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We all have excuses that prevent us from doing what we know we “should” be doing.

Does it sound something like “It doesn’t affect me” or “It doesn’t interest me….I just can’t get into all this crazy “green” stuff!” or “I can’t turn around without having someone jump down my throat about finding a “green” way to do it!” ?

An easy way to start preserving your planet, and therefore your life and all the things that affect and interest you, is to approach it from the angle of something you enjoy! I dreaded the thought of writing this article until someone suggested connecting it to my interests.

Some of my interests, for example, include jewellery making, pets, and fitness. How does this relate in any way to my job at Thriftopia.com, a computer recycling company?

Well, working here has really got me thinking about recycling of all sorts. I love to use this very computer that I am typing on to research all I can get my sticky little paws on about the topics I enjoy, so I figured I might as well find out about how recycling connects to it all. Now I do have a university degree and have done my fair share of researching, but the skills that I use don’t extend beyond basic computer and internet skills.

I have made Google my friend – it does almost all the work and I get to soak up interesting stuff like a sponge. Spend a couple of hours sifting through the results and you will find yourself glued to the screen… far from uninterested.

To give you an idea of what I found, let’s take my most favourite topic in the world – jewellery making. Off to Google I went, and typed in various phrases such as “recycled jewellery projects”. I was amazed by all that came up. Here are just a few results that I decided to bookmark.

• http://www.greenkarat.com/about/about.asp
  The people at greenKarat want to “end destructive gold and diamond mining… [and] believe that widespread and permanent change will ultimately occur through the voice of consumer buying decisions.” They even will make recycled gold jewellery for you out of your old pieces. Interesting stuff!

  Be sure to check out their Philosophy page too. That last part about ethics being embedded in the end product is a real thought provoker. Think back to Patrick’s articles about OES (Ontario Electronics Stewardship) and the issue surrounding responsibility when it comes to disposal of waste electronics. If ethics are embedded in products from the start then (in my opinion), the solution to all this e-waste must involve the manufacturers. And that goes for recycling of anything. You must go as far downstream as you can in order to nip something in the bud.

http://www.refugeecrafts.com/ – Here’s an interesting way to recycle and reuse! Send unwanted beads, perhaps from old jewellery that can be taken apart and reused, to help refugee women become self-sufficient! Take a look at this website to see a list of what they need and where to send it.

· http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?board=15.0 – One of my most favourites! Craftster is an amazing collection of forums related to crafts of all sorts. This is a link to a forum about reconstructed jewellery which means made entirely out of reused/recycled things! How fun!!!! There are some incredibly creative people there.

· http://www.beadjewelryblog.com/computer-keyboard-bead-jewelry/- Hmm….what to do with the bits and pieces kicking around here at work (sometimes a few pieces jump out of the boxes before they get sent on in the recycling process and they end up in my lap….shhhhh!)? Well here’s a fun solution to all those keyboards!

The insides of computers are really neat looking too but be careful! As you may have read in some of Patrick’s articles, circuitry inside computers contains some nasty things such as lead (a neurotoxin – something that can harm your brain!) so you may want to think twice before you play around with these pieces.

You see issues related to recycling DO affect you, and it isn’t so crazy or even that hard to get started with. Just take an interest in finding out more about the things around you and in your life. These days it’s bound to take you back to recycling, pollution, or something along those lines. Think about how things are connected. For example, we at Thriftopia believe in the possibility that the dumping of e-waste near China’s rice patties contributes to the contamination of food which is exported to us, not only through its mere presence, but also through the dangerous processing methods (such as burning and acid baths which spew out pollution and chemical run-off) that the poor and desperate people resort to, to make a living.

How does this relate to my love of jewellery? Who knows, there are probably endless connections. Think about all the jewellery that is made in China. Maybe my next research mission should be about what’s involved in the manufacture of imported jewellery from China.

There are so many sayings about knowledge – knowledge is power, knowledge is the first step. Remember those anti-drug campaigns on TV with the slogan “The more you know” – cheesy as those commercials may be, their message is true of everything in our lives.

My name is Tammy and I am a manager of Thriftopia.com. I am also one of the company founders. This is my my second post (my first was called Tammy’s Rant), hopefully there will be many more to come!