In the Spirit of Memorial Day

National Moment of Remembrance

Originally called Decoration Day, Memorial Day is a day of remembrance for those who died while serving our country in the military. Memorial Day, officially proclaimed by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic on May 5, 1868 was initially observed on May 30, 1868. During this observance, flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery. New York was the first state to officially celebrate the holiday in 1873. Today almost every U.S. state celebrates Memorial Day on the last Monday in May. Congress with the National Holiday Act of 1971 passed Memorial Day.

It is unfortunate that with the traditional observance of Memorial Day, the meaning is forgotten. Some people think that the day is for honoring any of our dead and not just the fallen soldiers who served our country. It is reported that the graves at many cemeteries have been ignored and neglected.

To help Americans remember the true meaning of Memorial Day, the “National Moment of Remembrance” resolution was passed on Dec 2000. This resolution, by President William Jefferson Clinton, asks that all Americans voluntarily and informally observe a moment of remembrance and respect on this day, at 3:00pm their local time, to pause from whatever they are doing for a moment of silence or to listen to “Taps.” The Moment of Remembrance is a beginning to what we need in order to return to the original meaning of this day. Today and every day, let us take the time to remember, reflect and honor our fallen men and women who served and defended our country. They are our true heroes for helping us maintain the freedom that we sometimes take for granted in this country.

If you would like to pay tribute to someone who served in the military and has passed away, feel free to leave their name and the branch of military they served, in the comment section of this blog or on our Facebook wall.

Elementary School Siblings Form SoWal Recycles

Young Entrepreneurs: Cyrus and Grace Garringer

We stumbled upon this wonderful story about two siblings deciding to do something about the insufficiency of recycling in their community. What many adults probably think of as a waste of time, this sister and brother team decided to take the time to do something about the waste. Cyrus and Grace Garringer of Santa  Rosa Beach Florida, started their own recycling business called SoWal Recycles.

Cyrus who  is 10 years old and Grace who is 8 years old, knew that  their local waste management company did not offer residential recycling services for the South Walton area where they live, so they wanted to make things easier for residents to recycle every day. SoWal Recycles serves the South Walton area in Florida and extends their services to local businesses.

Customers using the services of SoWal Recycles can select days of the week they want their recyclables picked up and how often. Grace and Cyrus currently arrange to pick up the recyclables from their client’s homes after school, then separate the items to be delivered at Walton County recycling bins. Of course this dynamic duo cannot drive, so their parents do that part, as well as teach them how to operate their new business responsibly. Like any new or existing business, Cyrus and Grace have to track their expenses, as well as their income. The items they collect for recycling include:

• Clean Dry Paper
• Tin/Steel/Aluminum cans
• Corrugated cardboard
• Plastics
• Glass

What is even more impressive is their decision to pay-it-forward with their business. They will donate 10% of their monthly profit to different charities. They decided that their first donation would help victims of the Alabama tornado. Each month their charity will change.

SoWal Recycles is not just about making money or recycling, but Cyrus and Grace’s interest also include other projects like hosting some mini Earth Day parties during their summer break and invite friends to help clean up their local beach. For more information about SoWal Recycles, visit their blog at  http://sowalrecycle.blogspot.com or you can email them at sowalrecycle@gmail.com.

Grace and Cyrus, we applaud your tenacity and dedicated work to help bring environmental awareness to your community. We hope that more people will be inspired by your environmental initiatives to do their part to recycle more. Favorite Things for a CAUSE salutes you and encourages you to continue with your commitment and your extraordinary “can-do” spirit!

Electronics Recycling Directory

Electronic Recycling

As part of our Clean Up Your ACT! initiative, we will continue to bring you news and updates to discover ways that would improve our residential, commercial, educational, environmental and industrial communities. Recycling is a major concern for us. All too often, we waste many valuable things we reject by tossing them in the trash and sending them to pollute landfills. Companies are becoming more conscientious about this type of wastefulness and the importance of reprocessing anything that can be recycled. We are finding more companies stepping up to the plate by becoming more responsible for implementing sustainability efforts in their environment.

We came across this website Electronics Recycling Directory that helps you to find recyclers and refurbishers for used electronics. Companies of all sizes and in all locations use the Electronics Recycling Directory to find partners for their particular needs. On the orange sidebar tab on this site, there is a link “Find Your State Program” that lists contact information for U.S. State Programs for electronics recycling. This site contains some very valuable information to help you become more sustainable and responsible for electronic recycling.

Electronic waste is just as lethal to the environment as litter. Sometimes when it’s time to upgrade, we have no clue what to do with our electronics. It is amazing how many people simply dispose of their old electronics in the trash because it is an easy thing to do. Let us make a commitment to recycle responsibly. The Electronics Recycling Directory is a good resource for electronics recycling news, events, technological innovation and current e-scrap prices. http://www.electronicsrecyclingdirectory.com/index.php What are you doing to promote recycling your electronics?

FREE eBooklet: Project Clean Up Your ACT!

It’s finally here!!! The eBooklet many of you have requested since we announced its arrival last month. Project Clean Up Your ACT! is available for you to download FREE! That’s right FREE!

Out of great concern regarding the deteriorating state in many of our communities, we wanted to create an informational plan of action to help you jumpstart projects that would improve the health and wellness of your neighborhood, as well as the environment.

We invite you to click on the page listed above, “Project Clean Up Your ACT! and follow the link to get your FREE copy. We also invite you to leave a comment and share with our readers how you are participating in or spearheading environmental projects of sustainability in your home and community. Don’t forget to become a part of our Facebook community by clicking on the badge to your right and hit the LIKE button when you sign in and land on our page.

www.favoritethingsforacause.com

Happy Mother’s Day!

“A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials heavy and sudden, fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends who rejoice with us in our sunshine desert us; when trouble thickens around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts.” ~Washington Irving

To mothers past and present, we celebrate you today. We look to our mothers to care for us, protect us and be the nurse or doctor for our ailments and woundedness. Mother’s Day isn’t the only time we celebrate our mothers. We celebrate their maternal embrace, guidance and prayers at some moment and time every day.

If you were not fortunate enough to have a mother who was that nurturer and God-made creature that you hoped she would have been, then you have the will power to do things differently and be the mother creature that God purposed you to be. To all of our mothers, grandmothers, aunts, stepmothers, Godmothers, sisters, nieces and female friends, Happy Mother’s Day!

To the fathers who had to unexpectedly step in the position of being the maternal figure in the absence of a mother, for whatever reasons, we celebrate you on this day as well. Parenting is not an easy task, for there is not an owner’s or instruction manual that comes with a child. When we look to the word of God for guidance and help however, we will find that He will provide the correct answers that we need to be the mothers and fathers that we are supposed to be.

¡Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Each year on the fifth of May, we celebrate Cinco de Mayo. So what is Cinco de Mayo all about? This festive celebration of Mexican culture and heritage commemorates the Mexican army’s victory over France in 1862, during the Franco-Mexican War at the Battle of Puebla. This war occurred from 1861-1867. Traditional celebrations of Cinco de Mayo include mariachi music performances, parades and street festivals in cities and towns across Mexico and the U.S.

Not to be confused with the Mexican Independence Day, Cinco de Mayo is a celebration of freedom and liberty.

¡Happy Cinco de Mayo!