Oakland Attempts to Ban Donation Boxes

For nearly 15 years, Campus California has fought against the global issues of climate change and poverty. Since 2000, Campus California has saved more than 3.2 billion pounds of carbon emissions and prevented nearly 620 million items from being improperly disposed of at landfills.

Campus California and other charitable clothing collectors located throughout the San Francisco Bay Area are being forced to divert attention from pressing matters of poverty and environmental damage to face a new issue posed by Oakland and other cities in the area. Oakland is one of several cities pushing to prevent further installation of unattended drop boxes and, at least temporarily, ban the use of currently installed boxes.

For years, nonprofit organizations have installed drop boxes on private property with permission of property owners as a method for collecting clothing, shoes, books, and other valuable items that might otherwise be thrown away. Oakland is citing the boxes as sources of unregulated trash and blight, though the city has not been able to provide any proof of the stated issue or relevant complaints. While the city may be influenced in its efforts by brick-and-mortar used clothing collectors, officials will have a hard time outlawing solicitations of charitable donations, which are fully protected under the first amendment as demonstrations of free speech.

Common Items That Should Be Recycled

Campus California is a nonprofit organization that was established in 2000. In addition to assisting international communities affected by extreme poverty, Campus California fights against global climate change with a number of recycling programs.

In the United States, a variety of common materials and products can be recycled. Aluminum cans, for example, can be melted down and converted into flat metal sheets on the same day that consumers take them to a recycling plant. These flat metal sheets are soon turned into various products, including new aluminum cans. Cans discarded in the garbage, meanwhile, are buried at landfills and left to rot in the ground. Plastic water bottles should also be recycled, but water filters and reusable bottles can replace plastic containers altogether.

Batteries are another common household item that many people use and discard with frightening regularity. Used batteries are considered hazardous waste and should be treated as such. In California, all hazardous waste materials, including batteries, are banned from disposal via landfill. Individuals should bring their old batteries to an authorized recycling plant, a hazardous waste facility, or a universal waste handler. Further, certain retailers run their own battery recycling programs. Convenient battery drop-off locations can be found at www.call2recycle.org.

501(c)(3) Eligibility

Serving the Bay Area, Campus California aims to redistribute unwanted textiles in an effort to preserve the environment and create job opportunities for underserved citizens. Campus California is a 501(c)(3) organization.

Under the U.S. Internal Revenue Code, a 501(c)(3) organization qualifies for specific tax exemptions. Organizations that qualify for 501(c)(3) status are typically nonprofit organizations, private foundations, trusts, unincorporated associations, and public charities.

To be eligible for the 501(c)(3) designation, a group must provide evidence that it operates for the purpose of charity, religion, literature, education, public safety testing, and science. Additionally, organizations that advocate the prevention of animal and child cruelty or host national or international amateur sports competitions meet the criteria to file. Once an organization is approved, donors and contributors of the cause can file their donations as tax deductions. Another added benefit is that, in some states, 501(c)(3) groups are exempt from sales and property taxes.

For more information about the 501(c)(3) designation, visit http://www.irs.gov.

Spotlight on Malawi’s Efforts to Prevent Spread of HIV/AIDS Virus

A registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in California since 2000, Campus California has grown into a large and well-recognized recycled clothing program in the San Francisco Bay Area. As a financial supporter of the One World Center Michigan chapter, Campus California supports the group’s efforts to promote equitable access to health care for individuals in need.

For the past several years, One World Center Michigan has sponsored several teams of international volunteers to Mozambique and Malawi, both of which have high levels of HIV/AIDS among their populations. Countless volunteers have supported the Malawi government’s efforts to reduce the spread of the HIV/AIDS virus, recently culminating in a groundbreaking development. In September 2014, President Arthur Peter Mutharika announced that Malawi would be the first government to adopt the WHO guidelines for Option B+, a health care plan which provides all HIV-positive pregnant women with antiretroviral (ARV) treatment regardless of CD4 count. This treatment prolongs life expectancy and prevents transmission to newborn children. The measure reflects the country’s impressive efforts to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS over the past several years. These efforts have reduced the virus’ prevalence among individuals aged 15-49 from 15 percent in 2005 to 10 percent in 2013.

The Possible Effects of Global Climate Change

For nearly 15 years Campus California, an East Bay nonprofit organization, has worked toward helping local and global communities establish sustainable practices in the fight against climate change. Campus California also assists poverty-stricken communities with a variety of programs, including Fighting with the Poor.

Over recent decades a number of organizations have documented the widespread effects of global climate change, such as consistently rising sea levels and escalating annual temperatures. By extrapolating on decades of research data, these organizations have also been able to forecast changes that may occur in the future. For example, the Nature Conservancy estimates that as many as 25 percent of animal species currently living on earth may be extinct by the year 2050 if climate change progresses unchecked.

The earth’s changing climate has also resulted in an unusually high number of intense storms, including hurricanes and tropical storms. These amplified storms have been attributed primarily to heightened ocean temperatures. As ocean temperatures continue to rise, storms are likely to continue to increase in strength and frequency. Additional changes that may occur due to global warming include an increase in heat-related illnesses and economic losses in select industries.

