What is best in life

To crush aluminum cans, to see them driven to the recycling plant, and to....wait that's not right. But it is a little bit funny. Sometimes you just have to not take things so seriously to get someone's attention. Awareness about recycling and taking an interest in sustainability does not have to be so stiff.

I have found that humor is one of the best ways to reach people when dealing with a serious subject is to make them laugh. In life, there is little more important than laughter. Adding a little levity can do a lot to humanize what may be viewed as a cold and dispassionate topic.

There isn't a lot funny about environmental concerns but I think we can all take a moment to not take life so seriously all the time. Have a happy holiday and remember to properly dispose of your waste. Or Conan will be there the following morning.

Our top 10 Recycled Christmas Decorations

We talk a lot about repurposing materials. We did some searching and found some cute ideas that people came up with to decorate with hacked trash. These are our top 10

Penguin Ornaments (lightbubs)

Soda Top Wreath

Perfectly On Key

Easy to Dew

Gift Worthy

Now your Tree can run Crysis

Perfect for the geek in your life

Someone drank a lot of soda to make these

The tree of the future

And my personal favorite

The Grinch that trashed Christmas

Many many years ago, there lived a man who cared nothing for his fellow man. Such was his disdain that he made no effort to show anyone any kind of respect or consideration. Worst of all, he was wasteful. He had more than anyone could ever want and three times as much as any one needs.

Each year when holiday time rolled around, he would spend to excess and buy all sorts of things for himself. But rather than keep or repurpose his old things, he would throw them away. This was upsetting to many of his neighbors. They knew of many less fortunate families with children who could use what he was wasting. From time to time, these neighbors would reach out to him and try to convince him to recycle or donate what he no longer needed. Sadly, he would lash out and tell them it was none of their concern.

Each year millions of tons of electronic waste are sent overseas to developing nations and not recycled or disposed of properly creating toxic living conditions. Don't be a Grinch. Recycle what you can this year and make the holidays happier for everyone for years to come.

Third World Blues

During the holiday season, we generally try to be more generous to one another. Our efforts to care about our fellow man seem to be more concerted and we seem to be more aware of those in need. What we don't always see is the way that our disposal of waste during the holidays impacts the world around us.

The holidays are a time of year for giving and being with family. Lots of food, gifts and fellowship. As anyone who has been the host of something like this can tell you, the mess can be intimidating. Even more so, the amount of waste produced has to go somewhere. With families around the country all having events like this, the impact of that waste can be devastating.

The bloat of waste dumping offshore during the quarter following the holidays increases every year. This year make an effort to reduce your waste produced. Recycle and dispose of those batteries that every device uses properly. Give your neighbors across the oceans the gift of a cleaner next year.

Fundraising Basics

In the past, we have touched on the topic of fundraising several times and the benefits and challenges associated with taking on this sort of thing. The reality is that no matter what your cause, raising money for it can be intimidating. How do you ask people for money?

Acting altruistically is the main reason people start a fundraiser. But capitalizing on someone's willingness to donate to your cause can be daunting. In many cases, people don't have the same passion that you do for your cause. This can lead to frustration, and in many cases, abandonment of the project altogether. But don't be discouraged. There are ways to raise money and awareness for your organization and below are some steps to make it easier on you and your potential donors.

First, you have to make it easy on the donor. This seems like common sense but most people fail to understand that someone may not be all that enthusiastic about your cause. Making it easy for them to be a part of it makes it easy for them to feel like they made a difference with little to no effort. Remove the barriers for entry and you will find more people willing to back you.

Second, find something that either costs them nothing or gives them more than what they feel like they paid for. In a world that is inundated with charity organizations, people tend to be spread thin on giving so making them feel like they either got something of value in return or lost nothing in the process makes this easier on them.

Finally, make sure you express your gratitude for their involvement. Following up with people to thank them for their involvement and show how their contribution made a difference is key to retaining them as potential future supporters. Again, it would seem like common sense but many people neglect showing appreciation and this may cause more churn in your support than is necessary.

These simple steps can make all the difference in reaching a goal and the frustration of failure.

End of the Line

Most people think of the end of a phone's life as the day you replace it. The truth is the end of life for most devices is much further along.  The majority end up in either landfills or get shipped overseas to underdeveloped nations.

In reality, there is a dark and toxic end to most of these stories. In most cases, a device will end up rusted, corroding, and seeping chemicals into water supplies and soil. This can go on for years and ruins farmland, drinking water and in some cases, the atmosphere in the surrounding area.

Are you directly responsible for this? No. To blame every person individually for something that is out of their control is ludicrous. But can you help stop this? Absolutely.

By preventing the device from making it to the dump you can prevent this. Reclaiming used devices through sites like Pandabit can slow and even stop this form of pollution. Even if you don't use us, Use something similar. Help make a difference.

Statistics can be scary

Do a quick google search on electronic waste and you will see pages upon pages of statistics regarding production, dumpsites, and loss leaders. Those numbers can be intimidating to those who are uninitiated or not familiar with the space. But they don't have to be. 

In reality, the statistics are less important to the individual than that persons individual impact. The statistics are not really what matters in the grand scheme of things. What matters, is the effort of a person. 

Measureable numbers put out on a global scale are intimidating to anyone. How can one person make an impact on something so huge? It's an old adage but it holds true in this situation. How does one swallow an elephant? One bite at a time. It seems so siimple but every little contribution made towards the end goal has an impact even if it isn't measurable to the naked eye. Knowing that you did your part can be satisfying though. 

Worry less about the numbers and more about the effort. It will scare you less.