycling and support local event organizers in their communities.
Get Involved
To help spread the recycling message, there are a variety of ways you can participate.
Organize an America Recycles Day event.
Brainstorm event ideas for your school, government, business or organization. Once you have planned your recycling day event, register the event and it will automatically appear on the ARD site, Earth911.com and on Yahoo’s Upcoming Events and Things to Do page.
Attend a recycling event.
Search for America Recycles Day events in your area. Also, find when, where and how to recycle in your community by using the widget on the ARD site, courtesy of Earth911.
Spread the word about recycling.
Through Facebook, Twitter, email and word of mouth, let family and friends know where you stand on recycling. To help spread the word, use one of ARD’s IRecycle icons. You can customize the design or use one of KAB’s print-ready pieces for your event.
Make the America Recycles Day pledge.
Commit to recycle more and better, and tell others about the benefits of recycling. Make your commitment official by signing the ARD pledge.
Challenge Yourself
For new recycling ideas, Keep America Beautiful suggests activities and ideas to take your recycling commitment to the next level:
o Speak to a local civic group about recycling in your community.
o Calculate how your current recycling reduces your carbon footprint using the Environmental Protection Agency’s iWARM tool.
- Encourage five people you know to take the recycling pledge.
- Organize a shoe-collection drive, or collect old electronics from friends and neighbors to drop off for recycling.
- Host a recycling party to teach your friends and neighbors how and what they can recycle in your community.
- Buy products made with recycled content.
- Start a recycling program in your office, apartment building or school.
- Write to your city council representative, and voice your support for recycling in your community.
