Aveda has a brand new Caps Recycling Program. Aveda is working with their network of salons and stores, in partnership with community schools, to build a program that recycles those pesky caps we keep tossing out.

How it works: Plastic bottle caps will be collected at stores and schools and then sent by Aveda to a recycling company so that the caps can be made into new caps and containers.

What type of caps does Aveda collect?: The program will take caps that are rigid polypropylene plastic. This is also known as sometimes called plastic #5. In fact, if you’re lucky you can spot a 5 marked on said plastic – but not always. You can also tell if a cap is #5 because it’ll twist onto a bottle with a threaded neck. Examples: “Caps on shampoo, water, soda, milk and other beverage bottles, flip top caps on tubes and food product bottles (such as ketchup and mayonnaise), laundry detergents and some jar lids such as peanut butter.”

NOT recyclable are things like non-rigid plastic lids yogurt lids, tub lids (margarine, cottage cheese), and screw on lids that are not rigid) and pharmaceutical lids.

To get involved:

• Take your lids to an Aveda near you.
• Parents can learn more here.
• Teachers can learn more here.
• Contact capcollection@aveda.com if you’d like to enroll your school in the program.

Also note that Whole Foods + Preserve offer a cap recycling program as well.

[image via Aveda]

Post from: Tree Hugging Family

Most of the gifts below cost under $50. A very few of them are in the $100 range. Several are small somethings that can be added to a homemade gift basket. And some won’t cost you anything but your time.

1. Cook her an organic dinner.

2. Bottle cap pincushion. A little something, but super cute.

3. Make a scrapbook of yourself with photos that she may not have.

4. Garden Shed Wall Mount Birdhouse. Made with vintage housing materials. (Pictured)

5. Cherry Blossom pendants at Etsy. Made from reclaimed scrabble tiles.

6. Give a digital magazine subscription.

7. Reuse something you have to make a new gift.

8. Give her a museum, zoo or botanic garden membership.

9. Help her make wise eco-shopping choices with Big Green Purse.

10. Cat plant holder. Made with recycled metal.

11. Mini frog yardbird. Made with recycled metal.

12. Vintage vinyl record bracelet.

13. Make her favorite dessert, and give her a cookbook with the recipe.

14. Stepped vinyl record bowl. Made from 33 rpm records.

15. Smencils scented pencils. Made from recycled newspapers.

16. Dragonfly recycled garden faucet.

17. Put together a homemade cleaning supplies kit.

18. Plant her favorite tree in her honor.

19. Have a tree dedicated to her at Tree People.

20. Mosquito dunks (natural). Not that glam, but probably very appreciated!

21. Let it Rot! composting book.

22. Encyclopedia of organic gardening.

23. Down to Earth Relax Pack by Indie Fixx.

24. Recycled metal tree of tealights.

25. Catchall basket. Made from potato chip wrappers. (Pictured)

26. Send organic flowers.

27. Give homemade organic facial and body cream.

28. Present her with homemade organic facial toner in a pretty bottle.

29. Gnomes-be-gones mini garden sculpture. Made with some recycled materials.

30. Make a recycled tote bag for her.

31. If she likes to read blogs, make a list of 20 blogs you think she’ll love and why. Send her the links in an e-mail.

32. Plantable cards.

33. Sustainable chocolate from Dagoba. Use coupon code coop2008w for 15% off for limited time.

34. Beehive candle set.

35. Organic Fair Trade tea gift.

36. Silver leaf pendant with green sapphire. Ethically sourced sapphire. 10% off silver pendants at Brilliant Earth with promotion code CABNSG until 6-30-08.

37. Chocolate mint heart-shaped soap. (Pictured)

38. A unique container garden from items you have.

39. Organic and fair trade Ambrosia White Plum tea.

40. BodyCoffee Gift Set with organic coffee extract.

41. The Everything Green Living Book.

42. Multi-media chicken sculpture. Made with recycled and re-purposed materials.

43. Elephant poo poo paper. It’s clean!

44. Naked soy candle.

45. Plant Pure-Fume candle gift set from Aveda.

46. Adopt a penguin in her name.

47. Fund organic farming in Costa Rica in her honor.

48. Write her a long letter telling her how much you appreciate her.

49. Make exciting popsicles and give her the recipe and mold.

50. A hug and Recycled Paper Greetings card.

Did you find anything interesting for Mom on this list?

Basket image via Btcelements. Soap image via Kate’s Caring Gifts. Birdhouse image via Uncommon Goods.

Post from: Tree Hugging Family

This week we’re taking a look at some of the Eco Symbols You May Not Know. And if you know about them, you can look for them. Put on your eco-symbol glasses. Here we go with Green-e.

The Green-e logo is a symbol for excellence in renewable energy. For the retail market, Green-e is an independent certification and verification program for renewable energy use and greenhouse gas emission reductions.

Using renewable energy reduces harmful emissions from non-renewable resources like coal. Unfortunately, only two percent of the electricity in the US comes from renewable resources. Green-e is administered by the Center for Resource Solutions, a national non-profit working to increase renewable energy worldwide.

Organizations that have made renewable energy commitments with Green-e include Aveda, Mohawk Fine Papers, The Pepsi Bottling Group, Wells Fargo and more.

So, look for the symbol. Even if it isn’t directly printed on a product, check the company’s About Us page. For instance Aveda, a cool company that uses 100 percent wind power, talks about their Green-e certification on their Renewable Energy webpage.

Have you noticed the Green-e symbol before? Do you plan to look for it?

Green-e symbol via Green-e.org

Post from: Tree Hugging Family