Talking Trash

How to create less shoe waste

How to create less shoe waste

Last week, we introduced Changing Footprints, an Indiana non-profit that works to divert used shoes from the waste stream. After sorting and cleaning, this nonprofit organization gives the shoes for free to those in need. For those not in Indiana, a similar program is...

Changing Footprints changes lives

Changing Footprints changes lives

How many pairs of shoes does your family have in your closets, piled up by the door, or scattered around the house? Do you have shoes that you wore once or twice only to sit in a closet for years? The average person in the U.S. owns about 17 pairs of shoes, buys six...

Celebrating Earth Day

Celebrating Earth Day

It may be hard to imagine now, but in the first half of the 1900s, the majority of Americans saw air pollution as “the smell of prosperity” and were unaware of how dangerous smoke, sludge, gas, and other air and water pollutants were to both the environment and human...

Get ready for Earth Day: April 22

Get ready for Earth Day: April 22

As land, air, and water pollution affected more and more people in the mid-20th century, preservation became a growing concern in the United States. By April 22, 1970, Gaylord Nelson, a U.S. Senator from Wisconsin, had planned a national “teachin” for the environment,...

Keep your reuseable bags clean

Keep your reuseable bags clean

Reusable shopping bags are handy and durable, but they aren’t self-cleaning. Here are some tips to keep your reusable shopping bags clean and your family healthy! •Wash your hands after you get home from the store and before unloading grocery bags. •Launder reusable...

Food expert focuses on food waste

Food expert focuses on food waste

Andrew Zimmern partners with ALDI to promote waste reduction in the kitchen. Image Credit: @chefaz/Instagram According to the USDA, as much as 30-40% of our food supply goes to waste. That’s a lot of food tossed out or left to rot that families across the country...

#152andYou Litter Challenge

#152andYou Litter Challenge

Want to help create a litter-free community? Take the Keep America Beautiful (KAB) 152andYou Challenge! Last week, we shared results from the KAB 2020 National Litter Study. In response to the study, KAB is challenging each person to pick up 152 pieces of litter each....

Don’t Trash Old Electronics — Reuse or Recycle Instead

Don’t Trash Old Electronics — Reuse or Recycle Instead

The average American home has about 28 electronic products, such as personal computers, mobile phones, televisions, and e-readers. Typically, about 12 of these electronic devices are connected to the internet — a number that experts predict will increase to 20 by...