Energy & Recycling

Recycling Power Energy and Recycling You already know that recycling helps keep tons of waste out of our landfills. But did you know that recycling helps save energy, too? The products we recycle, like pop cans, newspapers, glass and cardboard, are used to make new products. Companies that make new products from recycled material use 30 percent less energy. That's because they don't have to process the raw materials from scratch. For example, a company in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, called Cedar River Paper makes cardboard boxes by recycling paper products from all over the Midwest. If Cedar River Paper didn’t use recycled materials, they'd use up a lot of a trees – and a lot of energy to cut them down, transport them hundreds of miles and grind them into paper pulp. How can you help? Everything you recycle at home and school helps save energy and the environment - so keep up the good work! You can keep doing good when you’re buying things too. The next time you go to the store with your mom or dad, keep an eye out for products that say "Made from recycled..." on the package. And one more earth-friendly tip: be sure look for products that don't have a lot of extra packaging. It takes a lot of extra energy to make shrink-wrap, bubble paper and styrofoam peanuts – and most of it can’t be recycled. Try it yourself! Sometimes the best fun is homemade. If you can reuse something in the process, it’s all the better! Make Your Own: Recycled Toys Test your smarts! Try this fun game to see how much you know about saving energy: Energy-Smart House Note: Would you like to receive this newsletter via ecological, economical e-mail? Just let us know by sending us a message at secondnature@alliantenergy.com. Be sure to include "Second Nature E-Newsletter" in the subject line. Don't forget to include your name and service address. ©2004 Alliant Energy 107288 10M 3/04 JH Recycling fun and games Sometimes the fun is homemade. If you can reuse something in the process, all the better! D I R E C T I O N S : 1. Make a slit in the front of the laundry scooper (the side opposite the handle) and slide the ribbon through. Knot the ribbon inside the scoop, so it doesn’t slide through the slit. 2. Wad a piece of paper into a small ball. Wrap with a few rubber bands. Tie the loose end of the ribbon around the ball. Continue wrapping with rubber bands until the ball is the size you want. 3. Now, holding onto the handle of the scooper, try to flip the ball into the cup. You can make your ribbon longer or shorter by adjusting the knot on the inside of the scoop. S U P P L I E S : • 1 detergent scooper (the kind that comes in a box of dry detergent) • A string or ribbon, about 12 inches long • 1 big bag of rubber bands Biloquet D I R E C T I O N S : 1. Cut out the front panels of several cereal boxes, then cut each panel into pieces (start with just a few pieces, cut these into smaller pieces as you get better at the puzzles). 2. Put all the pieces into a big pot. 3. Without looking, take turns picking puzzle pieces from the pot. See who can assemble an entire puzzle first. Puzzle pot Eye-catching cereal boxes make colorful puzzles. Here’s a homemade puzzle game you can play with a friend. Biloquet is an ancient cup ‘n ball game. Make one yourself with a detergent scooper. D I R E C T I O N S : 1. Have an adult help you clean a number of small empty cans and tape the edges, if necessary, to make them safe. 2. Decorate the cans and glue them onto a sturdy background (a heavy piece of cardboard or plywood) in any arrangement you like. (Make a fun design.) 3. Assign a score to each can (2 points for the can closest to the player, for example, and 10 points for the hardest to reach). 4. Place the board on the floor and mark a place where players must stand. 5. Toss coins or buttons into the cans to score points. For math fun, try to score the closest to 10 without going over. Or toss dice into the cans and score the points of the target times the number on the dice. Can Can toss Save those cans of cat food! (Tuna cans, or any small cans will work.)