Next time you need a new phone, you don’t need to go to your wireless carrier’s store and spend a lot of money on a product that is not eco-friendly. Instead, go to Zendoo. Zendoo is an online store that sells used cellphones. Their mission is to reduce, reuse, and then recycle. Zendoo purchases used cell phones and then sells them on their website. With this sort of business, there is less of a demand for brand new cell phones which require virgin materials and lots of energy, perfectly good cell phones get reused, and broken cell phones get recycled in the most proper way to prevent harmful toxins from entering our environment. Zendoo cell phones are even shipped in recycled packaging with eco-friendly soy ink print. For more about Zendoo’s environmental efforts, check out their page called Cell Phones and the Environment.

They offer cellphones from all major service carriers for a fraction of the price (from LG and Nokia to iPhones). Each cell phone has a ranking system that lets you know whether the phone is worth your money or not, and each cell phone is tested by at least three employees to ensure customer satisfaction. The best feature is certainly the fact that you don’t need to sign a contract to purchase these phones. Once you pay, the phone is yours: no strings attached. Zendoo even has a 100% customer satisfaction guarantee.

Need an extra incentive to reuse or recycle your old cell phone or iPod? This is the best one we can find. You can trade in your old cell phone or Apple iPod for an Amazon.com gift certificate with the Flipswap Trade-Ins program. This program will first try to reuse the phone or its parts, and it if is not at all functional, they will recycle the product and plant a tree for every phone recycled. Amazon.com and Flipswap Trade-Ins meet ISO 9001 and 14001 certified recycle standards, and will therefore make this trade-in as green as possible.

All you need to do is value your device  (our LG Dare phone is currently valued as a $97 Amazon.com gift certificate), send your device and confirmation (shipping is free to you, paid by Amazon.com) and in about three weeks you will receive your Amazon.com gift card via e-mail (saves on paper)! If your phone or iPod is so damaged that it retains no value, you are still being green by recycling your cell phone or iPod.

Tips:

• When sending your device, make sure you do not waste too much paper on packaging. Try using recycled products!
• Be honest when filling out the valuation form. The valuation form is only an estimate. You will receive a gift certificate based on their review of your device.
• Send multiple devices at once. You can even include accessories. This will require less shipping over time.

For other ways to recycle your cell phones and iPods check out these articles: How to Recycle Your Old Apple Products and How to Recycle Your Old Cell Phones. To learn how to package your cell phone correctly check out this article: Green Your Packaging.

Do you need an extra incentive to help you recycle more, or do you want to see what you are doing for the environment by recycling? If you answered yes, then you need the Recycling Widget from WM Waste Management.

WM has started a Think Green campaign to show us how recycling works and why it is important to recycle. As a part of their campaign they came up with the Recycling Widget, to get you to recycle even more. For example, if you input how many aluminum, plastic, and glass bottles and how many pieces of paper you have recycled over a certain period of time, the widget will calculate for you how many hours of TV you have powered simply by recycling.  You can keep track of how much you  have recycled over time and even share this information with your friends. The widget is available for most emails, social websites, and blogs!

Go download the widget and see what you have done by recycling! Think Green!

We all know that we should recycle our glass containers since glass is one of the best and easiest materials to recycle. However, what about reusing the glass containers instead of wasting more energy to just recycle the glass?

We recently went to a coffee shop that served drinks in reused glass jars. At first it seemed a little odd, but when you think about it, why not? A glass, or a cup, is nothing more than a container. Why bother buying glasses when you can get them for free?

The only drawback with this method is that your glasses won’t always match and your guests might think you are a little cheap. This brings you up to the second step: letting them know why you decided to use old jars as glasses. They’ll understand and might apply the same method at their homes when they realize how green it is. Maybe you could even start a new trend with this unconventional style.

Give your home a unique touch! Let’s make this the next fashion statement!

Target.com now has an eco-friendly shopping page! As Target partners with Together.com, they provide easy ways for their customers to save money, energy, and the climate. At Target, you can choose from numerous affordable eco-friendly products such as reusable bags, recycled material dining and home decor, bamboo furniture, kitchen and bath products, and natural beauty products for the whole family.

Target stores also have a recyling initiative. You can recycle old batteries and cell phones at the guest services counter at any target store. The proceeds will go to Boys and Girls Clubs of America!

Making eco-friendly shopping easier with one eco-friendly store at a time…Shop Green!

How many times have you thrown a working device away, or an old chair that still looked half decent? This waste should be stopped! Freecycle offers a service that makes it easy to find someone that wants your soon-to-be trash. It also works the other way, when you want to acquire something for free. All you have to do is join a group near you. You’ll then be able to receive emails of what people are giving away and also post what you have to offer. This nonprofit organization does not charge you a cent for this service and you’ll be surprised at what people were going to throw away.

So now is the time to clear out that garage, basement or whatever storage “system” you have. We will soon be listing a laptop for the Lowell, MA group.

We at EcoYourself.com put together 10 easy ways for our readers to become greener today, without spending a lot of time or money. Living green should not be a hassle, but a lifestyle. more…