Halloween has a give-and-take approach - you give candy away and if you have kids, receive it back ten-fold. You can even up the score a bit by giving more, this time to Mother Nature. Good Deed Foundation and Green Halloween have partnered up on a cell phone recycling initiative that will keep old, unused devices from polluting the environment in landfills.

The process is simple: Contact Good Deeds for a free collection box. Alert your neighborhood of your intentions to collect old phones on Halloween night and let them know they can drop the phones off while trick-or-treating (or can drop by with an old phone even if they don't have kids). You can even offer a sweet incentive of an extra piece of chocolate or candy to those who drop phones off. Once the box is full, all you have to do is call FedEx to pick up the postage-paid package (try saying that quickly three times in a row) to be delivered to Good Dees, who will then take care of properly recycling the phones on your behalf.

Sounds pretty easy, doesn't it? Learn about how you can get involved with the program this Halloween afater the jump!

» Good Deed Foundation

As part of "Waste Not, Want Not" week on Ecollo, Scarlett Johansson has graciously agreed to promote cell phone recycling in a new campaign. Okay fine, we have nothing to do with it, but Johansson actually did team up with Eva Mendes, her co-star in "The Spirit." The two stars appear in new PSAs created by the Environmental Media Association and Lionsgate studio to promote the important issue. The ads mimic the comic book-themed film posters and feature Johansson holding a cell phone, urging you to "Answer the Call!"

Rather than toss your cell phone in a drawer, or worse the garbage, the EMA hopes to encourage phone owners to recycle their phones and reduce the impact the production of new phones has on the earth..

The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that over 100 million cell phones sit unused in the homes of Americans. If those phones were recycled, it is estimate enough upstream energy would be saved to power 194,000 homes for a year. Earlier this year, Co-op America also named cell phones as one of the 21 things Americans should be recycling but aren't.

In the meantime, you'll have to let the campaign just whet your appetite until you can catch Scarlett and Eva in "The Spirit," opening on Christmas Day.

» E! Online

* The Beijing Olympic Village has been awarded a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) gold award by the U.S. Green Building Council. U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson went on to say that these Olympic games have the best environmental protection in Olympic history.

* Business Week takes a look at the process and cost involved in installing green rooftops, as well as the benefits of doing so.

* The U.S. Navy will limit their use of sonar in response to accusations that the noise threatens marine life, notably whales.

* The Buenos Aires Zoo in Argentina is attempting to return a Crowned Solitary Eagle to her habitat, where it is hoped she will mate. The species is endangered and conservationists are relying on her to help in repopulation efforts.

* Environmentalists in the Albany, Georgia region are trying to ensure local residents have no excuse to send their old televisions sets to a landfill and will host a free electronic recycling day on September 13. Wouldn't it be great if other cities and districts hopped on the bandwagon and decided to join in to make it a widespread event?

» Xinhua

Last weekend we told you about some ways you could reduce your e-waste as millions of televisions will inevitably be tossed when the FCC-mandated conversion to digital broadcasting occurs in early 2009. As it turns out, there's another initiative you can participate in that could make this whole process simpler and a lot more eco-friendly.

The "Take Back My TV" campaign can help you take action and approach electronics manufacturers to establish recycling programs where consumers can send back their used televisions (and other electronics) to be properly processed and recycled. Sony was the first company to organize such a program, and this campaign will allow you to tell other manufacturers such as Panasonic, Phillips and Sharp to step up to the plate and start their own. You can also enter your zip code and find appropriate publications where a letter to the editor can be sent regarding the matter.

There's no doubt that recent advancements with LCD and plasma televisions are causing more people to make the switch, and the FCC's decision will likely drive the sales of new sets across the U.S. However only 12 per cent of e-waste is currently recycled since few facilities and companies offer programs to deal with it. The site also allows you to find the nearest recycling facility to you, allowing you to see if your community has one established, as well as providing a downloadable digital counter so you can countdown until the exact date when televisions will switch to digital broadcasting.

Watch the video below to see where many of these electronics really end up. Ignore the Christmas music as the promo piece clearly had a seasonal theme, but it still relevant.

After watching, encourage facilities and companies to Take Back My TV after the jump!

» Tack Back My TV (Official Site)

Starting in February 2009, the FCC is requiring television broadcasters to convert to digital. Unfortunately this could easily spell bad news for the environment as millions of Americans find their current sets have become obsolete without the installation of a converter box. It's a highly likely scenario that many will choose to get rid of their TVs in favor of purchasing a new one that is already compatible with the new digital format. While it may seem to make sense from a financial perspective (if you have to shell out money for a converter box, why not use it toward a new television set?), it also means that millions of TVs will end up heading for landfills across the country or sent overseas for processing, exposing workers to harmful toxins like mercury and PVCs.

The FCC and retailers can certainly do their part by initiating recycling programs where consumers can drop off old sets and where the televisions will be recycled properly to prevent these chemicals from making their way into water, soil and the air.

In the meantime, there are a few things you can do to help minimize the environmental impact during this transition.

- Before you use this as an excuse to pick up the 50-inch LCD you've been eying, check to make sure your current television isn't already compatible with digital broadcasting. Many sets manufactured post-2003 already are, so look at your label - if it says "Integrated Digital Tuner," "Integrated Digital Receiver," "Digital Receiver Built-in," or "Digital Receiver Built-in," your TV is already equipped to make the switch

- Consider the converter option. You can obtain two vouchers (per household) worth $40 each toward the purchase of a converter box rather than buying a new TV.

- If you decide to take the plunge and buy a new set, make sure your old one doesn't end up in a landfill. Sony offers a free recycling program for their electronics. You can also take a look at the Basel Action Network for a listing of recyclers who have a commitment not to export hazardous e-waste.

- Visit Co-op America after the jump to learn how you can take action and contact the FCC to express your concern about the potential for e-waste that will come from the switch and encourage them to set up more free electronics recycling programs like Sony's.

» Co-op America

Today, Environment Minister John Gerretsen is signing a regulation to put into place a new electronics recycling program.  This new program will include per item fees for all televisions and computers sold in Ontario.  This is the first step of a new program that will hopefully see manufacturers make greener and easier to recycle products.

Producers and importers will have to start paying the fees.  $10 for TV's and $2 - $13 for computers, beginning April 1, 2009.  All fees collected will go to an organization established by Waste Division Ontario and will be used to fund the collection and recycling of the products from hundreds of drop-off locations which will be established across the province.

Read the rest of Mike's story by visiting The Environmental Age after the jump!

» The Environmental Age