Category archives for Recycling
Posted by Phenomenal Friday Fact
National Geographic Adventure has chosen their ten Adventurers of the Year. Readers are now encouraged to vote for their favorites for the People’s Choice Adventurer of the Year. One of the adventurers is David de Rothschild, who sailed across the Pacific Ocean in a boat built out of recycled, intact plastic bottles. The boat, named Plastiki, would draw attention to the problem of plastic waste in the ocean.
David hopes that his journey inspires people to take action and save the oceans. “I like to think of Plastiki as a metaphor for action. We built a boat out of plastic bottles and sailed it across the Pacific. Let’s apply the same ingenuity and hard work to the ocean’s problems.”
What was your best adventure in 2010? Leave a comment below and tell us!
Read about all of the 2010 nominees, then vote for your favorite on National Geographic Adventure.
Want to read more about kids having adventures? Check out the Hands-On Explorer blog.
Photograph by the Plastiki Crew
On July 26, Plastiki‘s journey came to an end when the boat reached the harbor in Sydney, Australia. The trip took four months to complete, and Plastiki traveled for 8,000 nautical miles.
David de Rothschild and his crew thank everyone who tracked Plastiki‘s voyage online.
Read about the end of Plastiki‘s journey and learn more about the boat, which is made of reused plastics and aluminum.
Read an interview with David on National Geographic Kids.
Photograph by Patrick Riviere courtesy the Plastiki Expedition/Adventure Ecology
After veering slightly off course, the Plastiki reached land on the island of Upolu in Western Samoa. David de Rothschild and Plastiki’s crew will chill out, shower, and sleep in beds in the port city of Apia before continuing their journey to Sydney, Australia.
Be sure to check out the Plastiki updates and learn about the boat, which is made of reused plastics and aluminum.
Read the Wayward and Windward blog post to find out what the locals use plastic bottles for!
Find out about Adventure Ecology.
The Plastiki is a 60-foot (18-meter) catamaran made of over 12,000 plastic bottles, as well as other recyclable plastic. The Plastiki will sail from San Francisco, California to Sydney, Australia. National Geographic Explorer David de Rothschild and his crew hope to raise awareness of plastic waste in the ocean, as well as to raise interest in using waste in new ways. Even though plastic bottles are recyclable, only about one fifth of them end up in the recycling bin. The rest end up in landfills.
Follow the journey and learn more about the catamaran.
Learn about Adventure Ecology.
Read an interview with David de Rothschild on National Geographic Kids.
Photograph courtesy Adventure Ecology
Read the whole post »
Plastic bags clog streams and waterways, and one city decided to take action against this menace. On January 1, 2010, Washington, D.C. became the first city in the U.S. to add a 5-cent fee for plastic bags for food and carryout. Most of the money raised by the new law and the “Skip the Bag, Save the River” campaign will go to the Anacostia River Cleanup and Protection Fund to educate people and clean up the river. The remainder will go to the affected businesses.
What do you think of the new law in Washington, D.C.? Does your family bring reusable bags to the store?
Watch a video of ‘Bag the Bag’ on National Geographic Kids.
Take the No Plastic Pledge!
Photo courtesy District Department of the Environment. Learn more at http://green.dc.gov/bags.
New Year’s Eve is fun, but don’t be an environmental party pooper when you celebrate. All those disposable party plates, napkins, and decorations go straight from your overflowing trash can into landfills. so celebrate the New Year and the planet by throwing an Earth-friendly party. Then ring in 2010 with a recycled noisemaker you can create using items around your home.
Eco-Party Tips
-Hang biodegradable crepe paper streamers around your house.
-Drink sparkling cider from glasses instead of disposable cups.
-Trade fluorescent party lights for energy efficient LED lights.
-Encourage your friends to share rides to your New Year’s Eve party.
-Make a New Year’s resolution to be more eco-conscious in 2010.
