On Earth Day, April 22, 2009 the YWCA Greater Pittsburgh implemented our recycling program.
Mission
Our mission is to make recycling part of everybody's daily life. We want the staff at the YWCA Greater Pittsburgh to be conscious of the resources we use and the waste we create. It is both economically and environmentally beneficial for us to reduce waste and conserve resources. By providing a user-friendly recycling program and making resources available, we hope that recycling becomes a part of your daily life.
We will be recycling the following items:
- newspapers
- plastics
- soda cans
- glass bottles
- cardboard
- metal cans
- magazines
- junk mail
- phone books
- copier/office paper (any color)
- paperboard boxes
- toner cartridges
Did You Know?
- That the average American individual consumes 120 pounds of natural resources every day, and throws away 3 and 1/2 pounds of trash per day.
- An employee working at the YWCA Greater Pittsburgh for four years will have left about 5,000 pound of trash. Reducing consumption, reusing what can't be reduced, and recycling what can't be reused is the least we can do to protect our planet.
- Recycling one ton of paper saves 17 trees, two barrels of oil (enough to run the average car for 1,260 miles), 4,100 kilowatts of energy (enough power for the average home for six months), 3.2 cubic yards of landfill space, and sixty pounds of air pollution. Trash to Cash
- Americans throw away enough aluminum to rebuild our entire commercial fleet of airplanes every 3 months. Environmental Defense Fund
- About 80% of what Americans throw away is recyclable, yet our recycling rate is just 28%. Environmental Protection Agency
- Recycling creates 6 times as many jobs as landfilling. Colorado Recycles
- Recycling glass instead of making it from silica sand reduces mining waste by 70%, water use by 50%, and air pollution by 20%. Environmental Defense Fund
- Recycling just one aluminum can saves enough energy to operate a TV for 3 hours. Eco-Cycle
- Newspapers alone can take up as much as 13 percent of the space in US landfills. EPA, 2003
- If we recycled all of the newspapers printed in the U.S. on a typical Sunday, we would save 550,000 trees--or about 26 million trees per year. California Department of Conservation
Help spread the word by displaying the following signs:
With your support, the YWCA Greater Pittsburgh will be able to continue our work to empower women and eliminate racism in our community. Your support helps to cover the cost of our essential programs and services that make a difference in the lives of thousands of Pittsburgh area women and their families. Donate now using our secure online contribution form.
Click here to make a donation.
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Dr. Helen S. Faison Racial Justice Student Essay Contest
The annual essay contest for students in the sixth, seventh and eighth grades supports the mission of the YWCA - eliminating racism - by raising awareness about diversity among young people and acknowledging their search for ways to create racial harmony and equity.
Click here for more information, entry form, contest rules and lesson plan.
The Stand Against Racism is a movement of the YWCA that aims to eliminate racism by raising awareness through its annual event. On April 30, 2010, the YWCA Greater Pittsburgh will hold an event to support the YWCA's Stand Against Racism.
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A Tribute To Women Leadership Awards Luncheon
The A Tribute to Women Leadership Awards recognize and honor women from the Greater Pittsburgh area who have demonstrated excellence and leadership in the workplace and in the community.