2009 NM Recycling Awareness Month
New Mexico Recycling Awareness Month (NMRAM) is a state-wide annual event created to promote recycling, waste reduction, composting and buying recycled products. It is held in conjunction with the nationwide America Recycles Day campaign on November 15th. 

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2009 NMRAM
We offer support to November Recycling Awareness events in schools and in communities. Events include municipal-sponsored recycling drives, public awareness events at malls and stores, and employee education in private business and federal facilities. Last year 60 communities and schools held an educational event at either a school or public arena in New Mexico. We also continued our targeted outreach with the, "Get Caught Recycling in Santa Fe," incentives-based campaign in partnership with the City of Santa Fe.  The 2009 NMRAM targeted outreach campaign focuses on the City of Farmington.

We also encourage NMRAM participants to ask their community, county, business or organization to make the 33% by 2012 commitment. more

2009 NMRAM PARTICIPANTS INCLUDE:

Schools

Coordinators

RESOURCES FOR 2009

1) How to Start a School or Business Recycling Program (.pdf)

2) Reducing Waste and Buying Recycled in Schools (.pdf)

3) America Recycling pledge cards (which will not be a sweepstakes with prizes this year). Find online at www.americarecyclesday.org

Thank you to our 2009 Sponsors

*New Mexico Environment Department: Solid Waste Bureau *City of Farmington *Dex *Waste Management *PNM Resources *Intel Corporation

*Navajo Nation *Livingry Fund - The Tides Foundation *Keep America Beautiful *NM Public Education Department *Wal-Mart *Duggan Production Corp.

NMRAM 2009 Farmington Outreach and Awareness Campaign

NMRC has selected Farmington as our targeted city to assist in increasing recycling awareness and participation through outreach and education assistance. Farmington is the state’s most recent city to launch curbside recycling. The campaign will have multiple levels of targeted audiences to increase recycling, including the launch of a school recycling and recycling education program, print advertisement, public event recycling and news stories and grassroots outreach.   We are working closely with the City of Farmington, Waste Management, Navajo Nation, Farmington school district and Keep Farmington Beautiful to cooperatively support these endeavors.  We hope by letting residents know how easy it is to recycle and how to join the new curbside program that we will see a marked increase in recycling.

NMRAM 2008 Get Caught Recycling in Santa Fe
As part of the annual NMRAM campaign, NMRC selected Santa Fe for its 2008 targeted recycling awareness and education campaign with the incentives based, "Get Caught Recycling in Santa Fe" program.  Working in partnership with the City of Santa Fe Solid Waste Department and the Santa Fe Solid Waste Management Agency, NMRC will reward Santa Feans for recycling.

The program will worked like this:  Residents were inspired to recycle more because they have heard about this reward system.  Santa Fe City and County Residents and Businesses that put out their curbside recycling were randomly selected based on an address lottery system.  NMRC sent the selected individuals and businesses a letter in the mail commending them for recycling and explaining that they were “caught in the act” of recycling.   The reward of a gift certificate or similar item would be included within this letter.  A Massachusetts-based study noted that a reward as small as a free cup of coffee significantly boosted recycling rates.   The campaign includes a companion print media component.

NMRAM 2007 Greater Albuquerque Media Campaign

NMRC created a multi-media recycling awareness campaign aimed at the greater Albuquerque area, complete with in-town billboards, bus-sides, print, TV & radio advertisements and PSAs. The City of Albuquerque partnered in this campaign and will help launch the city's goals to become a Zero Waste community. Rio Rancho is another partner community with Keep Rio Rancho Beautiful, and awareness reached into this community as well. Mayor Martin Chavez served as spokesperson for our radio and TV PSAs. The campaign created a 20% increase in recycling tonnage.

Programs and Projects For Use in the Schools

Since 2004, we have worked directly with 166 K-12 schools throughout New Mexico, reaching more than 34,000 students! We have also awarded 25 schools with recycling bins to start their programs. Please note that the Recycling Bin Contest is not available this year. But look further down for the Keep New Mexico Beautiful grant program.

The Story of Stuff

This educational video is FREE to view online or $10 per DVD.  From its extraction through sale, use and disposal, all the stuff in our lives affects communities at home and abroad, yet most of this is hidden from view. The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute, fast-paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our production and consumption patterns. The Story of Stuff exposes the connections between a huge number of environmental and social issues, and calls us together to create a more sustainable and just world. It'll teach you something, it'll make you laugh, and it just may change the way you look at all the stuff in your life forever.  To view it and/or learn more go to www.storyofstuff.com

Buy Recycled and Reduce Waste in the Schools

In an effort to consider the principles of waste reduction and buying recycled in the school environment, we have developed a document with tips on buying products made from recycled-content and how to reduce waste in the classroom. Reducing Waste and Buying Recycled in Schools (.pdf). Also see more resources below on where to purchase recycled-content products.

