Earth Day Greeny Award -- Recycle Rama

Earth Day brings out the best in people....sometimes. I found out about something that's going on at a high school in my area that I think is simply awesome! The Hampton Township School District (located north of Pittsburgh) is hosting its third annual Recycle Rama this coming Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the parking lot of the high school.

The amount of recycling options are phenomenal and I'm hoping by posting this, some of you will take the idea to your school districts, churches, civic organizations etc. I'd love to see this idea spread like wildfire across the country for next year's Earth Day and beyond.


Recycle Rama  is the brainchild of Glen Geary, a tech ed teacher in the middle school. Coordinating with the district's PTO, he launched the first Recycle Rama in 2008. Parents and teachers volunteer and oversee the project, with up to 75 students and local Scout troops participating.

Here's what will be happening at the school on Saturday. Various stations will be set up in the parking lot and in the cafeteria, set up by the individual groups who will be doing the collections. Free refreshments are even served, donated by local restaurants. Isn't this the coolest idea for a community Earth Day event?

Plastic shopping bags will be collected. For everyone who donates a bag full of them, they will receive a free reusable cloth bag, donated by Giant Eagle (a local grocery store chain), Trader Joes and Whole Foods. In 2009, an entire pickup truck was filled with bags for recycling!

The following companies/organizations will be on hand to collect particular recyclables:

• The Salvation Army -- clothing, shoes and small household items
• Construction Junction -- remodeling supplies (this is a local company that has a showroom of recycled household furnishings from kitchen faucets to front doors to ceiling fans, all saved from the landfills!)
• Boy Scout Troop 195 and Cub Scout Troop 195 -- used books (which will be donated to a local youth ministry counseling center for their used-book sale)
• Girl Scout Troop 938 -- clean, used athletic uniforms, spirit wear and sports and dance equipment
• Fitzsimmons Metals of Shaler -- soda cans and other aluminum and scrap metal
• Recycling Fundraisers -- cell phones and used ink cartridges
• Dr. Karl Olsen (a Pittsburgh ophthalmologist) -- used eyeglasses (he will deliver them to Haiti on his yearly mission trip in association with St. Paul's Presbyterian Church of Somerset)
• Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corp (RBRC) of the North Hills -- rechargeable and alkaline batteries
• JVS Electronics Recycling of Rockwood in Somerset County -- electronics of all sorts (there is a $5 fee for computer monitors and a $1/inch fee for TVs)

Isn't this awesome?! A one-stop recycling center, even if it is for only one day, is just what every town needs. Oh, and of course, the basics will be collected for recycling as well, such as paper, glass, and plastic and the event will go on, rain or shine.

Hampton Township School District -- you get the Greeny Award for Earth Day!

Keeping it green,

Hana