Corporate Social Responsibility writer for Justmeans, Antonio Pasolini is a journalist based in Brazil who writes about alternative energy, green living and sustainability. He also edits Energyrefuge.com, a top web destination for news and comment on renewable energy and Elpis.org, a recycled paper bag/magazine distributed from health food stores in London, formerly his hometown for over a decade....
(3BL Media/Justmeans) - Recycling is probably the best-known, most mainstream green concept. However, despite being a staple of everyday parlance, we still recycle much less that we should. It may come to as a surprise to many, but in the United States, the country that produces most trash per capita in the world, only 35 percent of the total amount (250 million annual tons) is recycled, according to data from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This means that for every 4.4 pounds of trash produced by an average American every day, only 1.54 pounds is forwarded into a new cycle of usefulness. Perhaps such dismal figures have something to do with public awareness. The results of a recent research released by the Ad Council found that only 52 percent of Americans say that they are "very" or "extremely" knowledgeable about how to properly recycle. Another 38 percent say they are "avid recyclers," recycling as much as possible and willing to go out of their way to do so. Respondents cited lack of information about where to recycle and what types of materials that can be recycled as two of the factors that stop them from recycling more. But there's more to recycling than sorting out trash according to materials. The Natural Resources Defense Council says that proper recycling means minimizing waste along the entire life cycle of a product, from the raw materials from which it is made to the manufacturing process it undergoes, the way it is used and how it is disposed of. "Most environmental impacts associated with the products we buy occur before we open the package, so buying products made from recycled materials is just as important as sorting waste into the right bins," NRDC says. Recycling makes economic sense, too, and it's a key aspect of this activity that should also be communicated, says EPA. "Recycling helps create jobs, can be more cost effective than trash collection, reduces the need for new landfills, saves energy, supplies valuable raw materials to industry, and adds significantly to the U.S. economy." In short, it's a win-win situation when good logistics, sound public policies and community cooperation dovetail.Campaign In order to raise awareness about recycling and its benefits, the Ad Council has teamed up with Keep America Beautiful (KAB) to launch a PSA campaign called "I Want To Be Recycled." The ad was created pro bono by Pereira & O'Dell, an ad agency based in San Francisco. It shows how recyclable materials can get a new lease of life when people choose to recycle them. A website called IWantToBeRecycled.org is part of the campaign, and it includes a search tool that allows users to find where to recycle either at their curbside or their nearest recycling center. The colorful website includes interactive information and details on materials that can be recycled, how to go about recycling them and what they will be when they become a new object. "The core idea is to tell people to recycle and give their garbage another life. Showing that a bottle has dreams seems like a very powerful yet delicate way of doing it," said PJ Pereira, chief creative officer at Pereira & O'Dell. The campaign is the second collaboration between the Ad Council and KAB. The organizations had collaborated in 1971 on another PSA campaign, highlighting the damage litter and other sources of pollution can cause on the environment. The PSA featured Iron Eyes Cody, dubbed "The Crying Indian," and was first aired on Earth Day in 1971. It went on to be named one of the top 100 advertising campaigns of the 20th century by Ad Age.Image credit: KBA
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