Do you know the Global Recycling Day and Earth Day?

Now many people feel deeply realize the importance of environment protection to the point that there isn’t any necessity to emphasize it. It is often mentioned on the news as well. However, do people really take action to protect the environment as much as they know its importance? That is not so in real life. It is great to recycle1 and upcycle2 goods, but there are not many who specifically know how to do it. People are passive about protecting the environment simply because they do not know how to do it, though they may be willing to protect the environment.

There are people who are asking citizens if they know the date of Global Recycling Day and the date of Earth Day. They are the American members of the Intl. WeLoveU Foundation. They planned a special event in celebration of Global Recycling Day on March 18 and Earth Day on April 22. That was “Upcyling Challenge 2021.” Through this, they encouraged people to participate in protecting the environment, and shared information on how to practice upcyling. They set the period of the challenge from Global Recycling Day to Earth Day, drawing interest from people in the environment.

The Challenge was carried out via social media. Each participant took photos of upcycled goods which he or she was previously going to discard, and posted them on the social media with a Hashtag [#]. And people could participate in the event simply by clicking the “like” button and informing their acquaintances of the event.

As the Challenge began, people who are interested in protecting the environment joined it. Through the social media, participants showed how to upcycle goods, and posted the photos of their upcycled products. One member showed a flower bed hung in the air, which he had made by putting together old pieces of wood and attaching a number of plastic bottle flower pots onto the wall. Participants found it very surprising to see how things that would actually be discarded were upcycled into new ones. They also shared their impressions, saying that they realized anyone could protect the environment as long as he had the will to act.

1 To reuse rubbish and waste for saving resources and preventing environmental pollution
2 To increase the value of recyclable clothes or garments by redesigning and making them useful

WeLoveUpcycling Webinar in Celebration of Earth Day

On the last day of the Challenge at 7 p.m., WeLoveUpcycling Webinar was held in celebration of Earth Day. Brynn, the host for the webinar, said that the Intl. WeLoveU Foundation was chosen as one of ten RecyclingHeros, and explained that it was all thanks to its constant contribution to recycling goods with great interest in environmental protection.

The webinar proceeded with a presentation from Katrina, the senior environmental educator of Ecomaine which educates schools and companies with an aim to reduce waste for creating sustainable Earth. She explained about Ecomaine’s programs where one could enjoy learning to distinguish recyclable or compostable goods from non-recyclable trash, and she added that 85%–90% of trash could actually be recycled or composted. The viewers attentively listened to Katrina’s explanation, and learned a lot about recycling goods.

Then, finally, the time everyone was waiting for came. It was time for selecting the best upcycled work. Five works that were wittily made with what would be discarded goods were chosen as the best. The five best works were children’s dress made with clothes that were either too small or flawed; flower pots made with odds and ends; floor mats made with rice bags and old bed sheets that were cut into pieces; a pencil case made with discarded pieces of wood; and a greenhouse of fairly large size which was made with discarded timber, window glasses, and doors. The one who made the greenhouse explained that it took a lot of plastics from construction sites to make it. The prize winners were each given a gift card worth 100 USD. It was sponsored by Home Depot, the largest home improvement retailer in the U.S.

Brynn, the host for the webinar, gave the prize winners big rounds of applause after announcing their works. The viewers expressed their will to continually take part in protecting the environment, leaving comments: “The webinar was very entertaining and informative,” “I was shocked to know how harmful it is for the environment when we throw away our food,” and “I will give it a second thought before throwing away wastes to find out if they are recyclable.”

Thirty-six days of Upcycling Challenge 2021 came to its end after the webinar. The WeLoveU members said they realized once again that they could make Earth sustainable only when they worked together. They promised to take the lead in protecting the environment, starting at their homes, and actively participating in every activity of the environmental movement of the WeLoveU.