November 15th is America Recycles Day. Who knew? I did! And isn’t that why you come to read this blog? So you can learn about new days to celebrate your shades of green? Besides, this is a day all for you to clean up your act - environmentally speaking anyway.

For 11 years, millions of Americans have taken a stand every year on this day, pledging to increase their recycling habits at home and work and to buy products made with recycled materials. Have you taken the pledge yet?

In 2007, more than 63 million tons of municipal wastes were recycled, a mild increase from the year before. But we can absolutely do better. In the same year, it is estimated that only 60% of Americans had access to curbside recycling programs. While those of you in the Northeast and Midwest have relatively extensive access to recycling, those in the South have been left in the dust. Southern states have the least accessible recycling programs in the United States. Take the next step and organize a recycling program in your area if there isn’t already one.

Most people know that recycling programs generally accept paper, glass, some plastics, and aluminum. But many of these programs are increasing the variety of plastics and other items they are willing to take. If it has been a while since you visited the website of your municipal program’s website, take a minute and look at the list of items that they accept. Some municipalities are accepting nursery flower pots, cat litter plastic buckets, and even the lids of bottles and containers (did you even know that lids weren’t always accepted?).

Recycling is about more than just emptying a container and putting it in a bin, though. Recycling also includes disposing of hazardous wastes and compostable items appropriately. Before you throw away those medications, half empty cans of old paint, and old pesticides, check with your local government to see if they have a facility which accepts them. We might think landfills are out of sight out of mind, but what seeps into the ground underneath them can sometimes end up in our waterways and groundwater - water we may be using for drinking.

If you already recycle your basics, take the next step and seek out ways to compost your organic materials. True, not everyone has a backyard ready for a composter, but if you do, take advantage. By separating out your food wastes and yard clippings into a compost pile you can create soil rich in nutrients. For all those apartment dwellers, consider seeking out a space where you can start a communal compost pile or make friends with a house-dweller who will lend you some land. Or, if you are really into it, consider purchasing an electric composter suited to apartment living.

Recycling is one of the easiest ways you can help reduce your carbon footprint. Did you know that by recycling one aluminum can, enough energy is saved to run a TV for three hours? Reusing and recycling the materials we use not only saves energy, it also saves raw materials and helps generate needed resources to make other new products.

So how many of you recycle outside of your home? Raise your hand. Not too many I see. There is a simple reason for that - there are just not enough municipal programs which provide public recycle bins so residents can recycle-on-the-go. Only a handful of cities have bins on street corners, and I am always flabbergasted when I’m visiting a city that does. Without recycling-on-the-go programs that are accessible and eye-catching, we won’t ever be able to get all those disposable water bottle drinkers to recycle! If your city doesn’t have an on-the-go program, take the initiative to bring recyclables home with you in your trusty reusable bag. It’s simple to grab a coke at the local convenience store, drink it on the go and throw the bottle in your bag so it can be recycled when you get home.

Better yet, if you live in one of the eleven states that have passed bottle bills and offer container deposits, take your bottles and cans back and reap the financial benefits. The best part of living in Vermont (a bottle bill state) was throwing a party and making a few bucks off all the empty bottles and cans. It’s important to note though, that these programs would be significantly more effective if they kept up with inflation. For the most part there have not been any significant increases in the deposit amounts and most of the laws were enacted and implemented in the late 70s and early 80s. Without updates to these laws and broader implementation in every state, the effectiveness of bottle bills can only reach so far.

Take a moment to think about your recycling habits and make some goals for the coming year which can encourage you to reduce, reuse, and recycle more. Write your recycling resolution for 2009 in the comments section below.

It’s my first post for BeGreenMinded.com so it seems only fitting that I give all my new readers a gift for making it through this post. Sound too good to be true? Its not.

We all know about the federal tax credit the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and many states, offer to consumers who purchase certain hybrid vehicles. What you might not know is that similar tax credits and rebates are available for many other green-minded initiatives you might already be doing in and around your own house.

Ok, so you caught me, the gift isn’t really from me, precisely. But, by utilizing the following information, you might just find yourself basking in the glow of a rebate check or tax refund - and if that’s not a great gift, I don’t know what is!

Energy Star is more than just a cute logo- it could be your ticket to cash in your pocket
Did you know that there are more than 40,000 product models carrying the Energy Star logo and that Americans saved $12 billion on their energy bills by purchasing Energy Star products? Contact your local and state governments to find out if they offer rebates for purchasing certain Energy Star products, especially your major appliances like washers, TVs, and refrigerators.

Hitting up your power company might pay for a quiet dinner out with your sweetie
In Austin, Texas, the local power company offers rebates for purchasing and installing a variety of energy efficient technologies. As strange as it may seem, it benefits power companies to encourage their customers to be energy-wise. Sure they aren’t making that extra buck off of you, but with more energy usage comes the need to increase the amount of energy available and thus, build more power plants - an expensive venture for everyone involved. Do your research before you purchase your next air conditioning system and you could get a rebate for making the energy-efficient choice.

Think you can’t afford solar panels… think again
Federal, state and local rebates can significantly reduce the set-up and equipment costs of installing solar panels on your home. This isn’t just for Californians either. More than 75% of states offer rebate programs to residents interested in getting off the grid and 44% of the country offer tax incentives. Best of all, the federal government just extended their rebate program!

Planning to improve your home in 2009 might pay off
Energy Star isn’t just about the home appliances and electronics you purchase. The program will include some home improvements in 2009 which can help reduce all of your energy bills.

Increasing the water table and decreasing your pollution runoff could payoff
Its not all about energy efficiency, though. In Montgomery County, Maryland, the county government offers rebates to residents who help recreate natural ecosystems to help soil capture and filter rain water, which prevents pollution runoff and erosion, while also recharging groundwater supplies. These projects can be as simple as adding rain barrels to the end of a home’s drainpipes to creating detailed rain gardens. Learn more about the program and encourage your municipality to implement similar programs by sharing these ideas with your elected officials.

The federal, state and local governments have all realized the benefits of voluntary programs aimed at corporate partners, but over the last few years, they have also realized the benefits for individuals and households. Rewarding positive individual consumer behavior today equates to environmental benefits for years to come - and of course the short lived excitement of crisp cash.

Check out the video above to watch Obama explain in his own words how his energy policy will effect you (and the rest of the world). It’s a speech he gave to the people at MoveOn.org, so it’s presumably a little slanted to the left, but it’s a decent all-around talk. Here are two final points that he’d like to see realized during his presidency:

• Implement an economy-wide cap-and-trade program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent by 2050.
• Make the U.S. a Leader on Climate Change.

A trip to the local oil change business, here is Buggy Bath, and a question about the charge for reclaiming the oil gave a delightful surprise.

The owner said that the used oil removed from cars is processed and used to heat their building.

Three cheers for recycling and putting to good use.  Do you know what happens to your used oil?   Ask.

Welcome to Part III of my series on Obama’s energy plan. This section is going to focus on Obama’s ideas for decreasing the unemployment rate by focusing on creating jobs—Green jobs, specifically. This will not only help get the economy going again (and we all know that needs a jumpstart!), but will also decrease our collective carbon footprint. Here are some of his goals:

• Ensure 10 percent of Our Electricity Comes from Renewable Sources by 2012, and 25 percent by 2025.
• Deploy the Cheapest, Cleanest, Fastest Energy Source – Energy Efficiency.
• Weatherize One Million Homes Annually.
• Develop and Deploy Clean Coal Technology.
• Prioritize the Construction of the Alaska Natural Gas Pipeline.