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People have been asking about upcoming electronics recycling events in the area. We have a list of upcoming events in Brooklyn and Lower Manhattan. Visit the Lower East Side Ecology Center website for additional locations in the 5 boroughs as well as a list of electronics that are accepted for recycling. These events are held rain or shine. Saturday, October 6 | 10:00am - 4:00pm Smith Street between President Street and Union Street, Brooklyn Sunday October 07 | 10:00am - 4:00pm 8th Avenue between 14th and 15th Streets, Brooklyn Saturday, October 13 | 10:00am - 4:00pm 119 W 23rd Street between 6th & 7th Avenues, Chelsea, Manhattan Saturday, October 20 | 10:00am - 4:00pm Cortelyou Road (between Rugby and Marlborough Roads), Brooklyn Sunday October 21 | 10:00am - 4:00pm PS 29, Baltic Street between Henry Street and Clinton Street, Brooklyn

I wish I had come up with this great title, but I didn't. It's actually from an article on Mother Nature Network , which caught my eye, because I am interested in living ecologically as well as inexpensively and was glad to see an article about those aims often being one and the same. You can read their six basic tips for yourself (and I'm sure Coop readers will be able to come up with many more), but I want to discuss one in particular, #4: Ditch the Disposables . It makes sense that anything you use once and then throw away would not be a sustainable choice, yet how many of us think of it as a poor economic choice as well? We'll list a few disposables we can do without and invite readers to add more suggestions of their own: Paper plates, plastic knives and forks : Even if you don't use these at home, you may be seeing them in the workplace. If so, can you convince the powers-that-be at you place of work to ditch the disposables and stock up with some reusable ...

Date : Saturday, September 20 Time : 10am-4pm, rain or shine Location : Brooklyn Ave. between St. Marks Ave. & Prospect Place in Bedford Stuyvesant—See map Directions : Take the C train to Kingston-Throops Ave., walk 6 blocks south and 1 avenue east or take the B43 bus to Brooklyn Ave.and St. Marks Ave. According to the EPA, electronic waste contributes 70% of the toxins (such as lead, mercury, cadmium, phosphros and flame-retardants) found in lnadfills.  Recycling your ele ctronics waste decreases energy and water use, reduces pollution and keeps haqardous chemicals out of our air and water. Acceptable items include: Computers (laptops & desktops, servers, mainframes) Monitors Printers, scanners, fax-machines, copiers Network devices (routers, hubs, modems, etc.) Peripherals (keyboards, mice, cables, cords, chargers, etc.) Tablets and E-readers Components (hard drives, CD-ROMs, circuit boards, power supplies, etc.) TVs, VCRs, DVRs, & DVD Players Digital Conv...

From Earth911.org : Smoothie chain Jamba Juice announced last month that it plans to phase out its use of polystyrene cups by 2013, a decision that may have been influenced by the efforts of a 10-year-old girl. When Carlsbad, Calif. fifth-grader Mia Hansen stopped by Jamba Juice for summertime refreshment, she noticed that every smoothie was being delivered to customers in a polystyrene cup. With 752 locations throughout the U.S., Canada, Philippines, South Korea and the Bahamas and sales totaling $263 million in 2010, that’s a whole lot of polystyrene entering the waste cycle every day. So she decided to do something about it. Hansen went to Change.org and started a petition to end Jamba Juice’s use of polystyrene in all aspects of the business. “I'm 10 years old and when I was at Jamba Juice a couple of weeks ago, I ordered a smoothie and they gave it to me in a Styrofoam cup! The person behind me ordered yogurt and they gave her yogurt in a Styrofoam container, too,” Hansen ...

According to Ecocycle.org, Americans use 500 million straws each day —enough disposable straws to fill over 46,400 large school buses per year. In February 2011, Milo (then 9 years old) founded the Be Straw-Free project , to work together with members of the straw industry, restaurants and other businesses, schools, environmental groups and concerned citizens to reduce the use and waste of disposable plastic straws. There are reusable options, such as the stainless steels straws sold by Reusit.This is something we can all try —it will make a difference!

From Earth911.com : Here's an idea NYC students, parents and teachers might want to try: Earlier this year, elementary school students and thousands of online supporters petitioned Crayola to start a 'take back' program to recycle the company's markers . Last month, rival art supply manufacturer Dixon Ticonderoga answered the call and started a marker recycling program of its own. It's an unexpected result of a campaign that started in May at San Rafael, Calif.'s Sun Valley Elementary School. As they worked with school art supplies, students at the school noticed that, as markers run dry, they’re simply tossed into the garbage bin. The students, along with the help of school volunteer and award-winning children’s book author Land Wilson, decided to launch a Change.org petition to ask Crayola to start a “take back” recycling program, since markers can’t simply be tossed in the recycling bin as-is. So far, over 82,000 people have signed the online petition. W...

Sometimes you just need a cup of coffee or iced tea while out and about. But you can do it in a more sustainable way by using a reusable coffee cup. Fact: Americans throw away about 25 billion foam coffee cups a year. Many places will pour your coffee or ice drink into a reusable container if you ask. Smartplanet , Reusit and Starbucks make reusable coffee containers. Many of these products are BPA-free and therefore healthier to use. You can have your coffee on the go and be sustainable too!

Alec Baldwin has been looking really good lately, due to a combination of factors—studying yoga, marrying the yoga instructor, and last, but not least, adopting a super-healthy plant-based diet. In this photo, he is appearing at a benefit for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine—a nonprofit health organization that promotes preventive medicine, conducts clinical research, and encourages higher standards for ethics and effectiveness in research (i.e. they are opposed to animal testing.) On Monday, September 3 they are starting a 21-day Vegan Kickstart , for those who want some tips on adopting a healthier lifestyle. Coop members already have access to all kinds of healthy food, at low prices—the Vegan Kickstart can provide recipe and meal ideas, no matter what your general lifestyle. Alas, meeting Alec Baldwin isn't part of the program!