"What an awesome place this is! I can't wait to suck up as much knowledge as possible about pursuing my dream! Thanks for providing such a wonderful guide!" -Laura
Read More Testimonials»

Our Going Green Experts

Ron Dembo

Ron Dembo

Professor, author and founder of Zerofootprint.net

Shared by First30Days View Profile»
Josh Dorfman

Josh Dorfman

Author and radio show host known as The Lazy Environmentalist...

Shared by First30Days View Profile»
Jennifer Hattam

Jennifer Hattam

Journalist and blogger at The Green Life

Shared by First30Days View Profile»

Meet all of our New Directions Experts»

News

The latest news on this change — carefully culled from the world wide web by our change agents. They do the surfing, so you don't have to!

Taking Out the Trash

Taking Out the Trash

No, this isn’t a fictional story or imaginary goal: a town in Japan possesses no garbage cans, no dumps within driving distance and a composting/recycling system that would put most to shame. The word “trash” is almost irrelevant! How do they do it?

There are 34 categories for composted “waste” and recyclables, including Styrofoam and plastic bottles, but not one thing is actually thrown away. For edible items that aren’t compostable, such as meat, one resident offers a solution: “When I can’t use the whole vegetable or meat, I try to cook it again with wine and so on. It makes a very good soup.” It sounds so simple—and it is—but a lot of people in the U.S. wouldn’t think twice about tossing out the “extras” from the cooking process.

While this recycling system is extreme to say the least, it’s worth learning from: DO think twice the next time you are throwing away something and think about an additional use for it. It might be recyclable, so check your town’s local requirements if you’re unsure. Are there any household items you used to throw away, but now re-use? [Gimundo]

Posted: 7/21/08
allwerasking

This is awesome. Anyone have any re-use ideas?

We have a local nonprofit that has a class called "Intergrarte". Recyclables are used to make art and families are encouraged to participate together. I go and it is a blast. My kid at home is 18 and we still have fun!