From Twitter 02-02-2010

( Cut to spare the uninterested )

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RecycleBank

I just found out about this program through Twitter and signed up today. From an article on Planet Green (@planetgreen on Twitter), here:

The green movement is a tricky thing. Most of us realize that climate change is happening--the world of the future will be fundamentally different because of what's happening today, and we all need to do something about it. Together.

The problem is sometimes thinking about doing something doesn't always translate into actually doing something. What can buying a pair of vintage jeans or reusing aluminum foil have any impact on something as big and scary as global warming? This is a problem that spans the spectrum of people too. Even the most vocal of treehuggers sometimes find it difficult to do something as seemingly simple and intuitive as recycling, and if that's the case, what does that say about the average person?

It's hard to guilt people into it. They'll end up just resenting the entire issue. It's even hard to appeal to people's emotions... there are only so many pictures you can show someone of cute, cuddly polar bears somewhere before they start getting numb to it. This is where people like RecycleBank come in. RecycleBank was started by two high school friends who have figured out how to get people to take good, green actions: reward them.

RecycleBank rewards people by giving them points based on how much they recycle. They can then redeem their points at a variety of stores and outlets. Or, if they don't want points, people can donate their credit to charitable causes, like the Green Schools program.

Today, RecycleBank serves over one million people across 20 states in the United States, and that number continues to grow every week. They are already operating in the UK, the program will launch service in Europe this summer, and they have received prestigious awards from the U.N, amongst others. To date, RecycleBank members have collectively saved over 4.4 million trees and over 295 million gallons of gas through weekly recycling efforts. Possibly one of the best parts of the deal, though, is over 40-50% of all rewards redeemed are at local businesses.

This is all to say that their model works. People end up recycling more if they get rewarded for doing it, even if the reward is small.

It does raise the question if people are recycling because they want to help the environment (and they just need a little push), or if their motives are purely to get rewards at local grocery stores, music shops, or even major e-commerce sites. But, ultimately, does it matter?

Who's to say that if people weren't being rewarded, if those 4.4 million trees would have been conserved or the 295 million gallons of gas would have been saved? A study last year found that only 38% percent of people recycle old cell phones, but 98% of people would be willing to do so... if they just got a little push with cash, store credit, or tax breaks.

"There are so many environmental initiatives out there that are important," says Gonen. "Solar, wind, biofuels. But these are all huge, capital-intensive projects. Most of us can't do that, but everyone can recycle."

This program seems like a win-win: encourage recycling while at the same time supporting local business. I checked with the city, and the curbside program isn't available where I live, in Minneapolis, but there are other ways you can earn recycle points.

Follow Recycle Bank here on Twitter and here on Facebook.

( What I did today to make the world a better place )

I'm curious: are people still interested in the decrease worldsuck reports I'm doing? Have any of you followed up on some of the things I've reported and started doing these decrease worldsuck things I've mentioned yourself? If so, please let me know in the comments. If this initiative has inspired you in any way, I'd really like to know if/how I'm making a difference.

Imbolc

It's just in the last couple years that I've become aware of the term "Imbolc," one of the four principal festivals of the Celtic calendar, and one of the eight sabbats of the Wheel of the Year. (First learned of the term through my lovely We'Moon desk calendar.) Most often celebrated around February 1, it's associated with the goddess Brigid, and in the Christian period with St Brigid - Imbolc being also known as St. Brigid's Day. The Day is also associated with the Christian feast of Candlemas (2 February), marking the end of the season of Epiphany.

It's the point midway between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox, which makes it a logical point for Groundhog's day. I've found myself particularly noticing the light, and giving thanks that it's increasing in the evenings. Last night after I got home from work, I got out the shovel and tackled the driveway. As I was finishing up, I glanced up at the sky. The sun had set, but a beautiful salmon color still lingered in the sky for quite a while. The sun was down, but the quality of light seemed special to this time of year.

To celebrate Imbolc I'll link again to a song of Luka Bloom's that I posted last year (thanks again to moony for introducing me to his music) that he created specially for Brigid's Day. See what he says about the song here. I make this entry in honor of light in dark places. Heaven knows I have need of it.

Helping Haiti Heal

Helping Haiti Heal is a collaboration among The HP Alliance, The Leaky Cauldron, MuggleNet, HPANA, and Fiction Alley. They had a live fundraising webcast on January 23, but they're extending the opportunity to donate (and win cool prizes) until February 6. All funds go to benefit Partners in Health (PIH) which has been working on the ground in Haiti for over 20 years. If you donate to Partners in Health via the telethon or through the evening of February 6, you'll be eligible for one of the thank-you gifts donated by amazing people like Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett, the cast of The Guild and even J.K. Rowling, who donated a signed set of the Harry Potter books. ( See an explanation of the rules and the Thank You Gift Distribution Process here )

I put in a donation, choosing to enter the prize drawing for a pair of radish earrings made by actress Evanna Lynch (Luna in the movies). Hey, fun for a good cause.

California gay marriage trial re-enacted on Internet

This is interesting...

Filmmakers faithfully recreating federal trial — all 60-plus hours of it

Seeking to overcome a broadcast blackout imposed by the U.S. Supreme Court, a pair of gay Los Angeles filmmakers have undertaken the task of faithfully recreating the federal trial on California's same-sex marriage ban for the Internet. All 60-plus hours of it. Every "um," "Yes, your honor" and "objection!"

John Ainsworth and John Ireland are using 3,000 pages of court transcripts as scripts and professional actors as the main characters to produce the weighty re-enactment of a case that some have described as the gay marriage movement's Brown v. Board of Education.

Read the rest of the article here

Prop. 8 trial re-enactment channel on YouTube

For more information, visit www.marriagetrial.com.