Go Greener Tips

div class=image style=float:right;padding-left:8px;img alt=stack of clothes/iStockPhoto height=300 src=http://a323.yahoofs.com/ymg/the_conscious_consumer/the_conscious_consumer-774838847-1241208299.jpg?ymrnOMBDW7SbKI1N width=201//divpWondering what to do with all the clutter you’ve cleared out of your closets and drawers? What seems like junk to you can be valuable to someone else so consider donating to one of the several charities that make it easy for you to turn your trash into someone else’s treasure. /ppSome ideas to get you started:   /pullistrongEyeglasses:/strong Drop off your old prescription glasses and non-prescription sunglasses at your nearest a href=http://www.sunglasshut.com/sgh/about.jsp#giftSunglass Hut/a. The company will deliver them to those in need through its work with a href=http://www.onesight.org/OneSight/a, a global non-profit. a href=http://lionsclubs.org/EN/our-work/sight-programs/eyeglass-recycling/how-you-can-help.phpLions Club International/a has a similar program. Contact your a href=http://lionsclubs.org/EN/find-a-club.phplocal club/a to find out where you can bring old eyeglasses or mail them to a a href=http://lionsclubs.org/EN/our-work/sight-programs/eyeglass-recycling/lions-eyeglass-recycling-centers.phprecycling center/a. /li/ulullistrongShoes:/stronga href=http://www.soles4souls.org/index.htmlSoles4Souls/a collects gently worn shoes and distributes them to the needy. Drop off your old shoes at a a href=http://www.soles4souls.org/about/locations.cginearby donation location/a or a href=http://www.soles4souls.org/about/shipping.htmlmail/a them to one of its distribution centers. An added incentive: Get 10% off a new pair of a href=http://www.soles4souls.org/news/2009/04-20/timberland-and-soles4souls-launch-nationwide-shoe-donation-programTimberland footwear/a when you drop off a pair of gently used shoes at one of its stores. If your athletic shoes are too worn out to donate, then Nike will recycle them into a material that’s used in sports surfaces, playgrounds, and new products. Click a href=http://www.nikereuseashoe.com/get-involved/individual-shoe-recyclinghere/a for Nike’s Reuse-A-Shoe drop-off locations and a mail in address. /li/ulullistrongWomen’s work clothes:/stronga href=http://www.dressforsuccess.org/whatwedo.aspxDress for Success/a helps disadvantaged women get jobs by providing professional clothing, career development workshops, and a support network. Donate your suits, blouses, and other work clothes and shoes that are clean and in good shape. If you wouldn’t feel comfortable wearing an outfit to a job interview, then don’t donate it. Click a href=http://www.dressforsuccess.org/supportdfs_donate_clothing.aspxhere/a for more details on what to give.  /li/ulullistrongWedding Dress/strong: Each year thousands of new and used wedding gowns are donated to a href=http://www.makingmemories.org/about_us.htmlBrides Against Breast Cancer/a. The organization sells them to brides at discounted prices and uses the proceeds to benefit women with metastatic breast cancer and their families. I can’t think of a better use for a gown that’s just collecting dust at the back of a closet. /li/ulullistrong/strongstrongProm Dresses: /stronga href=http://www.donatemydress.org/index.htmlDonateMyDress.org/a helps girls donate special occasion dresses to those who can’t afford them. Click a href=http://www.donatemydress.org/donate.htmlhere/a for a list of drop-off locations. /li/ulullistrongBooks/strong: Ask your local library, school, or hospital if they can use books you no longer need. Otherwise, consider sending them to the a href=http://glpinc.org/Web_pages/Book%20Donation%20Guidelines.htmGlobal Literacy Project/a, which distributes books to communities, libraries, and schools around the world. There are also several websites that are dedicated to helping you a href=http://green.yahoo.com/blog/daily_green_cheapskate/17/a-greener-and-cheaper-way-to-read-books-no-not-the-kindle.htmlswap old books/a into new reading material. /li/ulullistrongElectronics:/strong The a href=http://www.cristina.org/donate.htmlNational Cristina Foundation/a will find a charity, school, or public agency that needs your old computer, laptop, printer, peripherals, or software. Turn your old cell phone into prepaid calling cards that make it possible for overseas soldiers to call home by mailing it to a href=http://www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com/shippingLabel_generic.htmlCell Phones for Soldiers/a.  Here’s a a href=http://www.charityguide.org/volunteer/fifteen/cell-phone-recycling.htmlist of other ways/a you can put your old cell phone to good use. Click here for a a href=http://www.epa.gov/osw/conserve/materials/ecycling/donate.htmlist of stores and manufacturers/a that will recycle electronics or search a href=http://earth911.com/electronics/Earth911′s extensive database/a to find out what your local options are. /li/ulp /ppThere’s always the option of turning your trash into your own treasure. Try a href=http://www.ebay.com/eBay/a, a href=http://www.craigslist.org/about/sitesCraigslist/a, having a garage sale or selling items to your local consignment shop. /ppWhat if you can’t find a buyer or a place to donate? Give unwanted items away for free to someone who lives nearby. Click a href=http://green.yahoo.com/earth-day/find-a-group.htmlhere/a to find your local reuse group. /pp         /pemEnvironmental journalist Lori Bongiorno shares green-living tips and product reviews with Yahoo! Green’s users. Send Lori a a href=http://help.yahoo.com/l/us/yahoo/green/forms/consciousconsumerblog.htmlquestion or suggestion/a for potential use in a future column. Her book,/em Green Greener Greenest: A Practical Guide to Making Eco-smart Choices a Part of Your Life emis available on a href=http://shopping.yahoo.com/p:Green%2C%20Greener%2C%20Greenest%3A%20A%20Practical%20Guide%20to%20Making%20Eco-Smart%20Choices%20a%20Part%20of%20Your%20Life:3005209514;_ylt=AsLkIJyzfMD4G3Gl2OYYt_gbFt0A?clink=dmps/lori_bongiorno/ctx=mid:1,pid:3005209514,pdid:1,pos:1,spc:14489115,date:20081009,srch:kw,x:Yahoo! Shopping/a and a href=http://www.amazon.com/Green-Greener-Greenest-Practical-Eco-Smart/dp/0399534032/ref=pd_bbs_1?ie=UTF8s=booksqid=1228865081sr=8-1Amazon.com/a./em