Businesses are a planning a wide range of promotional events in conjunction with Earth Day on April 22. Here is a roundup of some of the promotions (check back — we will continually update this list):<\/p>\n
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Kenwood Vineyards is commemorating this year’s Earth Day with an innovative bottle necker, one created to inspire everyone to take better care of the planet. The specially designed neckers are featured on Kenwood’s “Sonoma Series” Cabernet, Chardonnay, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc and Zinfandel and are available in stores nationwide.<\/p>\n
The Kenwood Vineyards Earth Day bottle necker includes a special “planet earth” insert of seed paper, which \u2013 when soaked overnight in water, planted under a thin layer of soil in a sunny location and watered regularly until seedlings become established \u2013 will produce a mixture of wildflowers. The bottle necker itself is printed on Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified, partial post-consumer recycled paper stock, which assures responsible forest management, reduces waste and saves energy.<\/p>\n
Beginning on Earth Day, teachers across the country will begin recycling the millions of glue bottles and glue sticks their classrooms have collected since the beginning of the school year. This recycling effort is part of the Elmer’s Glue Crew Recycling Program, which was created three years ago to help teachers educate children about recycling and environmental stewardship and prevent millions of glue bottles and glue sticks from going into our landfills.<\/p>\n
To coincide with the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, Elmer’s is inviting parents to get involved in the Elmer’s Glue Crew program through the “40 Days of Earth-Friendly Living.” The campaign kicks-off on Earth Day and offers an eco-friendly tip or idea every day through the end of May. The tips are designed to allow parents and children to participate together and to give teachers more ideas for expanding their Earth Day curriculum. To participate, parents and teachers can download the “40 Days” calendar at www.ElmersGlueCrew.com<\/a> or sign up to receive tips on Twitter<\/a> or Facebook<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Kroger Co. is inviting customers to Design a Reusable Shopping Bag through its annual online contest. Beginning April 12 and running through May 21, customers can go online at www.kroger.com\/green<\/a> to submit their designs for Kroger’s reusable grocery bags.<\/p>\n The winning designer will receive a $1,000 gift card and a chance to see their bag design sold in Kroger stores. In addition to the winner of the contest, four finalists will be awarded a $250 Kroger gift card and five runners-up will receive a $100 Kroger gift card.<\/p>\n During the contest, anyone who designs a bag and has a valid shopper card will receive an electronic coupon for a free reusable bag ($0.99 value) loaded directly to their card, where applicable. Kroger has also partnered with Cafe Press so would-be designers can purchase a reusable bag with their own design on it.<\/p>\n This year more than 300 million pairs of shoes will end up in landfills in the United States (U.S. Dept. of Interior). From there, shoes can take more than 40 years to break down and decompose. Combined with non-biodegradable products like electronics, they can dispense toxins into the ground. But what if the items you toss could help change someone\u2019s life? Soles4Souls, the international shoe charity that gives away new and gently worn shoes, is helping celebrate 40 years of Earth Day by offering the general public a safe and environmentally friendly way to dispose of their unwanted shoes while providing shoes for those who need them.<\/p>\n During the month of April, Soles4Souls is asking people to \u2018go green\u2019 by cleaning out their closets and dropping off their gently worn shoes at drop-off locations in their area. Soles4Souls is collaborating with businesses like CBL Properties, where people can visit any of CBL\u2019s 70 shopping malls to recycle their shoes. For a list of participating shopping malls, visit www.cblproperties.com<\/a>. There are also 4,000 other official drop-off locations throughout the country. To find a drop-off location in your area, visit www.giveshoes.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n CWG and Verizon Wireless Work Together to Encourage Cell Phone Collection in Support of Earth Day<\/p>\n In honor of Earth Day, CWG, LLC, the leading recycler of mobile devices serving the telecommunications industry, and Verizon Wireless are encouraging consumers to visit Verizon Wireless Communications Stores to recycle their phones with HopeLine\u00ae, Verizon Wireless’ long-running phone recycling and reuse program. Phones recycled through HopeLine benefit and support survivors of domestic violence.<\/p>\n CWG is a global repurposing source for mobile devices that maintains a strict zero-landfill policy. All donated phones are given a second life through repair, refurbishment or environmentally sound recycling. Recycled phones are salvaged down to the component level for all reusable materials such as precious metals, plastics and glass. These materials can then be recycled into things like magnets, stainless steel, car bumpers, park benches, jewelry, dental fillings and musical instruments.<\/p>\n For more information on Verizon Wireless’ HopeLine program, visit www.verizonwireless.com\/hopeline<\/a>.<\/p>\n Target has launched permanent community recycling stations in all 1,740 stores to kick-off a month-long celebration of the 40th anniversary of Earth Day. Throughout the month, the celebration also includes the launch of an online eco-boutique where guests can find eco-friendly products and learn more about the company’s commitment to the environment, a month-long sweepstakes, a reusable bag giveaway and a unique Target circular.<\/p>\nKroger encourages customers to use fewer plastic bags and invites them to design a reusable shopping bag<\/h4>\n
Soles4Souls Inc. celebrates 40th anniversary of Earth Day with nationwide shoe recycling programs<\/h4>\n
Visit a Verizon Wireless Communications store to donate old phones to HopeLine<\/h4>\n
Target launches recycling stations in all stores<\/h4>\n