Battery Day

When: Always February 18th

People get a charge out of National Battery Day. We are absolutely energized about the many uses and applications. It's an opportunity to celebrate a vital invention. Batteries are used everywhere, from the battlefield to smoke alarms to headsets. They come in all sorts of shapes, sizes, and power capacity, to fit a wide array of needs.

Just imagine where the world would be without batteries. We'd still be using a crank to start our automobiles. We'd have to cart around long extension cords to bring the boombox to the beach. And, forget about hand-held games. They'd never be popular tied to an electrical outlet.

Yesiree, batteries are electrifying!Today is a good time to appreciate the  the power of batteries in our everyday life. 

Origin of National Battery Day:

Our research did not find the creator, or the origin of this day.  Most likely, this day was created by a national association or a battery manufacturer.

This is referred to as a "National" day. However, we did not find any congressional records or presidential proclamations for this day.

Several site visitors have suggested that this day is in honor of Alessandro Volta, Italian physicist and inventor of electric battery, who was born on this day in 1745.

Holiday Insights

I found a great article by The Daily Green on National Battery Day. 

Why Rechargeable Batteries Are Smarter

You'll save money and resources, as well as reduce pollution.

"Mind is the battery cell, Intelligence is the switch." ~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba

No, National Battery Day is not meant to give you permission to assault people. Thankfully, there is no holiday when that is acceptable. This year's National Battery Day (February 18) was brought to you by the companies that produce those things that are "not included" whenever you buy your kid a toy that needs a power source.

Yearly, Americans buy approximately three billion batteries to juice-up their cell phones, computers, radios, toys, watches, hearing aids...you name it. At an average length of two inches, strung end to end, those "disposable" energy sources would be 94,700 miles long -- enough to circle the equator almost four times!

Read more: http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/blogs/nontoxic/rechargeable-batteries-460209#ixzz1EQpjyXDS

Happy Battery Day!

E-waste Recycling

E-waste (or electronic waste) is a huge waste issue. Tons of e-waste end up in landfills each year and leach toxic chemical into our water systems and air.  In fact, e-waste is responsible for up to 40% of all toxins in landfills. Many communities (including my own) have started setting up e-waste drives where people can drop off e-waste to be recycled by paid (private) companies. I even organized 2 of these in the past year. But recently there has been some speculation as to whether these companies actually recycle or just ship it overseas to be pick apart by hand by underpaid workers, including children. 

Following these claims, I am planning to take a "field trip" to the recycling plant of the company we used - WeRecycle. Overall, the company was friendly, but startlingly unorganized.  Many community organizers have held e-waste drives using this company, so hopefully I will find good things. 

Below are a couple of videos on the topic. 

Greenpeace Video on E-waste

What do you think about the e-waste recycling business? Comment below!