Think Globally, Act Locally
"Think globally, act locally" urges people to consider the health of the entire planet and to take action in their own communities and cities.
Nowhere could this saying be more accurate than with St. Louisans and MERS/Goodwill. If you think about it, Goodwill is actually the "original recycler", taking in gently worn objects and giving them a new life in their stores for someone else to take home and put to use.
MERS/Goodwill has been in operation in St. Louis for close to a hundred years. Throughout that century, Goodwill has seen a phenomenal transformation of what folks have donated. They've gone from taking donations of simple clothing and basic articles in the 20th century to mega gadgets and big screen TV's in the 21st century!
But no matter how many gadgets and complicated video components you bring in to Goodwill, they will always find a new home for them. And that home will never be in a landfill!
In 2009, MERS/Goodwill partnered with Dell to recycle computers and their components. Goodwill recycled over 750,000 pounds of computers and equipment in 2009.
In fact, in November 2009 alone, MERS/Goodwill held the largest electronic recycle drive, collecting over 300 tons of electronics keeping them from the local landfill.
Did you know? The average Goodwill donors:
- Make a donation approximately 3-5 times a year, which helps keep unwanted items out of the local landfills
- Are primarily female
- Have confidence that Goodwill puts their donation to good use
The top three reasons for donating to MERS/Goodwill are:
- Recycling
- Good Cause
- Seasonal cleaning
Whatever your reason for donating, keep doing it because MERS/Goodwill is poised to have an even better year, perhaps recycling a million pounds of computer and computer equipment in 2010! Their mission is "putting people to work in our community" and profits from the sale of donated goods goes towards that mission.
For more information, please go to MersGoodwill.org.