By Kristin Hunt
Guinness World Records official Stuart Claxton was on hand at Union
Station today to declare a new record to National Geographic Kids magazine
for the most clothing collected for recycling. Over 33,000 donated denim items
were unveiled in a display in the main hall at Union Station in
Washington, D.C. The house of denim will be on display through August 27.
Watch a time-lapse video of the display construction.
Kids donated 33,088 items which will be recycled by COTTON. FROM BLUE TO GREEN.®, and made into home insulation for houses damaged in natural disasters. Kids from all over the country
participated, sending in one pair of jeans or truck loads of jeans
collected in community projects.
You know that NG Kids has collected a lot of denim over the last few months. But what’s the grand total for the Guinness World Record? Make your best guess and enter the Guess the Denim Count Contest at COTTON. FROM BLUE TO GREEN.® by August 10, 2009, for a chance to win an American Express gift card and a year’s subscription to NG Kids magazine!
Check out the Guess the Denim Count Contest on COTTON. FROM BLUE TO GREEN.®
Read the contest rules at COTTON. FROM BLUE TO GREEN.®
Photograph courtesy Jill Yaworski
We’ve collected and counted thousands of denim items! But what do over 30,000 pairs of jeans look like? We’ll be at Union Station in Washington, D.C. on August 12 at 10:30 a.m. with our eye-popping display of denim as a representative from Guinness World Records recognizes NG Kids for achieving the Largest Collection of Clothes to Recycle!
After a two-week display, the record-setting collection will be donated to COTTON. FROM BLUE TO GREEN.®, which recycles denim into insulation to help rebuild communities in need. Join us at this exciting event!
Union Station’s Main Hall will be the venue where more than 30,000 pairs of jeans will be on display from August 12, 2009, to August 27, 2009! Find out more about Washington, D.C.’s Union Station.
Photograph courtesy Jill Yaworski
A team of committed folks has been folding and counting all the denim you sent in for the Guinness World Record attempt to collect the largest amount of clothing for recycling. And let me just say, we have a lot of denim. The count to date is… 29,317!!!!
We are flabbergasted. We will continue to count, but please don’t send in any more denim. June 30 was the deadline! Once we have everything folded and counted, then we will call in the big boys at Guinness to give us the official count.
Stay tuned!
There are only a few days to send in jeans for the Guinness World Record attempt. So far, you have sent in an amazing 23,124 denim items to our offices at National Geographic! Keep the boxes coming–we are still counting!
Jackson, 10 years old, donated 55 pairs of jeans at a Build-A-Bear Workshop® drop-off location in March and then sent in another 111 denim items.
Students from del Sol School in California donated 500 denim items by mail.
Find out how to mail them in! All denim must be received by June 30, 2009!
Learn more about COTTON. FROM BLUE TO GREEN.®. and UltraTouch™.
What are you going to do with your dad or grandpa on Father’s Day? What does your dad like to do on a day off?
If you are looking for some fun outdoor activities that help the environment, check out this list of things you can do with your dad! Then invite him to join you.
-Help with yard work duties.
-Plant a fruit tree, berry bush or plant a garden together.
-Pick some berries at a local farm. Then make a delicious dessert for dad.
-Get some green tips from the stars of Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian.
-Go on a bike ride with your dad.
-Campout in your backyard with your dad.
-Recycle paper, plastic, aluminum, and glass containers. Then challenge your dad to game of Recycle Roundup. See who can sort the most items in the shortest amount of time!
-Pick up trash at a park or creek near where you live.
Photograph by Chris Rice, My Shot
With only two weeks left in our Guinness World Record attempt to collect the largest amount of clothing for recycling, we have amassed an amazing pile of denim. Our latest count is 20,443!
This is more than a new record attempt–it’s also part of the COTTON. FROM BLUE TO GREEN.®. project to recycle denim into insulation for homes damaged in storms.
Photograph by Peter Cosgrove/AP
Some kids in Maryland were concerned that their lunch trays are made of styrofoam (like in the picture above) and their utensils were made of plastic, so they decided to do something about it. Members of the Piney Branch Elementary School’s Young Activist Club recently testified at a city council meeting about the wastefulness of the trays, and they have also raised over $9,000 to buy washable plates, utensil, and dishwashers for the cafeteria.
