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In 3 Words

Make an Impact, a program to help you save energy, save money, and save the planet, is coming to an area near you! We'd love your help to kick things off by showing what individuals in the community are doing to live sustainably and conserve energy.

Take a fun photo or video of yourself (or with your friends, family, pets, anyone!) making a positive environmental impact and send it to MakeAnImpact@c2es.org. We’ll email you back to confirm your details and get your permission to use your submission.

The photo should feature a white page with three words that help tell your story. Be creative!

I Think Green

Recycle your bottles and cans!

Noralyn Barcega, Alcoa Fastening Systems - Torrance Operations, CA

Entertained by Recycling

Howmet Playhouse staff and patrons are very excited to have recycled hundreds of gallons of recyclables over the 2010 Summer Theatre Season. Through recycling printed programs, plastic cups, water bottles, and cardboard boxes we are raising awareness of recycling opportunities in the area and heightening the level of conscientious residents and theatre-goers. We feel great about doing our little part to make a big difference and are thoroughly Entertained by Recycling!

Karen Helmlinger, Howmet Playhouse, City of Whitehall, MI

Pull Out Recyclables

At our facility, we have created a program to recycle our absorbent mats (pigmats) that we use to capture oil drips and whatnot from machines. The Rezorb program implemented about a year ago now, but we still have problems with employees "throwing away" the rezorb mats into our production trash drums, which go to landfill.

Ray Rodriguez, pictured here, has an active role in looking through the drums, removing the Rezorb mats, and putting them in the proper container to be sent off for washing. This helps us prevent valuable mats, which could be washed and reused many times, from going to landfill.

Ellen Dempsey, EHS, Alcoa Fastening Systems, Torrance, CA

Save Our Planet

There was a time when I didn’t really care or did not think about the damage we as individuals can cause to our planet, just by throwing plastic bottles and not recycling them. Now I realize that no matter how little we do, as long as we do something to contribute to helping the environment, yes, we can make an impact!!

Alicia Salcedo

Think Drink Clink

We, as a family, realize recycling is our duty to maintain a vigilant stand on the war of “Resource Deficiency” facing our great planet. Recycling cans means less manufacturing plant time, less natural resources consumed, more money saved by companies because they do not have to create the aluminum from the raw material stage to the finished product. Transformational generational thinking in our family about the war on “Resource Deficiency” will battle for the future generation’s needs. To win the war, we must be pro-active instead of reactive..that is why we are recycling.

Nadine Gonzalez—AFS – Carson Operations.

Cool Cats Recycle

My family has been recycling for over 20 years now, since my kids were toddlers.  They used love making the monthly trip to the local recycling center with me. It's exciting for small kids because they get to help separate the cans, plastic and bottles ... but the really exciting part for them was giving them a portion of the money as a thank you for helping. My kids are both young adults now and they both still recycle. The impact on the future is that I taught them to recycle, they do it and they will teach their kids someday and so-on. The Cool Cat in the photo with me is Willow. She's normally docile but when my daughter and I tried to set this picture up, Willow had a fit! But we got it done!

Mark Grindle

Time to Save

We decided to replace our can ceiling lights with our newly purchased CFLs, which is going to reduce our energy costs and reduce emissions.  The approximate cost for one CFL light for 10,000 watt hours is 230 x $.12 = $27.60 vs. incandescent: 1,000 x $.12 = $120.00.  Since we have 12 ceiling lights in our kitchen, that amounts to great savings not only in dollars but more important, to the environment!  It’s really just a matter of going shopping and doing it!

Feed Me Paper

There are a number of actions that our family is taking to Save the Planet.  These activities include plastic bag recycling, use of CFL bulbs, curb-side recycling, and paper “drop-off” recycling, which is the subject of our photo.  As part of a family of five, the paper flow can be overwhelming between mail, school papers, magazines, newspapers, and cardboard food packaging (which our bins also accept).  Our city of Strongsville, OH has installed a number of recycling bins, which we “feed” with 2-3 bags of paper and cardboard weekly.  We are pleased to be able to help keep the Earth green through our efforts and to pass down the value of conservation to our children.

Buy Recycled Materials

I like to encourage recycling anytime it's feasible. By supporting the purchase of materials manufactured using recycled materials is my way to hopefully assist the market and encourage the continuation of the recycling loop. My backpack and my camera bag are manufactured with recycled plastic materials and the bags look great and are durable!

Nikki Tanzer, Environmental Engineer, Hampton Howmet Castings
 

It's So Simple!

I save my cans, newpapers, cardboard and plastic. We received our recycle containers from the CLV Works plant. It's so simple to save your recyclables to leave for your curbside collection in your communities, or for your local communities recycle centers. I have my neighbors saving their plastics and cardboard to take to our community recycle center. Together we can all make a difference, because it is so simple.
 

MIchele Mandrak, Independence, OH