At YouRenew, we were pretty bummed when Chicago lost to Rio De Janeiro, Brazil in the race to host the 2016 Olympics (our co-founder Bob is from Chicago). But after revealing the 2010 gold, silver and bronze medals last week, the International Olympic Committee has completely redeemed itself.


The new medals for the 2010 Vancover Winter Olympics will contain metal recovered from used electronics. On October 15, the organizers of the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games unveiled the new medals designed by Canadian Aboriginal Artist Corinne Hunt.


Teck Resources, a Vancover based metal company, is supplying the 2.05 kilograms of gold, 1,950 kg of silver and 903 kg of copper used in the production of the medals, much of it coming from end-of-life electronics.


“Our employees worldwide are honored to supply the metals for the medals that will be cherished by the world’s best winter athletes in 2010,” said Teck’s President and CEO Don Lindsay. “We’re also excited that these medals will contain recycled metal recovered from end-of-life electronics, consistent with the sustainability philosophy of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.”


The medals are hand crafted and feature a wavy design that is meant to “evoke British Columbia’s mountains, ocean and snow”. They took two years to complete and are among the heaviest medals in Olympic and Paralympic history.


According the Vancover Winter Olympics website, the pride associated with winning the medals is meant to be shared and symbolizes a life’s accomplishment.


I think the Olympic committee deserves their own medal for their work to create a more environmentally conscious ceremony and sustainable planet.

There’s no doubt about it, using your cell phone while driving is a bad habit.

According to the American Automobile Association, people who text while driving are 50 percent more likely to be involved in an accident. It’s probably not a gamble many of us would gladly take, yet many of us can’t seem to keep our hands on the wheel when we hear the sound of an incoming call or text. Curiosity and poor planning gets the better of us.

To combat this very issue, Illume Software has announced the creation of iZUP, a cell phone application that would disable your phone while you’re driving.

The application would help drivers stay focused by holding all text messages, calls and emails while the car is in motion. iZUP uses GPS technology to determine if a person is driving and then forwards all calls to voicemail and holds text messages until the driver stops the car and can read and respond safely.


iZUP does make a few exceptions for outbound calls. Drivers can call 911 and authorized numbers, such as a parent’s cell phone.
The first version of the phone application will be available in October. The application requires a subscription. According to Fox News, it will cost $4.95 a month or $5.95 for a family plan.

Nevertheless, iZUP has the potential to do really well. I am guilty of the occasional text and drive too, and like most bad habits, a tool like this would be very helpful to stop the urge to read texts.

Plus, it saves users the hassle of putting their phones on silent before getting into the car.

The only problem I foresee is frustration for the passenger in the car. If the car is moving, will passengers with iZUP not be able to text too?

Additionally, cell phone providers could offer this application built in to phones and include the price in the monthly bill.
My guess is that parents, lawmakers and cell phone users alike will be very interested in an application that makes safe driving easy and mandatory for all.

A few Thursdays ago, I wrote a post about whether shopping online or shopping in stores was better for the planet. The results were inconclusive; it depends on where you live.

In short: yes it’s better to shop online if you live in the suburbs; but not if you live in the city.

Today I stumbled across a great new site where you can buy household products and have them delivered free to your door; a great resource for all you suburbanites looking to reduce your carbon emissions.

The website is called Alice.com

The website is more than just a place to buy household products of course. They give out coupons, keep track of what you buy and how many people you buy for and help you budget your spending by comparing to other Alice community shoppers.  They also alert you when you’re running low on a certain item and make it easy for you to restock your supply. Everything is bundled into one box and shipped to your door. You don’t ever have to drive down to the store again just for a roll of toilette paper.

Tech Crunch did a feature on the site today and mentioned that Alice.com had raised 4 million in investment capital.  So it looks like other’s agree with me that this is a great idea.

The website doesn’t have everything. So far it seems like a big online pharmacy or drug store. But there is certainly room for expansion and it looks like adding more food, household items or electronics might be an easy transition. Tech Crunch seems to agree. “As we wrote in our review, we think Alice.com has potential to take off thanks to competitive pricing, a well-understood business model (the site makes money via advertising) and experienced entrepreneurs at the helm of the startup,” Leena Rao wrote.

My favorite feature is their green and organic filter, which allows you to only shop for earth friendly products all in one spot.

