Players for the Planet E-Waste Drives

Baseball season is in full swing, with my beloved Indians in first place! (What can I say, I am from Cleveland). The Cincinnati Reds are rockin out this year as well, not just on the field, but for Earth Month as well. Read the following press release for details on today and tomorrow's e-waste drives for "Players for the Planet" -

Reds players Jay Bruce, Drew Stubbs and Ryan Hanigan and Players for the Planet have joined forces with Global Environmental Services and many of Cincinnati’s leading corporations for the second annual PNC/Players for the Planet E-Waste Recycling Drive to provide an easy and convenient way for Reds fans and residents of Greater Cincinnati to recycle old electronics. The public is encouraged to visit the two PNC Bank locations with electronic waste items for recycling.

Friday, April 29, 2011
7 am to 5 pm
PNC Bank, Deerfield Township Branch – 5283 Bowen Drive, Mason, OH 45040


Saturday, April 30, 2011
8 am to 6 pm
PNC Bank, Hyde Park Branch – 3740 Paxton Road, Cincinnati, OH 45209
**Jay Bruce and Ryan Hanigan are scheduled to appear from 11:30 am to 1 pm. No autographs, please.

The first 200 cars at each event will receive two View Level tickets ($30 value) to the Monday, May 30 Reds vs. Brewers game (7:10 pm) at Great American Ball Park, while supplies last.

Items accepted include televisions, radios, VCRs, computer monitors, personal computers, hard drives and many other electronics. For a complete list, of what is accepted, please click here.

Players for the Planet is suggesting a donation of $10 per car.

Global Environmental Services will recycle the electronic waste and turn the waste into a cash donation to Players for the Planet, who will make a donation to the Reds Community Fund to be used for environmental educational projects in the Greater Cincinnati area.

Join the Reds in going green, and recycle your e-waste today or tomorrow! If you are unable to get to either drive, you can always take unwanted to e-waste to Greener Stock, where most electronics can be recycled for free.

Phantom Power 101

The Basics:
When you turn off your television, computer, DVD player or other electronics, but leave them plugged in, they are still using power. "Phantom power", also known as "phantom loads" or "vampire power" is the energy that is being consumed by appliances when they are plugged in, but not turned on. In an average home, about 75% of all electricity is used to power home appliances while they are turned off.

What You Can Do:
Unplug your appliances and electronics when they are not in use (phone chargers, DVD players, computers, televisions, camera battery chargers, rechargeable battery chargers, even lamps). Use power strips with surge protectors to make it easy to "unplug" many appliances at once. You can do this both at home and at work.

How It Helps:

• Saves money on your energy bills. Standby mode can cost the average American household as much as $50 (or more) per year.
• Lowers emissions. If all phantom loads in U.S. homes were stopped, we could shut down 17 power plants.
  
• Just by properly switching off electronics like your computer, television and CD player can decrease the more than 97 billion pounds of carbon dioxide produced by waste standby energy every year.
  

Unplugging your electronics, including lamps, when you aren't using them takes a little getting used to. Daniel and I started doing so last year, and we have saved a lot of energy. You do have to wait for a few minutes for the cable box to reset itself, but the difference we have seen in our energy bills is well worth it! Using power strips really helps. Not only do they have surge protectors in them to keep your electronics safe, but you can invest in different types including ones that have a main outlet so when you turn off your TV you can automatically turn off the cable, the DVD player, the Wii, etc., without having to turn off the power strip. Check out this Smart Strip as an example.

Be Green!

Sources:
Bonnin, J. & McKay, K. (2009). True Green Home: 100 Inspirational Ideas for Creating a Green Environment at Home. Washington D.C.: National Geographic Society.

Hill, G. & O'Neill, M. (2008). Ready, Set, Green: Eight Weeks to Modern Eco-Living. New York: Villard Books.