Our Take on Green

We want to start this blog post out with a quick poll. You can choose not to participate, but we’d love it if you did!

If you answered “throw it away,” you could be in big trouble come January 1.

Businesses (and homeowners) in Illinois will be prohibited from sending old electronic equipment to landfills. While there is currently a law in effect that requires some of that electronic material to be recycled, the new regulation adds more equipment to the list, and creates bigger penalties for businesses that do not comply.

How big are these penalties? Currently the fine for violating the Illinois e-waste recycling law is $1,000 per incident. Once January rolls around, however, the fines will be increased to $7,000 for each violation. You may be thinking to yourself, “$7,000 isn’t much money in the grand scheme of things.” While that may be true, it seems pointless to accept a penalty when it’s so simple to safely and lawfully dispose of your material.

Because these laws require manufacturers to recycle a certain percentage of the equipment they sell, most will have a program in place for you to return used equipment. Since businesses and buildings go through electronic equipment more often, and in greater numbers than a homeowner does, these programs aren’t always ideal for them. Luckily, there are recycling companies (like EverLights) that make recycling e-waste safe and easy for businesses.

Our e-waste recycling process guarantees all of your information is safely disposed of. Before materials are shredded, all the information is wiped from your hard drives, ensuring nobody will ever get their hands on it. Once your information is removed, the materials go through a shredding and smelting process to break them down into their original forms. The “new” material is then sent off to manufacturers who use it to create new equipment, including electronics. Once the process is complete, we’ll send you a certificate of recycling, proving that your materials were recycled following all regulations.

If you’re not recycling electronic equipment at your office or building, you should be. Not only is it the right thing to do, but it’s also required by law. Plus it’s really easy.

We’re more than happy to answer any questions you might have about this topic. Feel free to give us a call any time at (877) 934-9873 or send an email to info@everlights.com and we’ll help you out.

With Earth Day fast approaching (April 22), we’re getting really excited to see what some other businesses and organizations around the country have in store for us. The Earth Day Network has a campaign called “A Billion Acts of Green.” The program is designed to encourage people and businesses around the world to take the pledge to go green and help celebrate Earth Day. There are only 12 days left until Earth Day, and the Earth Day Network has almost reached its goal of 1 billion pledges. We encourage you to log on to www.earthday.org and take the pledge today. Once you’ve done that, consider participating in one of the following Earth Day events. Even doing one small thing can make a huge difference.

Earth Day on the National Mall

If you’re in the Washington, D.C. area, this event is the place to be. From noon until 7 p.m. a rally will be held on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Tens of thousands of environmentally-conscious people from all walks of life and all parts of the country are expected to participate and they will be joined by civic leaders and celebrities for this incredible Earth Day event.

A few highlights of the event:

•   Free and open to the public
•   Top musical talent (Sting and John Legend performed in 2011)
•   Prominent speakers and celebrities
•   Youth rally and voter registration
•   Live news coverage, global webcast
•   Renewable energy demonstrations
•   Non-profit and embassy booths
•   Interactive exhibits

For more information visit the event page.

5K For Earth Day

Here’s a fun event that those of you in the Chicago area might be interested in.

Please join Green Dot Environmental as they celebrate their 3rd Annual 5K for Earth Day presented by Merchants Banc on Saturday, April 21, 2012. Beginning with a family friend 5K run/walk, the race will culminate at the Humboldt Park boat house with a free Green Living Expo including great music, family entertainment, delicious food, exciting vendors and shopping, environmental education and fun for the whole family. Stop by this fun event if you’re in the area on Saturday, April 21 and learn about a number of ways to “go green.” Race participants will each receive a free t-shirt and recyclable tote bag.

For more information, visit www.earthday5kchicago.com.

Earth Day E-Waste Recycling Drives

After participating in the Earth Day celebration by hosting events in our own community the last few years, EverLights decided to expand its reach. This year, EverLights will celebrate Earth Day by hosting a number of E-Waste recycling drives across the city. We wanted to take the things we’ve been doing well in our own community, and make an impact on a larger audience by doing something similar in downtown Chicago. By setting up shop in the lobby of our partner buildings, we will be providing the tenants and visitors with a convenient location to bring old electronics, while also giving them a forum to ask any questions they might have about e-waste or fluorescent lamp recycling. Listed below is our calendar of events from April 16 – April 23.

Date: Monday, April 16, 2012

Time: 9 a.m. – Noon

Address: 70 E. Lake Street

Date: Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Time: 9 a.m. – Noon

Address: 815 W. Van Buren

Date: Thursday, April 19, 2012

Time: 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Address: 303 E. Wacker

Date: Friday, April 20, 2012

Time: 9 a.m. – Noon

Address: North Shore Hospitals (Evanston, Glenbrook, Highland Park, Skokie)

Date: Monday, April 23, 2012

Time: 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Address: 111 S. Wacker

Please direct any questions about the e-waste recycling drives to EverLights by calling (877) 934-9873.

On April 22, 2012, people across the globe will be participating in the 42nd annual Earth Day celebration. Earth Day was originally created to generate awareness and appreciation of our natural environment. In 1970, Earth Day was celebrated for the first time in San Francisco and a few other cities around that area. Since then, it has gained international recognition and is celebrated by more than 500 million people in 175 countries each year.

In years past, EverLights has participated in Earth Day events in our local community, such as 5k walks, e-waste recycling drives and local park clean-ups. While we are very proud of our past efforts to help improve the environment, we decided it was time to take it one step further. This year, EverLights will celebrate Earth Day by hosting a number of E-Waste recycling drives across the city. We wanted to take the things we’ve been doing well in our own community, and make an impact on a larger group by doing something similar in downtown Chicago. By setting up shop in the lobby of our partner buildings, we will be providing the tenants with a convenient location to bring old electronics, while also giving them a forum to ask any questions they might have about e-waste recycling.

We were very fortunate to find two buildings to help us hold our inaugural e-waste recycling Earth Day program. Our great partners at Lowe Construction & Management Company will help us celebrate by allowing us to collect e-waste in their lobby on two separate days during the week leading up to Earth Day.

Calendar of Events

Date: Monday, April 16, 2012

Time: 9 a.m. – Noon

Address: 70 E. Lake Street

Date: Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Time: 9 a.m. – Noon

Address: 815 W. Van Buren

Date: Thursday, April 19, 2012

Time: 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Address: 303 E. Wacker

Date: Friday, April 20, 2012

Time: 9 a.m. – Noon

Address: North Shore Hospitals (Evanston, Glenbrook, Highland Park, Skokie)

Date: Monday, April 23, 2012

Time: 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Address: 111 S. Wacker

On each of these days you will find EverLights in the lobby of the building listed. We will be on hand with a box to place the e-waste in, informational materials about e-waste recycling laws and other recycling regulations, and a free Earth-friendly giveaway for all participants.

The cost of recycling will be covered by the buildings, so tenants can recycle as much as they would like at no cost to them.

Come on out and help EverLights celebrate Earth Day by recycling your old electronics. Not only will you be helping the environment by recycling, but we’ll also give you a free gift to take home. Want to know what it is? Stop by our event and find out!

For more information about the Earth Day events, or for lamp and ballast recycling information, contact us at (877) 934-9873 or by email at info@everlights.com.