Lets Recycle and Upcycle for Earth Day

Earth Day is in April and this special day always reminds me to step up my game when it comes to being environmentally conscious. A simple and easy way to be green is to buy products produced by responsible and sustainable brands like Tom’s of Maine. Did you know that Tom’s was founded the same year as Earth Day in 1970? I’d say that’s a pretty awesome coincidence! Tom’s sells a variety of items including toothpaste, soap and lotion. They have an array of baby products as well as lip care. Each of the goods made by Tom’s of Maine is held to the highest standards and are made without artificial colors, flavors, fragrances, or preservatives. I’m happy to report they do no animal testing.

Tom’s is constantly striving to make the world a better place and reducing packaging waste is a current goal being focused on. By exploring sustainable materials with the help of an engineer and incorporating more post-consumer recycled content, Tom’s hopes to achieve zero packaging in landfills. In fact, in 2014 volunteers kept 11,000 pounds of personal care packaging out of landfills. Since it’s creation in 2012, participants in the Tom’s of Maine Natural Care Brigade^®with TerraCycle^® have kept more than 295,000 pieces of waste out of landfills. The Natural Care Brigade is one of the fastest growing TerraCycle programs and is a great project to get your family, co-workers, school, or community involved in. Brigade members collect and send in toothpaste tubes and other waste to be recycled into useful new items such as a duffel bag or even a park bench.

Tom’s of Maine Natural Care Brigade accepted waste – No aerosol deodorant cans, please!

1. Mouthwash bottles and caps
2. Deodorant containers and caps
3. Toothpaste tubes and caps
4. Soap packaging
5. Floss containers
6. Toothbrushes

Waste from all brands is accepted! It’s easy to sign up, then fill up a box and send it to TerraCycle. As you send in items, you earn TerraCycle points – an added incentive which can then be redeemed for charitable gifts, product bundles, or a payment of $0.01 per point to the non-profit organization of your choice. Win-win! For more information and details on how to join follow this link – Natural Care Brigade.

Earth Day is such a great day to teach your children the importance of recycling and connecting with our Earth. One of the things my daughter loves to do during Earth month is to plant something. Currently her school is working on a project where we were asked to contribute soil, planters, and seeds. Each child was able to select what they wanted to plant and watch it grow from a seedling to a beautiful flower, fruit, or vegetable. My daughter decided to plant watermelon.

In order to embrace the old becoming the new I put together a fun pin board on recycling old toys. I especially love the planter idea.

Do you have any activities planned for Earth Day?