In the News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

INTERVIEW AT MANOA ECO FAIR, SATURDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2007 FROM 11:00 AM TO 2:00 PM
Contact: Sabrina Clark
808.358.9190

THIS MAKE A DIFFERENCE DAY, DONATE YOUR HAND-HELD ELECTRONICS AND PRINTER CARTRIDGES TO LOCAL CHARITIES

Honolulu, HI October 20, 2007 -Want a simple way to help the planet and local charities this Make a Difference Day?  Instead of discarding your old hand-held electronics and printer cartridges in the trash, you can help make a difference by donating it to charity.  Project KOPEG (Keep Our Planet Earth Green) is helping local charities in Hawaii raise funds by recycling printer cartridges and all small electronics including:  cell phones, digital cameras, MP3 players, video game consoles, PDAs, and their accessories and rechargeable batteries.  All items are properly recycled on the mainland according to Environmental Protection Agency Standards. Charities are paid for inoperable items as well and this really helps keep the electronics out of the waste stream.   

Project KOPEG will be collecting electronics and printer cartridges at the Manoa Eco Fair at Manoa Valley District Park from 9:00 AM until 2:00 PM on Saturday October 20th.  All net proceeds will benefit local organizations such as:  Hawaii Food Bank, The Honolulu Zoological Society, Wild Dolphin Foundation, Aloha Medical Mission, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Honolulu, Breakthroughs for Youth, Goodwill Industries of Hawaii, Learning Hale Instructional Center, Moanalua High School, and Recycle Hawaii.   Sign-ups will be available for any groups looking to raise funds by recycling electronics.  Electronics recycling is a unique fundraiser because there is no selling or asking for monetary donations and people are willing to donate their unused electronics to charities.  There are no fees for running fundraiser through
Project Keep Our Planet Earth Green as even the shipping is covered. Project KOPEG is a zero landfill operation as all electronics and shipping materials are recycled. No electronics recycled through Project Keep Our Planet Earth Green will be processed in developing countries.

    
In 2005, Americans tossed out over 5.5 billion pounds of electronics according to the Environmental Protection Agency and this is a big concern for two reasons.  Firstly, many electronics contain hazardous or toxic substances such as lead and mercury.  For example, the cadmium from a single cellular phone is capable of polluting 158,200 gallons of water or the equivalent of 2.4 million cups of coffee or tea.   Secondly, electronic waste has value and should not be discarded.  The resources such as plastic, glass, and metal used in making  electronics can be refurbished and used again.  Energy can be saved by refurbishing electronics instead of having to manufacture them from raw materials.  By keeping electronics out of the rubbish, we can help keep help protect our environment and save energy.  Recycling electronics is a win-win situation for Hawaii's charities and
environment.  

For further information, contact Sabrina Clark at 808.358.9190.
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