The Montgomery County school system is looking at the issues and is concerned that repairing cafeteria dishwashers (as well as hiring someone to run them) could raise the cost of school lunches.
Read more about the outspoken kids at Piney Branch Elementary School on The Washington Post.
Thanks to you and generous celebrities such as Tyler James Williams from Everybody Hates Chris, Jason Dolley, from Hatching Pete and previously in Cory in the House, and Allie Grant from The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, we have collected 16,256 denim items! We are getting close to the end of the NG Kids Guinness World Record attempt to collect the most clothing for recycling! Don’t wait! All denim must be received by June 30!
Photograph courtesy Tyler James Williams
Find out how you can send in your jeans!
All the jeans will be donated to COTTON. FROM BLUE TO GREEN.®. and be recycled into insulation for storm-damaged homes.
See photos of the celebs with their jeans donations.
Our Guinness World Record attempt to collect the most clothing for recycling continues. Now that we received Ben Stiller’s jeans and jeans from kids all over the U.S., we have a mountain-size pile of jeans accumulating here at National Geographic. Our latest count is….14,634!
You can still participate! We have one month left to collect denim that will be recycled into insulation through the COTTON. FROM BLUE TO GREEN.® program.
Get all the details on how you can participate and see a video of the recycling program.
We’ve been collecting denim for about two months, but we still have over a month to go! So far we have collected a total of 11,268 denim items! That’s enough cotton to insulate about 22 houses! Find out how you can participate, help us set a Guinness World Record, and help create insulation for homes that have been damaged in storms.
Have you and your friends donated your worn-out jeans yet? Tell us!
Jeans continue to pile up at our office! Not only have celebrities Dylan and Cole Sprouse and Tiffany Thornton donated jeans, but we have received a total of 10,049 denim items from thousands of kids.
To send in your jeans and help us set a Guinness World Record, print out this form. Get all the details and watch a video about how the denim will be recycled into insulation!
actress Tiffany Thornton are donating their denim. Seriously, how nice is that?
Want to know how you can get involved? Learn more about how to send in your jeans and watch a video about turning cotton into denim and then into insulation!
See more pictures of these celebs donating their jeans at KOL.
While the contestants in the Great Turtle Race swim towards the Caribbean, we’re swimming in denim here at National Geographic Headquarters! Thanks to you, we have collected an incredible 6314 denim items. Keep them coming!
Read the whole post »
Denim is starting to pour into our offices! Thanks to your efforts, we now have collected 5,270 jeans and other denim items! We are well on our way to setting a record for the largest collection of clothes to recycle.
All
the denim will be recycled into cotton insulation and will be used in
homes that have been damaged during natural disasters.
Learn you how you and your family can send in your worn jeans. Get the details on the denim drive.
Photograph courtesy of Catherine D. Hughes
Thanks to a successful denim donation drop-off weekend held at Build-A-Bear Workshops in the U.S. March 27-29, we have collected a whopping 3,250 denim items! And we haven’t finished counting all the jeans and other denim clothing that was collected by our friends at Build-A-Bear!
You can help us in our Guinness World Record attempt to collect the largest collection of clothes to recycle. After we collect all the denim, it will all be recycled into cotton insulation through Cotton. From Blue to Green.®
Learn how you and your friends can participate.
Find out about Cotton. From Blue to Green.®
Help us set a new Guinness World Record for the most clothing donated for recycling! Send us your old jeans or other denim clothing and come back here to find out if we’re getting close to a record.
So far, we have collected 104 pairs of jeans! Please keep them coming!
The best part about donating your too-small, paint-covered, ripped jeans is that ALL the denim will be recycled into insulation for homes that have been damaged in storms or major disasters.
So get your school, your church, your neighborhood, and your family involved!
Get all the details on mailing your hand-me-down denim to us and watch a video of the whole process to take COTTON. FROM BLUE TO GREEN.®
