Living Amazing in 2012 with Goodwill

Goodwill is Green

Posted by Holly Hirsch on Apr 2, 2012 2:07:00 PM

Green Facts aboout Goodwill

Did you know that Goodwill is one of the greenest organizations on the planet? You may not realize it, but when you donate or shop at Goodwill, you set in motion a whole series of earth friendly activities. Every item you donate or purchase at a Goodwill store is one less item thrown away. It's instant recycling. What better time to take note of Goodwill's "reduce, reuse, recycle" message of environmental sustainability than Earth Month?

Goodwill kept 76,796,370 pounds of clothing and other items from going into landfills in 2011! These materials consisted of:

  • describe the image4,019,598 pounds of computers
  • 3,836,968 pounds of metal
  • 1,783,523 pounds of cardboard
  • 586,017 pounds of purses
  • 1,267,780 pounds of shoes
  • 4,005,079 pounds of books
  • 34,234,130 pounds of textile clothing
  • 3,461,293 pounds of televisions
  • 97,750 pounds of bicycles
  • 10,254 pounds of cell phones
  • 23,493,978 pounds of misc. items sold in stores

Donation Drives

Looking for a fun way to bring your community, school or friends together? One great way is to host your own donation drive! Not only are you recycling, and preventing items from going into landfills; you're also supporting Goodwill's mission that provides training and support for individuals with barriers to employment.

This helpful PDF from Goodwill Industries International provides simple and easy instructions on how to Organize a Donation Drive.


Show Off Your Green Side

If you donate to Goodwill or shop our stores, why not let others know how green you are? Below are iron-on templates to help you do that! One way to use them is to look to your closet and bring new life to a shirt you're no longer wearing. Add one of our templates to it give it a new look. Or, visit your local Goodwill to find a shirt you want to add a template to. Either way, you'll be "reducing" the amount of money you spend on clothing, "reusing" a shirt to bring it new life, and "recycling" to keep clothing out of landfills!

Iron-on Templates:

Instructions:

  • Print your template on "Iron-on Transfer Paper." Make sure you flip your design before printing (in the "edit" tab). It should read backward in order to transfer correctly.
  • Preheat your iron to the highest setting. Iron your shirt ahead of time to make sure it is smooth and to remove any moisture.
  • Position the transfer paper on your shirt with the design side down. Press your iron firmly over the transfer, and move in circular motions for 15-20 second intervals.
  • Remove the backing paper immediately after ironing, while the transfer is still hot, for a satin finish. Wait for the transfer to cool completely before removing, if you would prefer a glossy finish to the design.

Topics: Upcycling