What Can and Cannot Be Recycled

Campus California, founded in 2000, serves national and global communities with a variety of charitable services. In addition to fighting poverty, Campus California promotes and supports sustainable living and recycling practices.

Recent studies have shown that more Americans are recycling than ever before. In fact, recycling activities have doubled throughout the nation over the last two decades. However, as of 2011 only 58 percent of Americans claimed to recycle on a regular basis. While more than 75 percent of the waste Americans create annually is recyclable, only 30 percent of that trash is actually recycled. As the recycling trend continues to grow, individuals will need to learn exactly which products can and cannot be recycled.

For example, paper products rank among the simplest materials to recycle. Virtually any type of paper, ranging from white office paper to colored construction paper, can be recycled with ease. However, similar products such as napkins, tissue paper, and paper towels are not considered recyclable, as they often suffer from food contamination. Instead, households should attempt to cut back on paper towels by using cloth towels and rags whenever possible. Plastic bottle caps are another item that many people think are ready for recycling, but they should actually be removed from bottles prior to disposal. Bottle caps are constructed from a different type of plastic than that of bottles and can be disposed of only at certain facilities. Bottle caps can even pose a safety hazard to recycling plants that are not equipped to handle them.

Textile Recycling Is Key to Achieving San Francisco’s Zero-Waste Goal

Campus California is a non-profit organization focused on textile recycling in the San Francisco area. The organization provides free textile collection bins to provide convenient places for citizens to drop off unwanted clothing and shoes. Through its recycling work, Campus California is helping San Francisco Environment, a division of the City of San Francisco, pursue its goal of zero waste by 2020.

Although San Franciscans have earned status as the top city for recycling and composting in North America, citizens there still have a long way to go to achieve the zero-waste goal. According to San Francisco Environment, people of San Francisco send more than 39 million pounds of textiles to landfills each year. Recycling or reusing textiles helps reduce waste and conserve natural resources.

Currently, textiles, which include anything made of cloth or fabric, comprise 5.2% of landfill space. Many people do donate unwanted clothing and shoes to thrift stores, but do not realize that items such as mismatched socks or stained garments can also have a secondary purpose. Textile recyclers can often re-purpose used fabrics into cleaning cloths or extract fibers for many applications, such as carpet pads or insulating materials.

Moringa Oleifera Tree Offers Nutritional Benefits

A nonprofit group, Campus California supports efforts that alleviate poverty around the world. One of the organizations that Campus California partners with is the Richmond Vale Academy, located in St. Vincent and the Grenadines in the Caribbean. The academy is committed to environmental remediation efforts, like planting Moringa oleifera trees on the island of St. Vincent.

Dubbed the Miracle Tree, the Moringa oleifera tree provides numerous nutritional benefits, especially for communities in developing countries where access to healthy foods can be difficult. The tree originated in the Himalayas but is widely planted throughout South America and Africa. The entire plant is used for medicinal and nutritional purposes.

The immature pods can be consumed raw or cooked and offer essential amino acids and various vitamins. Possessing a peanut-like flavor, mature Moringa oleifera tree pods provide the same nutrients as the younger version and are typically fried before consumption. Both contain ben oil, which sustains its flavor and quality throughout its lifetime and can be used like olive oil. Other benefits of the tree include flower blossoms that are rich in potassium and calcium, and leaves filled with an exceptional amount of vitamins A and C. The leaves can be used as plant fertilizer and animal food.

The Saint Vincent Climate Compliance Conference

Campus California was established in 2000 as an advocate for sustainable living. Campus California supports a number of local and global programs, including the decade-long Climate Compliance Conference, designed to raise funds and awareness about the dangers of climate change.

Developed with an invaluable 10-year perspective, the Saint Vincent Climate Compliance Conference was established by Richmond Vale Academy in 2012. Supported by Campus California, Saint Vincent is one of the world’s first countries to pledge “climate compliance” via an initiative that will run through 2021. Taking advantage of an unprecedented wealth of scientific data and international support for the fight against climate change and global warming, the initiative is aimed at preventing irreparable damage to the Earth system.

The Climate Compliance Conference also operates with a close eye on each of the nine planetary boundaries, including the stratospheric ozone layer, chemical dispersion, land system changes, and atmospheric aerosol loading. Biodiversity is another planetary boundary that has been incorporated into the study. Human-generated changes to the planet’s biodiversity have increased significantly over the last five decades, amplifying the likelihood of drastic shifts in various ecosystems around the world.

A Move to Ban Clothing Donation Boxes, Despite First Amendment

For the past 14 years, Campus California has assisted people affected by poverty and climate change throughout the world. To fund its efforts, the nonprofit maintains approximately 1,000 clothing donation boxes throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Recently, Campus California has faced a situation in which Oakland is seeking to ban donation boxes. These ordinances are strongly supported by used clothing collection companies that maintain physical retail locations.

Unfortunately, the close relationship between government and corporate interests is stifling community-driven efforts that support recycling and avoid excessive landfill waste. The reuse of unwanted textiles benefits many people throughout the world who are unable to afford new clothing. A recent U.S. district court decision in Michigan found that “solicitation of (textile) charitable donations” is fully protected under the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment. While judicious regulations can help manage donation boxes and ensure that environmental concerns are addressed, an outright ban is a step in the wrong direction.