Invite a Recycling Professional to Class or Visit a Recycling Center

There’s probably nothing more re-enforcing to students than to see or hear about the actual recycling process in their community and to have someone first-hand answer their questions. Contact your local solid waste division or recycling coordinator and ask them to visit your school or set up a visit to go to their recycling location.  Or check off that part on the form, so we can call or e-mail you contact information for a recycling coordinator in your area.  We know field trip budgets are tight.  To bring the tour into the classroom you might want to check out the great virtual tour of the Buckman Road Recycling & Transfer Station in Santa Fe at http://www.sfswma.org/virtualtours.html

Trash Audit – In Class Project

Perhaps one of the most effective classroom projects involves examining school trash cans to see what is being produced. Schools typically see large amounts of paper and cardboard in their waste streams.  You can create a percentage pie chart of trash “types” and figure out how much is actually recyclable.

Start your Recycling Collection Program with Cardboard Boxes from PNM

Free recycling boxes are available from PNM for use at events, schools, churches and nonprofit organizations. They can be used to collect daily recycling in buildings, or brought out for special events in your community. The boxes are 18" x 18" x 30". Go to www.PNM.com/environment and click on "Community Recycling Program".

Red Wriggler Teaching Manual Released

High Desert Worm Ranch, based in McIntosh New Mexico has released an educator's resource entitled "The Red Wriggler Teaching Manual". Manuals are available for $25 and target different study areas, from science, social studies, math and language arts. A complete educator's kit includes the manual, plastic bin, a 15-inch rubber worm,  a brick of coir, a pound of worms and is sold for $65. www.redwrigglerranch.com or call 505-384-5302.

EPA Planet Protectors

Although included in school kits who register for NMRAM, if you want to order your own set independently. You will find a 10-month Planet Protectors Club Calendar Kit. The kit is designed to teach children in Grades K-3 the concepts of reducing, reusing, and recycling, waste.
 

The Planet Protectors Club Calendar Kit contains a large, full-color poster for teachers or group leaders. Smaller versions of the poster may be ordered for each student/child in the classroom or group, along with a set of stickers to track progress in completing the activities. Simple, step-by-step instructions and a list of materials are included for each activity; most of which take less than an hour to complete.

From turning trash into treasure to identifying environmentally harmful products in the home, these hands-on activities provide 10-months of fun and education.

To order the large poster (EPA530-H-06-004) and the child's version with stickers (EPA530-H-06-005), go to www.epa.gov/epaoswer/osw/kids/ppcform.htm . You may also order by phone at 1-800-490-9198, by email at ncepimal@one.net , or by post mail addressed to U.S. EPA/NSCEP, P.O. Box 42419, Cincinnati, Ohio 45242-0419.

Go Green Initiative

The Go Green Initiative is a simple, comprehensive nationwide program designed to create a culture of environmental responsibility on school campuses across the nation. Founded in 2002, the Go Green Initiative unites parents, students, teachers and school administrators in an effort to make real and lasting changes in their campus communities that will protect children and the environment for years to come. Find out more online at www.gogreeninitiative.org .

Keep New Mexico Beautiful Grants

Also, Keep New Mexico Beautiful has small Grants available for schools for the purchase of recycling bins. Visit www.knmb.org or call 800-760-5662. Grants are due October 9, 2008.

Recycling Pledge

Invite students to fill out online a Recycling Pledge, committing them and hopefully their families to buy recycled products and improve their recycling efforts. We ask that you print your own pledge cards. This year will not be oriented as a contest, but simply as a commitment to make a difference by recycling!  You can find easy-to-follow directions for doing this on the America Recycles website at www.americarecyclesday.org

Backyard Composting 

You can also request a “Backyard Composting Made Easy” guide created by the New Mexico Environment Department: Solid Waste Bureau. Any school can create a compost bin for a science project, garden complement, or to compost cafeteria food scraps on a large scale. Contact Greg Baker at the following number or e-mail below. Or go online to www.recyclenewmexico.com/nmoro.htm to find an electronic version in English and Spanish.

Cash For Cans

Hold a recycling drive for cans in your school to raise funds. On this site, you can download a teacher's resource called "The Recycling Loop". Go to www.cancentral.com to learn more.

Elmers Glue Crew

Start recycling glue sticks and glue bottles at your school. www.elmersgluecrew.com

TerraCycle & Honest Kids™ Drink Pouch Brigade

Every year millions of drink pouches end up in garbage and landfills. Find out about a recycling program for these type of packages that can earn your school money. http://www.terracycle.net/dpb/

Biodegradable Service Ware Links:

Biocorp

NatureWorks

Recyclaholics

Recycled-Content Product Supplies & Procurement Links:

New Mexico Businesses:

Beck Office Systems (Albuquerque Recycled Office Furniture)

Vision Paper (Albq manufacturer of recycled-content papers)

UnityCenter/Phat Frames (Creates award/picture frames from wooden pallets)

JaiTire (shredded-tire fluff for playgrounds and athletic surfaces)

Other Resources:

Office Depot (Offers online catalog, carries paper/office products that have recycled-content - they will deliver free with minimum purchase anywhere in NM!)

Staples (Offers online catalog with recycled-content products. Also accepts computers, printers, digital cameras, cell phones, cartridges and rechargeable batteries for recycling)

Green Earth Office Supply

Sustainable Group (non-vinyl, recycled-content corrugated binders, three-rings)

Dolphin Blue

EcoProducts

Center for a New American Dream

EPA's Comprehensive Procurement Guidelines

EPA's Design for the Environment Program

EPA's Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Program

Energy Star

Environmental Choice

Green Seal

INFORM

Janitorial Products Pollution Prevention Program

See our the Links and Resources page for more Information