Recycle your E-Waste

As fast as technology advances these days, it's awful easy to stock pile old cell phones, TVs and computers. But don't just throw them away! Americans toss about 2 million tons of "e-waste" each year, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Those heaps of electronics won't biodegrade anytime soon, plus they're leaching lead, arsenic, mercury, cadmium, and other toxic elements into the environment, putting us at risk for nervous system and reproductive diseases.

Recycling Computers: If your computer is less than 5 years old and in working condition, consider donating it (and peripherals) to a non-profit organization like Rainforest Biodiversity Group. RBG will gladly take older, functioning laptops and give them to students or adults who need them in Costa Rica.

For more decrepit computers, call the store where you plan to purchase an upgrade. Many manufacturers, such as Dell and Apple, recycle their own brands for free.

For guaranteed recycling, Staples recycles any computer or printer, no matter what condition, for $10.

Cell Phones: Donate your cell phone to the Wireless Foundation's Call to Protect program (wirelessfoundation.org/calltoprotect for more info).

Other options: greenphone.com will purchase your phone and plant a tree for every phone it recycles!

Televisions: Sony will recycle any of its own televisions if you drop them at a designated site (www.sonystyle.com). Best Buy will haul away your old model if you purhase a new TV for home delivery at their store. When you buy one of Office Depot's "Tech Recyling Boxes" for $5, $10, or $15, the company recycles whatever you can fit inside (including TVs)

Visit earth911.org to find places near you that will accept old electronics to recycle.

Photos from the November trip to the Costa Rican Bird Route

All photos by David Edwards

Crossing the river in a basket to the remote site: Bosque Tropical del Toro.

Broad Billed Motmot

American Crocodile

Bromeliad

Violet Sabrewing

Peccary

Jesus Christ Lizard

Latest edition of newsletter now available

The 2008 Fall/Winter edition of Rainforest Biodiversity Group's newsletter is now available to view online at: http://www.rainforestbiodiversity.org/Newsletters.htm.

Happy Holidays

Rainforest Biodiversity Group is wishing all of you a very happy holiday and the best wishes for a new year. A special thanks goes out to all of our supporters in 2008, you made it a very productive year for us and our conservation efforts!

RBG

The article is online!

The article in the Washington Post is now available online. The article is titled "A Trip Along the New Costa Rican Bird Route" - Species rare and common flock together on a new Costa Rican trail.

The Bird Route in the Washington Post!

On December 14, an article will run in the Travel section of the Washington Post on the Costa Rican Bird Route project!

The author of the article, Carol Sottili, was a participant on the November trip to the Costa Rican Bird Route. She is using her experiences on the trip to describe our project as well as tell readers how to plan their own trip.

For those not in the D.C. area, you can view the article online this weekend at:
www.washingtonpost.com/travel

More Info on How to Protest the Mining Project

Here is some more information on how you can contact President Oscar Arias and Roberto Dobles and protest the gold mine project. (Aqui esta alguna informacion para enviar notas de protesta al presidente de republica, Oscar Arias Sanchez, y el ministro del ambiente, Roberto Dobles):

Send letters and/or emails to (Dirigir las cartas a):

Sr. Oscar Arias SanchezPresidente de Costa Rica.
Fax # 2253-9078.
mfernandez@casapres.go.cr

Sr. Roberto Dobles.Ministro del Ambiente.
Fax # 2257-0697.
ministrominae@minae.go.cr

Also, you can join almost 2,000 other people and sign a petition against the gold mine project in Las Crucitas. Go to www.fueradecrucitas.com and follow instructions on how to sign the petition. Basically, it involves sending your name and identification number (driver's license, passport, etc) to fueradecrucitas@gmail.com. (Y tambien, puede firmar una peticion contra este proyecto. Ingrese a www.fueradecrucitas.com y vea las instrucciones para dejar su firma en apoyo a este movimiento en favor de la naturaleza.)