Powering a Greener Future

Posted on
By JohnPosted In: EnvironmentTagged: , , ,

“Recycle My Battery,” a nonprofit organization founded in 2019, has established more than 1,000 recycling collection points and collected over 625,000 batteries for proper disposal. The New Jersey-based initiative was created by Nihal Tammana when he was just 10 years old after learning about a lithium-ion battery explosion at a waste facility.

The organization’s primary mission addresses a significant environmental concern: improperly discarded batteries can contaminate ecosystems and pose safety hazards. Research conducted by the nonprofit demonstrates that alkaline batteries can alter soil pH to levels that inhibit plant growth, while lithium-ion batteries present fire and explosion risks when compacted in waste facilities.

Through community education programs and “The Battery Challenge” initiative designed for schools, Recycle My Battery raises awareness about proper disposal methods while making recycling accessible. The organization emphasizes that battery recycling produces fewer greenhouse gas emissions and requires less energy and water consumption compared to raw material extraction.

With approximately 1,000 volunteers worldwide, the nonprofit has expanded internationally, collaborating with Australia’s largest battery recycling company and seeing its educational materials featured in German textbooks. The organization is also developing innovative technology to harvest residual energy from used batteries—a project validated by researchers at the University of Waterloo.

Recycle My Battery aims to reach one million recycled batteries by the end of this year and create measurable positive impact through targeted waste reduction efforts. In the words of its now 15-year-old founder, “if I can make the Earth a better place to live, you can…. If you can, we all can.”

Redhead Celebrities Support the Sumatran Orangutan Society

Posted on
By JohnPosted In: Animals and NatureTagged: , , , , ,

Famous redheads are pooling their efforts to support the Sumatran Orangutan Society, an Oxford charity, by donating items to be auctioned at the Jungle VIP online auction.

Sumatran orangutans share 96.4% of their DNA with humans. They are severely endangered, and may become the first great ape to become extinct since the evolution of humans. The Sumatran Orangutan Society, or SOS, works alongside local communities in orangutan habitats to create a more sustainable future for the species and their forests.

Some celebrities participating in the project include Nicole Kidman, Chris Evans, Nicola Roberts, Geri Halliwell, Anne Robinson, and even the band Radiohead. Donated items include celebrity fashion, handwritten lyrics, memorabilia and photos.

Comedian Tim Minchin donated one of his shirts from the ‘Ready For This’ tour. He said: “I think it’s a huge pity that any species should become extinct. Species have become extinct for different reasons and have done throughout history, but orangutans are having their environment destroyed in a way that doesn’t need to happen.”

Celebrity Jane Asher donated a green dress and joked: “I didn’t feel especially close to them before being asked to help with this campaign, but all redheads share an unspoken bond.”

Chris Evans said “Anything that helps to protect a species’ natural environment, within reason, is worth doing,” and donated a stay for two at his pub, called The Mulberry Inn.

Tesco and the RSPB Launch ‘Together for Trees’

Posted on
By DouglasPosted In: Animals and NatureTagged: , , , , , , ,

The RSPB, the biggest wildlife conservation organization in Europe, recently teamed up with Tesco in a project aimed at protecting rainforests across the globe, Together for Trees. The initiative aims to promote awareness and raise funds to support tropical rainforests as well as local conservation work in their areas.

As part of the new campaign, Tesco hopes to inspire donations from both customers and corporations. The RSPB and Tesco hope to raise more than one million euro for Together for Trees throughout 2012.

According to the project, soccer-field-sized patches of rainforest are cleared every four seconds. This is one of the largest causes of climate change, as more and more carbon dioxide is released into the earth’s atmosphere.

The planet’s rainforests are home to more than a third or earth’s wildlife (excluding marine animals, of course), while three-quarters of endangered bird species make their habitats there too. Over one billion of the world’s impoverished people rely on the rainforests for survival as well. The RSPB’s rainforest projects include Harapan Rainforest in Indonesia, West Africa’s Gola Rainforest and Centre Hills National Park.

Tesco shoppers will have the option of donating their green Clubcard points or Clubcard vouchers , as well as donating money directly to the RSPB. 75,000 euro will also be given to the organization from the sale of Together for Trees reusable bags, while funds raised through the Welsh carrier bag charge will also be donated to the RSPB efforts.

Tesco is also increasing its efforts to improve its environmental conscience, and highly recommends that other companies do the same. The retailer has pledged to continue “helping our customers make greener choices.”

Tesco’s Ruth Girardet said “Our aim is to create more sustainable ways of doing business and we have been working hard to reduce our own emissions. But as a leading retailer we also have a great opportunity to engage our customers to help protect our environment.”

Martin Harper of RSPB added “Rainforests are amazing places and saving them has never been more urgent- huge areas continue to disappear at an alarming rate. Current efforts to try and prevent the loss of these special places are not enough.”

 

Women’s Environmental Network

Posted on
By JohnPosted In: EnvironmentTagged: , , ,

The Women’s Environmental Network (WEN) is a UK-based organization set up to “educate, empower, and inform” those to whom the environment is important.  One of its main activities in this realm is campaigning on environmental and health issues, but from a woman’s point of view.  Formed in 1988, the WEN seeks to connect women, health and the environment.

Environmental Issues

According to its website, the WEN has worked out that with today’s huge amount of consumption, three planets would be necessary to adequately sustain our needs.  Given that this is due only to increase, soon five planets would be needed as figures shown the population will exceed nine billion by 2040.

Women and the Environment

So the question that is to be asked, is why is this so much more of an issue for women than men?  Apparently, this is because women comprise 66 percent of those impacted by “climate-related disasters in developing economies.”

What’s also sad is that fewer and fewer individuals are connecting these days to “simple pleasures like communal outside spaces and growing their own food.” So there needs to be a change in the way in which we are living.

Women Green Pride

On the flip side of all of this, there is actually a lot being done in this realm, especially by women in the UK.  For example, there is a bunch of groups led by women who “every day, take conscious actions to consume less, to use resources more effectively, to raise awareness at grass roots levels about climate change and to engage women and men in community-based projects such as allotments and orchards.”  So there is much being done.  But there is obviously also, still much more that can be done too.