Since I don’t have a car, finding nearby grocery stores that carry my organic favorites is hard. This seems like the perfect solution to get the products I love without hitching a ride 100 miles to Wild Harvest in my roommate’s gas guzzling 1993 SUV.

I created my account today, now I just have to wait until I run out of deodorant and toothpaste.

Here at YouRenew.com, we love recycling (in case you hadn’t noticed!).

We also love people who recycle! We know we couldn’t do what we do without a great group of people who care about the planet, so we’re making sure they are recognized.

No matter how small the act, recycling and reuse take commitment. We want to extend a big thank you to all those who try to make the earth a cleaner place to live by recycling, reusing and reducing their waste.

We’ve decided to feature some of the super recyclers that are making the world a greener place each Friday in our Recycler of the Week post.

Today we’ve chosen Nanette a 54-year-old collections specialist from Herndon Virginia as our Recycler of the Week and asked her a few questions. Check out her interview below!

If you could change one thing about the world, what would it be? That’s a tough one. I would encourage people to love nature and really think about what they’re doing with their trash. We need to look outside of ourselves in this world and see how we affect our environment and the people around us.

Did you grow up in an environmentally conscious household? Not really but we were poor. My first job was at 14 doing sewing projects for some of my teachers. I learned that I could stretch my money further by buying used clothes and records from thrift stores. It was a side benefit that I was recycling. It started a good habit for life. I also donate some used items to charity.

What do you like to do in your free time? What is free time? Actually I like to listen to music and dance.

What is your favorite place? Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Actually any beach that is clean.

What is your favorite recycling tip or trick? Don’t buy pre-packaged water bottles. Get a cool looking bottle and wash and refill it over and over. In fact, buy two or three. Recycle and replace them when you need to. You’ll save money, too!

What else have you recycled besides electronics? Furniture, plastic bottles, storage containers, cans, bottles, clothing.

What is the one bad eco-habit you just can’t seem to quit? I sometimes drive less than a mile instead of walking.

Why do you choose to recycle? Because the earth is pretty full of trash already and it saves money!

Who are your heroes and mentors? My heroes are: Mother Teresa, Abraham Lincoln, John F Kennedy and Susan B Anthony. My mentors have been my brother Thad and my Father. They gave me a strong work ethic and lots of love. Another mentor is my friend Sarah who is all about thrift store shopping and conserving resources!

Why did you decide to use YouRenew? First because they responded quickly to me with a quote and who knew they were so nice? How awesome is it that they have a Director of Customer Experience? And they provided the postage for me to ship my item.

Favorite quote: You are the Master of your fate, the Captain of your soul (William Ernest Henley)

Thanks again to Nanette for living green!

If you know someone who should be our recycler of the week, contact Alysa@yourenew.com and tell her their story!

We all know how wonderful it is to have wireless internet. You can go just about anywhere you please and hang out with your computer. That is, until you realize you still need to be close enough to an outlet to power your laptop. All that wireless for nothing!

Luckily, this problem might not exist for much longer. Electricity may be headed for a cordless future if the latest invention from a company called WiTricity catches on.

WiTricity has created wireless electricity with a device that converts electricity into a magnetic field and sends it through the air to power devices nearby.

Eric Giler, CEO of WiTricity, has predicted that devices may start shedding their power cords within a year.
The power wouldn’t just extend to cell phones and laptops, but to televisions, phones, radios, even toasters!

All of this would be possible through technology called “magnetically coupled resonance.” According to CNN.com, magnetically coupled resonance sends a magnetic field through the air at a specific frequency that an enabled phone or TV can pick up and turn back into electricity. It works kind of like sound, CNN said. “Think about how an opera singer can break a wine glass if he sings at just the right frequency.”

CNN also had a great video on the subject, which I posted below. One of the reporters brought up a good point when he said “if it’s strong enough to send electricity through the air and charge the blackberry on my hip…what’s it doing to my brain!?”

Apparently, that isn’t going to be a problem. Scientists who created the product say it doesn’t emit radiation so safety isn’t a big concern. But the concern will undoubtedly be one of the roadblocks to adoption for this new technology. People are going to be wary about the potential negative health effects.

Scientists involved in the project are predicting wireless electricity will be the norm in 5 years and powering TVs, lamps and other electronics with cords will be a thing of the past. It seems we have a bright future in store for us!